Dentist office with hygienists but no dentists

L

LoveTulips

Senior Member
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Just wondering if this is normal these days. I went in for a dental cleaning and the staff/hygienists were talking and laughing. So I said, it must be a slow day. And the hygienist (who was not my regular hygienist) said oh, there are no dentists in today. So I didn't say anything, but I thought, heck, how about if something goes wrong during my cleaning? I have problems with my jaw. If I open my mouth too wide it gets locked and the dentist has to manually close it for me. I guess I could have asked the hygienist about that, but I didn't. Anyways, is it normal these days to go to the dentist but no dentists are in just hygienists?
 

Unless something goes wrong no one seems to care...being proactive in case of emergency some take the approach it is too cautious.

i was at dentist yesterday and while i had a crown fitting and a filling repaired ...... and while he was doing work he kept stopping to do the small look through exams on the the cleanings in the next sections of the office.

wonder if i could have got out of there in less then 2 hours if i was not sitting there waiting with the rubber dam thing in my open mouth.
This office while i read up before going show 3 dentists but they also have other offices and guess one is in each location ... not exactly how it is pictured with staff photo showing 3 dentists. wonder if same photo is used in all the other locations too.
 
That ain't right, Jeni!
The only time I ever spent two hours in the chair was for periodontal surgery over my entire mouth. Every minute in the dentist chair is like an hour of ordinary time. You have every right to be mad.

My regular dentist retired a few years ago and the practice went to a company that was all about business and profits. They cycled through dentists that were straight out of school and others who were still in school. Never saw the same ones twice.

They made us sign paper work promising to pay, over every single detail, every time we patients were there, as though they expected us to jump and run. They also spent a lot of time trying to talk us into things we really didn't need like all new fillings and caps. I left for a new old-fashioned dentist and so did all my friends.
 
@Della Kind of scary isn't it? Everything seems to be geared toward corporate and profits.

I go to a dentist that was a father and son team. In fact the son goes by Dr. first name. The dad retired so he's the only one left in the practice. I'm surprised they haven't brought another dentist in.
 
I have never had a hygienist cleaning my teeth. My dentist charges like a wounded bull. šŸ˜ØšŸ˜Ø
It cost me almost three thousand dollars for a root-canal,
plus crown and it fell out after 2 weeks. More time wasted when he had to refit the crown, I told him to put in extra Super Glue this time as I won't be back. It is now 2 years since having it done and it's still attached. You never see a price list on the walls of a dentist. Hairdressers always
show what you are paying for, even nail artists.
 
Argggggggggggggg! I wake up this morning with a tooth ache!! and referred pain in my jaw and neck! That means a call to my dentist today. Not for a cleaning, which is always done be a tech and then checked by the dentist, but something else. At the stage my teeth are at it will be no telling what he will have in mind. I want a quick and permanent fix, but just think of the money that can be made from these old, falling apart mouths. :)
 
Paco Dennis said:
Argggggggggggggg! I wake up this morning with a tooth ache!! and referred pain in my jaw and neck! That means a call to my dentist today. Not for a cleaning, which is always done be a tech and then checked by the dentist, but something else. At the stage my teeth are at it will be no telling what he will have in mind. I want a quick and permanent fix, but just think of the money that can be made from these old, falling apart mouths. :)
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I hope it's an easy fix, Paco.
 
I guess I don't feel it's a big deal if the dentist isn't in house every day, especially if it's a one dentist office. I imagine on the days the dentist is off they only schedule routine procedures such as cleanings, hygienist and other personelle are capable of handling that. If an emergency arises it will have to be dealt with as best it can.
 
oslooskar said:
Throw it away! My hygienist back in California got me to switch over from a regular toothbrush to an electric toothbrush and it was the smartest move I ever made. No more irritated gums and cleaner teeth because I can easily clean both sides of my teeth.
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I have an electric toothbrush. In fact, the one I have is the 2nd one I've bought in the past decade. (I replace the brush heads, of course)
 
I was going to a so-called "dentist" but she was nothing more than a glorified hygienist. If I needed anything other than a cleaning and x-rays, she referred me to another dentist because she wasn't "qualified" to do extractions or other dental surgery, so apparently there's a hierarchy of what passes as a "dentist". When she stopped giving "goodie bags" (toothbrush, toothpaste and floss), I stopped going to her. Now I have a guy that a full-service dentist.
 
Pepper said:
Is it normal to go to a doctor and it's a nurse practitioner? Or, @katlupe had an eye doctor appt. on Zoom.

It's bad for the patient and a money saving device for insurance companies, I think they are the culprits.
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The best doctor we had for several years was a Nurse Practitioner, then she moved away and we were stuck with a woman who claimed to be a doctor. We wish the NP would come back!
 

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