I saw one today done for a family member of a co-worker that resembled the type of prophy that I received by my favorite most awesome hygienist at my dentist in the states. At the same dentist's office, when I got a prophy done by a hygienist that wasn't there looking in each time I went into the office to get work done, I only got a brief probing and polishing. That happened once, and when I mentioned how unsatisfied I was I got passed on to the hygienist who I adore. She paid attention to how my gums changed over the few years that I was having work done, took care of any little bits of subgingival calculus I had (not much), made me show her how I was flossing and brushing each time (until I got it down), and asked questions about my diet.

I've heard here that a lot of hygienists have only 30 minutes to do a prophy. When you factor in discussion of dietary habits, homecare, and patient history, this just seems...impossible. This makes me think that most people are getting the brief sort of cleaning that I experienced that first time.

I won't have the opportunity to shadow a hygienist for a while, I'm too friggin busy elsewhere. So I'm asking here.

Is it cool to insist on a full, (what I see as) comprehensive discussion? There is a small gap at the margin on the lingual side of my maxillary teeth 6-11 (US numbers) that I get floss stuck on and I'm sure I'm not cleaning it well enough. I'd like to talk about that with my new hygienist. I also want to make sure that any shit that is stuck on there is gotten rid of - I don't want just a polishing. I could do that myself after hours.

SO, what is normal, what is too much to ask for?