Why Some Dental and Oral Cleanings Are More Expensive
Not all dental cleanings are the same. Learn why some health consultations cost more than others and discover how you can save some cash and time in the dental chair.
Regular or routine cleaning is medically called prophylaxis or a prophy cleaning, and is a preventative step to avoid gum illness. It consists of getting rid of plaque and tartar from tooth surface areas and below the gum line. In some cases, specifically if you have not been to the dentist in a while, the accumulation of tartar and plaque is excessive to get rid of with the hand instruments that our hygienists utilize. In many cases, this means making use of anesthetic and more than one check out, leading to a more expensive dental visit.
This is when a “basic cleaning” goes from being a preventative step to a treatment and upkeep procedure. When this occurs, you may be informed that you require a gum cleaning, root planing, or a deep scaling. These cleansings eliminate the tartar that wedges itself below the gum line and aggravates and irritates the gum, triggering what’s called gingivitis.
Gingivitis is the very first phase of gum illness. Gingivitis is a swelling of the gums, causing bleeding, red inflamed gum tissue, and foul breath. A good cleaning, and more regular visits, can improve and normally reverse this phase of gum illness so long as you follow a routine at home to maintain that good oral health.
Time to Deep Clean
If gingivitis is left unattended, it can develop into periodontitis. At this phase, tartar develops in between the gum and tooth root developing pockets that can no longer be cleaned up with routine at-home care. A more regular care schedule, generally every 3 to 4 months, and customized devices consisting of ultrasonic scalers can eliminate the accumulation and help the pocket to stay tidy and clean, so no more damage is done. Think about tartar as a wedge in between the tooth and the gum. The more it develops, the more difficult it is for you to clean it yourself. And the more the tartar develops, the more the gum is pressed away from the tooth. It’s a cycle, and the only method to successfully clean below the gum line is having a certified dental expert eliminate it with specific devices.
Dentist And Patient
As soon as periodontitis advances to a point where the bone begins to decline, bigger problems are on your hands. This triggers loose teeth which can lead to lost teeth and a shift in your bite if not correctly looked after. If a lot of teeth are lost, it can drastically modify your bite and cause even worse problems than a space in your smile. At this phase, routine cleanings are no longer reliable, and we might advise several treatments to help handle the infection, like laser gum treatment, bone grafting, or time release prescription antibiotics positioned in the gum pocket itself. Each of these treatments needs a commitment to an exceptional in-house care regimen, so the efforts of your hygienist and dentist do not go to waste.
An Ounce of Avoidance
The bright side is, gum illness can be avoided with routine and regular expert oral cleanings and a great house care regimen that consists of day-to-day flossing and brushing for 2 minutes a minimum of two times a day. A little additional time invested in correct at-home care and routine cleanings can assist in saving a great deal of money and time down the road.