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ATOT dentists, lend me your eyes...

SSSnail

SSSnail

Lifer
What is the normal cost for a deep cleaning? My dentist told me that the procedure is about $1300. WTF? I've had dental work done before, but $1300 for deep clean? That's more than half of my annual allowance of $2500. Does that seem high for you?
 
it's a ripoff and scam. You might not even need it and be borderline and they'll tell you need it. And to get more money they'll break it down to 4 or more trips to work on different quadrants. When was your last cleaning?

I would recommend dental hygiene school clinic near you. It's free and you're helping the students learn.
 
ponyo said:
it's a ripoff and scam. You might not even need it and be borderline and they'll tell you need it. And to get more money they'll break it down to 4 or more trips to work on different quadrants. When was your last cleaning?

I would recommend dental hygiene school clinic near you. It's free and you're helping the students learn.
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I don't know about dental schools... 😱


Just had my annual cleaning today and was told I need a deep clean...
 
ponyo said:
it's a ripoff and scam. You might not even need it and be borderline and they'll tell you need it. And to get more money they'll break it down to 4 or more trips to work on different quadrants. When was your last cleaning?

I would recommend dental hygiene school clinic near you. It's free and you're helping the students learn.
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Are you a dentist?
 
the dental profession has turned into rip offs with needles and drills.
http://www.thedenenbergreport.org/article.php?index=446
(Part one of a three-part series on dental rip offs.) Here are the ten common myths advanced by dentists that deplete your pocketbooks, line the pocket books of the dentists, and neglect the dental health of the patients. The myths were stated by one of the nation’s leading authorities on dental quality and a leading consumer advocate for proper dental care, Dr. Jay W. Friedman, author of the book, The Intelligent Consumer’s Complete Guide to Dental Health (2002, www.authorhouse.com, also available from amazon.com).
 
Never had problem at dental school. If anything they do better job. I have a dentist and a hygienist in the family. I get free cleaning and dental care and yet I rarely go. It's not needed.

You don't need deep clean if your last visit was year ago. Unless you have terrible genes and completely ignored your teeth.
 
SSSnail said:
Something about more than 3-millimeter gaps and built up tartar. But, I supposed 10 out of 10 people would hear the same thing.
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What is your family history? Do your mom and dad have good teeth?

Do you eat / drink a lot of sugar, especially before bed.

Are your teeth bright white, or slightly off white color?
 
Weird, never heard of this before and I go to the dentist regularly and have a friend who is a dentist. :hmm:

KT
 
SSSnail said:
Something about more than 3-millimeter gaps and built up tartar. But, I supposed 10 out of 10 people would hear the same thing.
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They're concerned that tartar and bacteria have reached your roots and the "deep cleaning" is just a fancy way of saying that they're going to scrape your roots with a dental probe to clean them.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
They're concerned that tartar and bacteria have reached your roots and the "deep cleaning" is just a fancy way of saying that they're going to scrape your roots with a dental probe to clean them.
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Meh, I guess that's what has to be done. Come to think of it, my teeth aren't perfectly white, and my dad has dentures (hmmm, probably from too much sugar).
 
SSSnail said:
Meh, I guess that's what has to be done. Come to think of it, my teeth aren't perfectly white, and my dad has dentures (hmmm, probably from too much sugar).
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My teeth aren't white, but that isn't why I had the root planing. It had been about 5 years since I had seen the dentist. Amazingly, my teeth were in good shape (no cavities, etc), but I did have tartar buildup and some gum issues. It is not a fun treatment to get but they do numb you.
 
Texashiker said:
Ask your mom if you were sick when you were a child, and if you received a lot of antibiotics.

My question is related to the topic of this thread.
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I was a very sick child and spent considerable time in hospitals growing up. In my case, however, the coloring is mainly because I drink lots of tea and coffee -- with one exception. One of my front teeth has "calcified," meaning the root chamber has solidified. That was caused by an impact or a surgery I had about 30 years ago. Teeth are fine otherwise and I could whiten them with standard cleaners.
 
SSSnail said:
What is the normal cost for a deep cleaning? My dentist told me that the procedure is about $1300. WTF? I've had dental work done before, but $1300 for deep clean? That's more than half of my annual allowance of $2500. Does that seem high for you?
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damn, i think i'm scheduled for a scaling (2x appts, each side of mouth) - $55
 
IndyColtsFan said:
I was a very sick child and spent considerable time in hospitals growing up.
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When I was a kid, a dentist told my mom that lots of antibiotics will turn the teeth an off white color, which also protects the teeth from cavities later in life. From what the dentist told my mom, the whiter the teeth, the more likely a person is to have cavities. I do not know if its true, but that is what he told my mom.

My mom and dad both have good teeth. I think genetics plays a role in tooth development and decay.

I drank well water for the first 6 or 7 years of my life. After 6 or 7 years of age, I drank well water on and off on a regular basis. Some city water supplies strip as many minerals out of the water as possible. This deprives kids of trace minerals.
 
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The price isn't outragous if you actually need the procedure. I want many years without going to the dentist and didn't need one, and my teeth were is absolute crap shape. Two root canals/caps and several filings later they are good to go. Even needing that work I didn't need a scrape. I'm betting you don't need one. I had it done in college when I bet I didn't actually needed and given the time since for what I paid that sounds about right. I would get a second opinion first.
 
I had a root planing almost a year ago and it was the best decision. The deep cleaning really works, my teeth feel cleaner to my tongue than they have in many years (I am thinking 20 years).

My gums had 4-5mm deep pockets filled with plaque, now they are 2-3mm deep. My teeth are much less sensitive to brushing, and hot and cold liquids since the gums have reconnected with the teeth and gone back to where they should be. Now, I floss nearly everyday because I understand how the plaque accumulates over the years, leading to tooth sensitivity and pain.

My gums bleed less after the root planing. On that topic, if your gums bleed often, you may be vitamin C deficient. Vitamin C taken three times daily over a two week period helped stop my gums from bleeding, and my dentist did not tell me about this.

Anyway, the root planing is well worth the cost. I literally feel much better now after the root planing with tight gums that no longer bleed when I floss. It is fantastic, almost like magic.

However, I would not have it done with a metal pick/scraper. My dental hygenist used a sonic cleaner with a topical liquid anesthetic that required no shots. She just spread the liquid over the base of my teeth as she worked on them and she was able to work without hurting me. When I felt discomfort, she reapplied the topical anesthetic. It was great, fantastic, and well worth the cost.

I highly recommend having the work done, so long as the sonic cleaner is used. You do not realize it now because you are used to the feeling of plaque on your teeth, but you will feel great afterwards and very happy that you decided to have it done.

Typical cost is $900-$1200. My work dental insurance through MetLife paid for most of it.
 
SSSnail said:
Something about more than 3-millimeter gaps and built up tartar. But, I supposed 10 out of 10 people would hear the same thing.
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So there is a small gap between your teeth and your gums called the gingival sulcus. Measuring the depth of this gap is an excellent indicator of your gum health, and it is what dental hygienist measure. This gap is a breeding ground for bacteria in your mouth and is usually the first place that plaque appears.

In a healthy mouth, the depth of the gap should not be more than 3 millimeters. If the depth of the gap is more than 5 millimeters, home oral care (read: flossing) can no longer clear the plaque out of the gap. It eventually turns into calculus, and you can't remove that at home at all.

If it gets really bad, you will have calculus build-up underneath your gum line (called sub-gingival calculus). This is what a deep cleaning cleans up. Most often it involves surgery (cutting open the gum line to have access to the sub-gingival calculus). That is a very pricey procedure. I think the $1300 is about right.

If you do have sub-gingival calculus and you don't get it treated, you will progress onto periodontal disease/Periodontitis, which means bone loss of the jaw and eventually teeth loss as there is no more bone for the teeth to anchor to.

I don't mean to scare you, just giving you the facts. As I said in the other thread, my wife is a dental hygienist, so I am somewhat familiar with the process.
 
Cool, thanks. My teeth and gum are nowhere near needing surgery, they're not bad but I think a deep cleaning might be what's needed.

BTW, my insurance is paying for all of it, just wanted to know the actual cost since I've never bothered to find out what the procedure cost and was kinda shock when found out.
 
Do u have bleeding when you brush or floss? Have you looked in the mirror and see tartar? Are your gums bright red? Do you floss twice a day?
 
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