You may find that scheduling your next dental appointment is something that falls to the bottom of your to do list too many days in a row. If you find that you are too busy, too nervous, or just forget to make an appointment, you may also find that you are allowing gum disease to develop and get worse. It is important to remember that any time you avoid the dentist and addressing any dental problems, you are not avoiding the cost associated with treating that problem. The problem will only get worse and more costly the longer you wait.
Once the dentist has determined that dental scaling and root planning or a deep clean is the best way to treat your gum disease, the next question is: how much does that cost? The answer will change based on your case and the dentist, but the average is $200 to $300. Let’s look at some of the factors that affect that price.
Dental scaling and root planning can be either preventative or therapeutic based on your current progress of gum disease.
Preventative scaling and root planning can be priced by the number of teeth per quadrant that need to be addressed.
* One to three teeth per quadrant ranges between $150 to $300
* Four or more teeth per quadrant ranges between $200 to $450
* The prices are set per quadrant of the mouth
Therapeutic dental scaling and root planning is priced based on the entire mouth and it ranges between $100 to $350.
Most of the time scaling and root planning is completed two quadrants at a time and usually insurance policies will only cover two per appointment. If your scaling and root planning is completed by a general dentist it may be less expensive than if a periodontist is completing the procedure.
Associated costs
The dentist may need to perform additional services or have other diagnostic tools to better treat your gum disease with the dental scaling and root planing. The dentist may suggest any of the following in addition to the deep cleaning:
* Dental exam
* Full mouth debridement
* Gingival irrigation
* Antimicrobial agent
* Periodontal maintenance
* Bitewing x-ray
* Periapical x-ray
* FMX
* Panoramic x-ray
Does insurance cover scaling and root planning?
Depending on your dental insurance policy, it may cover about 50% of the cost and it usually is only covered once every two years. The insurance company may require diagnostic x-rays before approving coverage of the procedure. The dentist may need to provide probing documentation to measure how large the pockets are between the teeth and the gums. Depending on your case the dentist may need to address more teeth per quadrant than those that are covered by the insurance company. If you need to have your whole mouth deep cleaned, you may choose to have two quadrants completed in December of this year and two quadrants in January of the next year.
If you are concerned about your dental insurance plan or lack thereof, you can look into signing up for a dental plan. With a monthly or yearly fee, you are guaranteed a lower price on all the procedures completed. Depending on the dental plan, you may have a 10% to 60% reduction in price.