Author Topic: Teeth...on NHS  (Read 2511 times)

Teeth...on NHS
« on: 27 March, 2018, 08:47:11 am »
IME, there used to be a time when an NHS check up included a teeth clean, descale etc.  Now the only time my teeth are professionally cleaned are while waiting for the local anaesthetic to take before a filling.    So inaddition to having to see the dentist every 6 months, are we expected to see a dental hygienist 2-3 times a year?
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #1 on: 27 March, 2018, 08:49:06 am »
Yes. NHS has never been overly keen on Prophylatics/Prevention however. dentist used to descale during bi annual service. The dentist switched us to hygenist following a chat about foreign holidays. Could be a cooindidence but I think not.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #2 on: 27 March, 2018, 08:56:38 am »
Ps. I never understood why BUPA didn't cover eyes and teeth. From a work point of view much more likely to be away from work due to one of these. (yes I suppose premiums would rise).
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Eccentrica Gallumbits

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Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #3 on: 28 March, 2018, 12:28:46 pm »
My NHS dentist offers me a scale and polish when he thinks I need it.
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #4 on: 28 March, 2018, 12:58:39 pm »
David has been press-ganged into a hygienist visit in June and had to pay upfront.

He has an NHS dentist, who seems to have 'diversified' with a cosmetic and hygienist clinic next door to the dental surgery.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6000601,-0.2678125,3a,37.5y,340.69h,96.15t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxP1ZSTbEkgpPHwF2fFpGvw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

To be fair, he does seem to build up loads of unattractive scale.

I don't.

I use a pricy, posh, private dentist in Golders Green on an 'as and when' basis. I would guess our total annual dental expenditure is similar...

Kim

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Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #5 on: 28 March, 2018, 01:19:41 pm »
I remain unconvinced by the merits of the hygienist sessions.  I went 8 years without seeing a dentist, and my teeth were fine with just normal cleaning.  It just seems like a load of money and pain for no obvious benefit.

Suspect it's a case of YMMV[1].  Obviously if you're in the habit of smoking or chronic tea-drinking, there's more to gain from polishing, and if you're unfortunate enough to be someone with naturally bad teeth or a disability that impacts your ability to clean them properly, it might reduce decay.

I think barakta would benefit, but it isn't worth suffering the bad lighting and attitude[2] of the local NHS dentist for.


[1] Your Mouth May Vary.
[2] They specialise in dental phobias, so all their habitual methods of putting patients at ease add up to the opposite of deaf-awareness.  This causes stress, which leads to a positive feedback loop.

Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #6 on: 28 March, 2018, 01:39:32 pm »
Dentists visits can be minimised by electric toothbrushes.
Hygienist visits can be almost eliminated if you use a water jet flosser.
Floss with floss on a stick after meals

Corsady mouthwash is problematical as whilst it is very effective, the chlorhexidene binds to tooth enamel quite well, but binds better to tannins in tea and coffee so if you are a user you are likely to end up with stained teeth.

Eat your cake/biscuits then drink your sugarless tea/coffee.  Make sure you swish the beverage around your moth to wash sugar off your teeth as well as possible.

Eat bread which has a really really tough crust.

Anyone else got recommendations for good eating practices for dental hygiene.




Tried making an appointment with my local dentist and was offered July as the earliest date!!!!!

Regulator

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Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #7 on: 28 March, 2018, 01:45:31 pm »
Dentists visits can be minimised by electric toothbrushes.
Hygienist visits can be almost eliminated if you use a water jet flosser.
Floss with floss on a stick after meals

Corsady mouthwash is problematical as whilst it is very effective, the chlorhexidene binds to tooth enamel quite well, but binds better to tannins in tea and coffee so if you are a user you are likely to end up with stained teeth.

Eat your cake/biscuits then drink your sugarless tea/coffee.  Make sure you swish the beverage around your moth to wash sugar off your teeth as well as possible.

Eat bread which has a really really tough crust.

Anyone else got recommendations for good eating practices for dental hygiene.




Tried making an appointment with my local dentist and was offered July as the earliest date!!!!!

Yep... ask a dentist and don't take advice off random bods on the internet...  ;)
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I completely agree with Reg.

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Kim

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Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #8 on: 28 March, 2018, 01:48:14 pm »
Corsady mouthwash is problematical as whilst it is very effective, the chlorhexidene binds to tooth enamel quite well, but binds better to tannins in tea and coffee so if you are a user you are likely to end up with stained teeth.

Stained teeth isn't even in the top ten problems[1] of chlorhexidene mouthwash   :hand:


[1] Okay, the top 8 of those are the way it uncalibrates your taste buds for the following 12 hours.  And the others are the burning sensation and the fact that it tastes deeply unpleasant.

Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #9 on: 28 March, 2018, 02:04:44 pm »
Quote
Yep... ask a dentist and don't take advice off random bods on the internet... 



eeerm


Quote
Tried making an appointment with my local dentist and was offered July as the earliest date!!!!!

Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #10 on: 28 March, 2018, 02:26:10 pm »
I was told by a dentist that Corsodyl blackens the teeth.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

hellymedic

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Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #11 on: 28 March, 2018, 02:39:37 pm »
David uses a sonic toothbrush.
David flosses almost all the time; there is floss in his bumbag and on the kitchen table, as well as in the bathroom.
David uses interdental brushes.
David STILL has a scale problem. He is a tea sipper .
We eat tough, fibrous foods.

Some folk make lots of scale, some don't. It might relate to calcium and pH levels in the saliva but I don't really remember.

Gum disease, which causes more tooth loss than decay, can be worsened by scale and plaque so it's worth keeping these under control. There are also associations of heart disease with poor dental health/hygiene.

In my opinion, it is worth keeping scale under control and having healthy gums.

This varies between individuals.

Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #12 on: 28 March, 2018, 03:05:20 pm »
If scaly teeth are a problem you could try a vitamin  K2 supplement.
 

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #13 on: 28 March, 2018, 03:51:21 pm »
If scaly teeth are a problem you could try a vitamin  K2 supplement.

I've not heard of this. David's hygienist has never suggested it. We get through mountains of broccoli anyway.

What is the source for this advice?

Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #14 on: 28 March, 2018, 04:26:33 pm »
If you have a gastric reflux problem, then your tooth enamel ends up porous (as it does if you drink fruit juice or other acidic drinks constantly). That enables scale to build up more easily
<i>Marmite slave</i>

barakta

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Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #15 on: 28 March, 2018, 04:26:41 pm »
I should note that problem dentist also doesn't LISTEN when I ask them to do specific things for accessibility, cos they're too busy telling me how not to be anxious... The nearer ones on our road are too busy babbling, lying about what is needed and being patronising as well as refusing to speak up, slow down or use transparent masks.

I do not otherwise suffer anxiety or dental phobia...


Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #16 on: 28 March, 2018, 07:03:36 pm »
One of many articles/videos if you google vitamin K2 scale teeth.  You have to judge for yoursewlf how much faith you put in what you find.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnEzVet8mFA

Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #17 on: 28 March, 2018, 10:01:26 pm »
My dentist used to warn me about carbonated drinks (even nothing with sugar in like soda water or beer).

All I read from this thread is that there's no consistency about the advice from dentists. Each seem to have their own pet theory about some aspect of tooth care...
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #18 on: 28 March, 2018, 10:56:27 pm »
I think dentists are fairly unanimous about carbonated drinks.
Anything that lowers pH in the mouth can be harmful.

Dentists are less unanimous about milk.

Most fruity flavoured drinks, including 'fruit tea' are acidic.

Kim

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Re: Teeth...on NHS
« Reply #19 on: 28 March, 2018, 11:14:36 pm »
Yeah, they all seem pretty much in agreement about fluoride good, sugar and acid bad.  Opinions seem to vary on the specifics of brushing and flossing, and the relative merits of plastic vs amalgam fillings.  Either way, they seem to put far too much weight on the effect of factors you can control (ie. food and teeth cleaning habits) and too little on the effects of luck, remembering to duck and choosing the right parents.

Obviously, you can't change your natural mouth chemistry, but it's all too easy for a dentist to assume that someone is a fizzy drink enthusiast in need of a patronising lecture, rather than having the misfortune to come from a family of people with bad teeth.  (I say this as someone who lives on chocolate and orange juice, brushes once a day, and whose relatively minor tooth problems are mostly attributable to mechanical damage.)