How Much Does Dental Cleaning Cost?

If you are looking to maintain good oral health and prevent long term damage from gum disease, professional teeth cleaning is the best way to address your goals.  Gum disease can lead to tooth loss and jaw bone deterioration if it goes untreated.  Why not consider a simple cleaning?

Typical costs:

Depending on the individual dentist office and the location of the office, a typical cleaning can cost between $75 to $200.  Most of the time, a dental hygienist will perform the cleaning, the dentist will perform the exam and you will have x-rays to review the health of your teeth below the gumline.

Most of the time dental insurance policies cover 100% of teeth cleanings one to two times a year for preventative care, possibly with a maximum amount they will cover for a cleaning which may be less than the dentist charges.  If you prefer to have your teeth cleaned more than twice a year, you will most likely have to cover the cost of the whole appointment.  Be sure to call your dentist office and insurance company to review the total cost of the appointment and the policy coverage.

If your teeth and gums require a deeper cleaning than the usual preventative care, the dentist may recommend scaling and root planing.  The deep cleaning is completed in quadrants with your mouth divided into four sections and it may not be necessary in all four quadrants.  The cost of scaling and root planing is between $100 and $450 for just one section and $500 to $4,000 for the whole mouth.  Depending on how much work the dentist needs to complete for your scaling and root planing, the price will reflect the amount of work necessary to get your mouth to a healthier state.  For more detailed procedures, the dentist may need to administer an antibiotic injection to help the gum heal.

Dental insurance policies often cover some of the cost of scaling and root planing, but this varies from company to company.  Be sure to talk to your dentist office and insurance company to determine the cost of the procedure and the amount the insurance company will cover.  It is important to maintain your budget when maintaining good oral health.

What should be included:

For a new patient at the dentist office, a dental cleaning appointment will include an exam by the dentist.  The dentist will review the health of your individual teeth, the gums on either side of your teeth and the health of your teeth below the gumline with the help of x-rays.  The dentist will check your mouth for signs of cancer.  A dental hygienist will remove soft plaque, hard tartar and polish your teeth.  While you may be able to reduce plaque at home, tartar is mineralized above and below the gumline so professional tools are the only way to remove it.  The tartar affects your gums leading to inflammation, infection, and eventually gum disease.

For patients who need deep cleaning with scaling and root planing, those patients have pockets on the sides of their teeth larger than 3 millimeters.  The scaling is performed on the tooth above the gumline and the root planing removes bacteria below the gumline non-surgically.

More on Teeth Cleaning & Exams : How Long Does a Dental Teeth Cleaning & Exam Take?