hygienist visit cancelled

gauchesnell · 21-11-2019 11:06pm #1

Hi ya

Looking for advice regarding policy please. My scheduled hygienist visit has been cancelled by my practice as they say I need to attend the dentist first. Fair enough but i cant afford the dentist in the practice and the hygienist. The hygienist would be my preference I am a very nervous patient and I find her calm and helpful. The dentist I am not bothered about...I would prefer to source a cheaper one if possible. I spend a lot more time with the hygienist. I didnt attend a dentist for about 20 years and only started back when my wisdom teeth came through. Dentists on a whole freak me out.

Thing is can they do this. Cancel my apt and make me pay to visit their dentist. Surely this must be my choice. I have advised them I cant do both...its either dentist or hygienist. Just to note I see the hygienist every 4 months so it is pricey but she is worth it.

I really would like to keep my hygienist visit and attend a dentist who is a bit cheaper when I haved saved up a bit. They were a bit dismissive about it saying it would only cost xxx euro. Eh hello thats food for the month for me

I am happy to waive whatever they need me to waive but I didnt think patients could be forced into paying for treatment.

Fishorsealant · 22-11-2019 1:18am

In Ireland hygienists work under the prescription of a dentist.

Hygienists cannot DIAGNOSE, this is strictly for dentists only.

As pedantic as it may be in some cases, it does serve a purpose.

You would need a diagnosis of what type of gum disease you have and thus what treatment you require, which is then carried out by a hygienist.

Legislation may change in the future as in other countries.

However, if you see hygienist every four months could you not just contact clinic and ask them?
Was your last dentist visit some time ago maybe?

mrskinner · 22-11-2019 1:28am

Is the dental hygienist's charge of €40 per visit value for money?

Smile111 · 22-11-2019 8:59am

I would imagine it is regarded as safe practice to attend the dentist first.
If you are however a regular patient of the dentist, they normally allow you see the hygenist. At my dentist they do anyway.
If you have not attended in years. I am just guessing it would be a little different.

My hygenist is €70 per session.

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 10:24am

Hi ya

my hygienist is €80. I have asked the clinic and they went ahead and cancelled my appointment anyway...so now no appointment with my hygienist. My last visit to the dentist was some time ago..maybe a year but its pure finances. I cant afford dentist and hygienist. Not at the moment anymore. Between the fee and getting time off work its difficult.

I am a regular patient of the practice ...apologies for the confusion. I have attended the dentist before and had fillings done etc. Just not recently. The hygienist is good and I save up for the visit...but attending both is a stretch financially and time wise for me.

Just wondering is this the norm for a clinic to cancel my hygienist visit and force me to visit the dentist to get access to the hygienist. One cancels the other out. Visiting the dentist now means I wont be able to afford to see the hygienist for another few months. I also wont be able to get the time off work.

Just frustrating

Dav010 · 22-11-2019 10:52am

As a previous poster pointed out, Hygienists work on prescription from a dentist, in other words the dentists instructs the Hygienist on the treatments prescribed. Many practices require that you are examined yearly if you wish to attend the Hygienist to renew the prescription.

To answer your questions, yes they can require you to attend a dentist to renew prescription, and yes they can cancel your appointment if your current prescription has elapsed.

There is however nothing to stop you attending another dentist and getting a letter instructing your current Hygienist on diagnosis and prescription for necessary treatment. You can then just bring this letter to your Hygienist, she is then covered for any undiagnosed pathology.

kennethsmyth · 22-11-2019 11:03am

gauchesnell wrote: »

Hi ya

my hygienist is €80. I have asked the clinic and they went ahead and cancelled my appointment anyway...so now no appointment with my hygienist. My last visit to the dentist was some time ago..maybe a year but its pure finances. I cant afford dentist and hygienist. Not at the moment anymore. Between the fee and getting time off work its difficult.

I am a regular patient of the practice ...apologies for the confusion. I have attended the dentist before and had fillings done etc. Just not recently. The hygienist is good and I save up for the visit...but attending both is a stretch financially and time wise for me.

Just wondering is this the norm for a clinic to cancel my hygienist visit and force me to visit the dentist to get access to the hygienist. One cancels the other out. Visiting the dentist now means I wont be able to afford to see the hygienist for another few months. I also wont be able to get the time off work.

Just frustrating

Dentist may want to see you but they shouldnt have cancelled the hygenists appointment without talking to you about it first. I'd be ringing them and telling them you are changing practice and they lose all funds from you going forward. If dentist wants to see you let them do a joint appointment - you don't look after clients in the way they have.

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 11:45am

thanks for that. Yeah I am appalled and have started looking around for another dentist and hygienist. It is actually quite upsetting as I was comfortable with the hygienist and it is very expensive to attend but she is good.

Now i dont have any appointment

Effects · 22-11-2019 11:49am

Could you see the dentist, then skip two hygienist visits to level out the cost?

Wheety · 22-11-2019 12:09pm

Are you working? PRSI should cover the dentist visit.

My hygienist is €80 too. But checkup doesn't cost me anything.

I go twice a year to hygienist and PRSI also covered half the cost of one treatment as well as checkup.

antix80 · 22-11-2019 12:13pm

Wheety wrote: »

Are you working? PRSI should cover the dentist visit.

They prob cancelled the hygenist so the dentist could charge €15 for a 30 second clean as part of the checkup, then charge you for the hygenist a few weeks later.

I don't think you should be so upset about the cancellation. Just reschedule it and see another dentist.

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 12:21pm

oh yeah they were going to charge me the extra money to attend the dentist - but only when i enquired about the extra fee. I think the dentist might be covered by PRSI but now I also cant get time off work to do both. Its an either or situation with money and work.

I am particularly nervous patient though...like extreme nerves. I didnt attend a dentist or hygienist for soo long out of fear. The hygienist is good and makes me calm...very difficult to find. I am pretty upset about it really. If I could afford to attend both I would. They were super dismissive about the cost. Lol thats my money for food

Wheety · 22-11-2019 12:29pm

gauchesnell wrote: »

oh yeah they were going to charge me the extra money to attend the dentist - but only when i enquired about the extra fee. I think the dentist might be covered by PRSI but now I also cant get time off work to do both. Its an either or situation with money and work.

I am particularly nervous patient though...like extreme nerves. I didnt attend a dentist or hygienist for soo long out of fear. The hygienist is good and makes me calm...very difficult to find. I am pretty upset about it really. If I could afford to attend both I would. They were super dismissive about the cost. Lol thats my money for food

I go to hygienist every 6 months and the dentist every 12. I always book the dentist appointment for when I'm there with the hygienist.

The dentist will do a proper check-up so is worth going. Mine takes x-rays every 2nd visit so has a record of my dental health. I do have to pay that as PRSI doesn't cover it.

The visit this week, after the hygienist, was only around 5 minutes as regular cleanings are doing their job now.

I also didn't go for around 10 years up until around 4 years ago.

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 12:47pm

Could you see the dentist, then skip two hygienist visits to level out the cost?

Yeah but that means not seeing the hygienist for 8 months. I normally attend every 4 months.

€60 for 5 mins is something I cant afford - that also means not seeing the hygienist for 8 months. Sorry for being a moan but I have to save up for this every month.

They have advised I can attend a different dentist (cheaper one) and just get a letter from them and then continue with the hygienist.

Sorry for moaning but god dentists make things difficult. Of course I would go to the dentist if I could afford both. I cant. If I go in and they want xrays I cant afford the xrays and then hygienist visit.

22-11-2019 1:01pm

Where I attend once a year the dentist does the examination/X-ray, then if things are straightforward will do a cleaning there and then, or if more time has been taken double-checking things will make a follow-up appointment for cleaning and do it herself. Last time it was €60 for exam, X-ray, cleaning plus free tube of toothpaste as I had struck it lucky at special offer time at Smiles Dental. One thing I like is that she always tries to avoid pushing dental expenses on me when they can be avoided. A previous single practice dentist I had attended used to find every way he could to add up the cost for me and restored pointless teeth at the back etc etc. A friend of mine used to attend him too and gave up on him for same reason.

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 1:10pm

yeah this is what I am finding. Of course I would attend the dentist if I can afford to. I cant attend dentist, hygienist and buy food all at the same time. Only when I asked did they advise it would be an additional charge ...on top of taking time off of work to attend both appointments.

I am seriously annoyed and will be making a formal complaint. Surely dental practices cant force customers to undergo treatment they dont want or cant afford

antix80 · 22-11-2019 1:36pm

gauchesnell wrote: »

I am seriously annoyed and will be making a formal complaint. Surely dental practices cant force customers to undergo treatment they dont want or cant afford

See, the problem is its his practice, so he's responsible for your overall treatment. If you go to his hygenist for 2 years without seeing the dentist and your tooth falls out, you'll be crying about it and who will you blame?

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 1:57pm

my apologies I didnt know people did that. Why would I blame a dentist for my teeth being bad when I didnt attend them.

separately I have been doing some research trying to find a cheaper option for me and a local dentist has advised that the dentist visit and hygienist visit can be done all in one visit. From reading the above some practices offer this...so is this normal. It is more expensive price wish but all in one go which may mean I dont have to miss 2 days work/leave work early twice. Not ideal but possible.

Im in a catch 22 situation I think. Whatever a dentist recommends to me I cant afford to do anyway.I am nervous about attending a new hygienist anyway so I could proceed and get a letter and then return to my regular hygienist

Maggie Benson · 22-11-2019 2:10pm

I think this practice of they insisting you see the dentist first is a way of extracting more money out of the unsuspecting patient.
There seems to operate a different system across the border where a friend of mine attended for a hygienist visit yesterday. The hygienist said that she would get the dentist to check as she suspected she had the early stages of a small cavity which the dentist confirmed.
I asked her to enquire about a hygienist visit for myself which she could have obtained with no provisos!

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 2:15pm

OMG please PM me any recommendations please. Prices are so high to attend dentists and hygienists here

Oral Surgeon · 22-11-2019 3:47pm

gauchesnell wrote: »

my apologies I didnt know people did that. Why would I blame a dentist for my teeth being bad when I didnt attend them.

Yeah, welcome to our world. Medicine and dentistry is so litigious these days that your problem suddenly becomes our fault if it was "missed"....
"I didn't know that I had gum disease, the dentist never told me that my teeth were falling apart.... I'll sue him/her despite it ultimately being my fault..."

I don't blame the dentist for wanting to do a check up and the money spent/earned in that appointment is probably not that great compared to him/her doing another more lucrative treatment instead in that time...
He/she is just looking after you and your teeth and covering his/her back by examining you correctly...

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 4:42pm

Ok wow didnt even think of that. Wouldnt cross my mind. I didnt attend a dentist for years because of fear...thats not the dentists fault. I had a massive panic attack once when the dentist attempted to do an xray. LOL. Couldnt hack it.

While I appreciate they are attempting to provide customer care I am now without a dentist appointment and without a hygienist appointment. Super super annoyed and frustrated. Maybe it was how it was communicated. You have to come in and see and dentist and you will be charged xxxx money as well as the fee for the hygienist. I simply cannot afford that as well as time off from work to attend 2 appointments. I pointed that out to them - an additional €20 is a lot to me and most people. Quite a dismissive attitude - maybe I am the only one who is skint.

It takes a lot for me to attend the hygienist - besides the cost but the one I have found is nice and calm and stops when I feel like I am panicking or cant breathe.

Going to the dentist or hygienist is a big deal...money and effort. A lot of effort for some of us. They also wanted to explain to me the importance of attending appointments. Good god that was so insulting. Its not as if I am choosing not to attend...I do not have the cash to pay for both and my rent and food for the month. I save a little every month so I can attend the hygienist...I dont have an extra €20 to pay the dentist.

Apologies for ranting. I am very irritated. Going up north looks cheaper but it is very very annoying. Alt is to find a cheap basic checkup and provide a letter for the hygienist. I have a feeling even if I attend the dentist they will want to do xrays etc and charge me.

Smile111 · 22-11-2019 5:24pm

Some dentists do payment plans.
I know one who advertises it.
Not sure what it covers and where you are based.
Will pm you

gauchesnell · 22-11-2019 5:25pm

based in dublin thanks

22-11-2019 6:42pm

OP, there are dentistry services which offer services out of ordinary work hours, Saturdays, evenings, and catering to nervous patients, and at more affordable prices. Google “affordable dentistry weekend nervous” and you can study the results and which might suit you best.

SuziXX · 22-11-2019 6:57pm

Hi Op
Does the surgery you go to offer evening or Saturday appointments? Do they not take prsi for the dental visit once a year? Can you not go to the dentist for a check and then the hygienist straight after instead of going back a 2nd day?
Here’s how it works in the surgery’s I work in for people who pay prsi. Dental visit 1st-free then straight in for hygiene-15 Euro or for 2nd or subsequent visits-60-80euro depending on practice.
Hygienists need an up to date prescription from a dentist as they are not doctors themselves and cannot self prescribe a treatment just like a pharmacist needs a prescription from a doctor before giving out drugs. If the surgery your with doesn’t do prsi or offer evening/weekend apps it obviously doesn’t suit you and you’d be better off changing in the long run.

Dav010 · 22-11-2019 7:29pm

Maggie Benson wrote: »

I think this practice of they insisting you see the dentist first is a way of extracting more money out of the unsuspecting patient.
There seems to operate a different system across the border where a friend of mine attended for a hygienist visit yesterday. The hygienist said that she would get the dentist to check as she suspected she had the early stages of a small cavity which the dentist confirmed.
I asked her to enquire about a hygienist visit for myself which she could have obtained with no provisos!

A patient who needs to visit a Hygienist four times a year is not a typical scale & polish candidate, there is an obvious need which suggests an underlying issue, so saying an examination is a way of extracting money from an unsuspecting patient seems odd. How can someone be unsuspecting when they need to visit a Hygienist four times a year?

There is a different system in the UK, Hygiienists can operate as “Therapists” and if they hold the necessary qualifications, can operate independent of a Dentists prescription. But in the scenario you described, the Hygienist still had to refer to the practice Dentist to examine your friend when an issue was identified.. We are waiting for the Government to bring in new legislation in the form of an up to date Dentists Act which will allow Hygienists here to do further training to practice in a similar way. For now though, regardless of what you may think should happen, Hygienists cannot diagnose periodontal disease and must work on a prescription from a Dentist, hence why the op has been informed of this.

OP, if you are covered by your PRSI and the Clinic operates the PRSI scheme, which virtually all do, and you haven’t had an exam this Callander year, the exam will be free of charge. Arranging time to do this is not in the control of the Dentist, as others have suggested, look for a Clinic which offers evening/weekend appointments.

You ask can they do this, they are required to do this as the Hygienist needs instruction from a Dentist.

zapper55 · 22-11-2019 7:37pm

Poster why do you have to go to a dental hygienist so regularly? It's an awful lot of money and appointments. I'm surprised the dentist didnt insist on seeing you before this. You said it might be covered under PRSI so check this it probably is. Go to the dentist and see what they have to recommend.

I think the dentist is acting very professionally in the way he is acting, you must have underlying dental issues judging by your posts, a hygienist cant deal with those and probably asked the dentist to see you.

gauchesnell · 23-11-2019 5:38pm

hiya thanks for all the replies. My only issue is gum disease...only had one filling and my wisdom teeth pulled. I believe my main issue is nervousness and phobia....fear. My own fault I know. The dentist and hygienist recommended I go so regularly just so the treatment is broken up i.e. when I went to the hygienist the first time it took two visits just out of nerves. One side first and then the other a few days later when I managed to get off work early. If I was a regular person and wasnt soo nervous I wouldnt attend so frequently. Even after not attending for years my teeth are ok...wisdom teeth are biggest issue and I got those out under sedation which was fine.

I only found out recently about some practices operating with seeing the dentist and then seeing the hygienist straight after. I contacted my local dentist and they advised me that was their practice. That would literally freak me out. I couldnt hack that at all.

Anyway I am over it now. I will just need to find a new practice. I am devastated to have a find a new one as I liked the practice I was at. I think I am covered by PRSI but I have no time off work now before January.

Any recommends for a good dentist and hygienist please PM me. The appointment that was cancelled was an evening apt but I work from late most days and work Saturdays aswell so will need a practice that does evening and late appointments.

I can understand their clinical point of view ...I am just annoyed really at their method and attitude. I dont have extra cash for appointments and cant get time off. My appointment was booked 4 months ago and arranged to leave work early enough to get there.

gauchesnell · 24-11-2019 5:12pm

folks I must be thick but I have been researching all weekend and some dentists off a scale and polish with an exam for €15 if you qualify for PRSI. When did this happen. My dentist didnt do that. They advised they didnt do cleaning. They did exams only and any extras (xrays) would be on top.

I used to get scale and polish's a lot but thought they were phased out.

Dav010 · 24-11-2019 5:33pm

gauchesnell wrote: »

folks I must be thick but I have been researching all weekend and some dentists off a scale and polish with an exam for €15 if you qualify for PRSI. When did this happen. My dentist didnt do that. They advised they didnt do cleaning. They did exams only and any extras (xrays) would be on top.

I used to get scale and polish's a lot but thought they were phased out.

To be fair, a few posters have been telling you to look into your PRSI entitlements. It came into effect 2 years ago, if eligible you are entitled to a free check up once per calendar year.

In relation to the scale and polish for €15, this is supra gingival staining and plaque only, if the Dentist/Hygienist has to clean the pockets under/between your teeth, then once per year you are entitled to their private fee, less €42. If you are seeing a Hygienist 4 times a year, that is not a scale & polish. Also, many Clinics only refer patients to their Hygienist for sub gingival cleans, the less invasive €15 S&Ps are often done by the Dentist at the end of your check up and only take a few mins as there is no cleaning out under gums.

Read this:

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Treatment-Benefit1.aspx

Just as a matter of interest op, on another thread looking for a Dentist who treats nervous patients, you said you would like one in Dublin but you are “flexible”, I thought there was no flexibility about time to do to Dentist?

hygienist visit cancelled

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