Dental Deep Cleaning ?

[Eliz]

My dentist told me today I need to have a deep cleaning. I was shocked at the cost. I don't have dental insurance unfortunately. Has anyone had any good results with natural remedies or using a Waterpik? I floss most days and use an Oral B brush, but because I haven't had the money I haven't been good about routine cleanings. Anything??

[The Girls' Mom]

Get a second opinion first.  I was duped into a very costly, unnecessary deep cleaning by a less than scrupulous dentist.  (I was young and never thought to question it.)

Do you have receding gums or gingivitis?

 

 

 

[Eliz]

I never thought about that. I do have some bleeding when I floss but not usually when I brush. I don't have any pain or sensitivity. There's a dentist offering a special for a cleaning with x-rays that just came in the mail today. I'll call tomorrow to make an appointment. I wish I had dental insurance. A friend told me today about a discount plan for about $120 / year that might help. I'm going to check on that later.

[JonesinIndiana]

What are your pocket readings? Do you have build-up (aka tartar, calculus, calcified tartar) under the gums? Does the tartar show up on the X-rays? These are indications you might need a deep cleaning. It is very expensive but is there a dental hygiene school nearby? You might be able to have a student work on you at a reduced cost BUT it will take much more time.

Good luck.

 

ETA: Periodontal disease is usually painless until the final, hopeless stages. One of the first signs of periodontal disease is gums that bleed. Sometimes, it is only gingivitis but over time with infrequent cleanings it developes into bone loss, gums that recede, and spaces developing between teeth which are all signs of periodontal disease.

Edited December 29, 2015 by JonesinIndiana

[StephanieZ]

I would NOT go to a dentist advertising a special in the mail. That's a sign of a dentist who is looking hard for new patients. Could be an excellent new dentist, or it could be an excellent established practice looking for rapid growth to take on a new associate or grow into a larger facility . . . but it could also be a dentist who is not so great and desperate, and thus exactly the kind who might hard sell a procedure you don't need.

 

Find a dentist whose clients love them. Who has been around long enough to build a reputation and establish trust. Those dentists rarely need to mail discount flyers. 

 

If you have neglected your teeth for years, you may very well need lots of work. My family and I tend to have crappy teeth, but we see the dentist for 2x/yr cleanings and follow up on needed routine and problem work whenever recommended. NONE of us have ever needed "deep cleanings" -- from ages toddler through my mom in her 70s. Mom and I have spent plenty on our teeth in crowns, root canals, orthodontia . . . but never needed "deep cleanings". We've seen expensive, excellent dentists, and money was not an issue, so if we'd needed them, I'm sure they'd have been recommended and done. 

[SereneHome]

Oh, my husband and I have been getting those recommendations.  Our current dentist keeps talking about it.  I finally asked him to stop.  My husband did it with our previous dentist.  The ONLY way it can be worth it even a bit if you keep it up at home with good brushing and flossing.  Otherwise, you will be back to where you started within a year.

 

It  must be the latest "it" thing bc it seems many dentists are offering it now

 

And even with insurance it is crazy expensive.

[Tap]

I got talked into a deep cleaning. My scores were borderline and they said it was preventative to keep them from getting worse. I have Sjogren's which is an autoimmune disease that affects saliva.  My insurance covered it, so I didn't think much of it.

 

Then the next time I went in, they insisted that once you have that type of cleaning, you Always have to have that type of cleaning.  My new insurance didn't cover it so, they tried to bill me for it.  Luckily< I wanted to pay for the appointment ahead of time, so I got a heads up on the cost....I refused the appointment.  The office then said they wouldn't clean my teeth anymore unless they were doing the deep cleaning.  I finally had a chat with the doctor, and he agreed to measure my pockets and then agreed to do just regular cleanings from them on.  

[Beth S]

I'll toss out another option.  We have a dental hygiene school in town, at our local community college.  It takes all afternoon, but the students are VERY thorough in cleaning every single tooth.  They get graded on their performance.  If your teeth are needing extensive cleaning, sometimes they'll ask that you become their "final exam"--where they get graded on their skills.

 

Our school charges maybe $50 for adults & $35 for kids.  It's a very good deal, with a dentist overseeing all of the procedures.  They'll refer you to another dentist if you have cavities, etc.

 

Just another option.

[Hypatia.]

My former dentist said I needed one. Of course, it was just barely a few minutes into the cleaning when the hygienist said that and for some reason it just seemed off to me, that office seemed to really push a lot of things like that. I had it done and it was very expensive. I ended up changing dentists, I felt like that one pushed a lot of things that weren't always necessary. (I realize sometimes deep cleanings are necessary, this was just the feeling I got from that practice.)

[The Girls' Mom]

"The American Academy of Periodontology recommends dentists offer deep cleanings when X-rays show bone loss and a full-mouth exam reveals one or more gum pockets greater than 4 millimeters deep. Dr. Stuart J. Froum, a periodontologist and president of American Academy of Periodontology, says treatments should be limited to the affected teeth or mouth quadrant. “Treat only areas that are sick,†he says. "

 

http://www.angieslist.com/articles/when-do-you-need-dental-deep-cleaning.htm

 

[Zinnia]

I had it done.  I knew that I had gingivitis, though.  I saw a periodontist (because I need an implant from a tooth that is cracked and not salvagable), and he agreed.  I had it done, and with regular flossing and brushing, my pockets have continued to improve.  For me, it was needful and beneficial. 

[YaelAldrich]

Both my husband and I had a period of deep cleanings.  I had two sessions (about 3mos apart).  Then they did a laser treatment and the pockets became much smaller.  I then started to use a Sonicare toothbrush VERY thoroughly (not the two minute session it gives you, more like 4-8 mins.  I need a new head every month) getting into every angles, nook and cranny (of which there are many).  The cleaning I had after that was so fast and they said I had done a great job of keeping the tartar off my teeth that my gums looked healthy and the pockets were stable or shrinking.  I have been religious about using that thing in addition to flossing.

 

My husband unfortunately does all that (but not as thorough as I am with the Sonicare toothbrush), flosses, AND uses an antibacterial H2O2 gel, but he's going in for bone grafts in January.  The periodontist said his bacteria are very good at destroying bone even if he flosses twice a day, brushes twice a day, and puts the H2O2 gel in every day for 10-15 minutes.

[Jyhwkmama]

I have had it twice.

 

You have to really stay on top of brushing, water flossing, and possibly using Closys (H2O2 rinse--magic stuff and essential for me) once it is done.

[umsami]

I had it done once. It was recommended after a few deep pocket readings (4s and 5s).  I've always had bad teeth, even with regular dental care my whole life. It's just the way it is.  After, I purchased a new electric toothbrush, water pik, and special rinse and that plus the cleaning made a big difference in my pocket depths. 

 

If you really need it, it's worth it, IMHO.  It can save your teeth long term.  Of course, I'm sure it can be used as a scam too.

[Jyhwkmama]

HydroFloss is a good brand of oral irrigator.

[umsami]

To the OP, yes, a WaterPik (or similar) can help. (There are other brands on Amazon.)

 

I've seen an herbal tincture that you can add to the water that is supposed to help, but I have no idea if it does.

 

I was told Closys, Listerine, WaterPik, and SonicCare or similar.  If you have a good electric toothbrush, be sure to replace the brush heads regularly.

 

I also tried to use xylitol gum daily.

 

 

 

 

[Timberly]

I have an autoimmune condition that causes gum inflammation. I have many deep pockets that read 4s and two pockets that measure a 5 and that is despite my using a sonic care toothbrush for 45 minutes daily (while picking up the house and watching homeschool DVDs), swishing with mouthwash during two daily showers, using Biotene products for a 24/7 dry mouth, flossing daily, and getting my teeth cleaned bi-annually. Dentist says my gums and hygiene look great and hasn't yet recommended a deep cleaning for me.

My hubby uses the sonic care for one cycle once or twice daily, rarely flosses, and gets a cleaning maybe once every five years yet last week his pockets measured a two. Wow.

This is the first dentist I've liked. My family has been seeing him for thirteen years. This year both he and my son's new orthodontist recommended a shower water pick for my son. I was surprised to recently hear the dentist and orthodontist say they have both quit flossing and instead use ShowerBreeze Waterjet, mouthwash, and SonicCare toothbrush. They said it takes them thirty seconds to use the shower water pick.

I just bought the same ShowerBreeze Waterjet that my dentist and orthodontist families use. It comes with heads for two people so I got two extra heads for the kids. It was $45 including shipping. It took only a minute to install.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003ES2HNI/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The staff at my large church use groupon deals for their families' dental cleanings and then stick to one dentist for all other dental needs. They don't like the hassle of it but it's all they can afford to do. I live in a small town and we occasionally have dental cleaning groupon deals.

Maybe call a dentist that your friends or family have been using long term to see if they will give you a cheap opinion on the need for a deep cleaning?

Edited May 7, 2016 by Timberly

[rmtzc2009]

Our dentist is a very close friend of ours. She has in the past done a deep cleaning on my DH teeth. Sometimes he's needed the entire mouth done but more recently she's only done it around the molars. Our dental insurance pays for it 100% so I am unsure what the cost is.

 

My understanding is you do it if your getting 5's on the gum test or have clear gum issues going on. You may need to do it several times. Dh had his molars done 2x in one year. His checkup was yesterday and he no longer required a deep cleaning.

[rjand6more]

Just like many things in dentistry, the need for periodontal scalings can be a judgment call. I have been in offices that overdiagnose and offices that underdiagnose.  I am at a very conservative office now.  The hygenist and the doctor decide together who needs  treatments.  Some offices use the amount of time without a dental visit as a deciding factor.  Oh, it's been 5 years and you're 30...you need deep cleanings.  This is not always the case.  Even a few 4 mm pockets are not a good indicator.  What is the best indicator?  It is the radiographic presence of calculus(tartar) , inflammation present, and pocket readings of 4mm and over.  In our office, there needs to be much more than just a few 4 mm pockets to warrant deep cleanings.

 

This is a sticky situation in dentistry.  We have had patients that came to us as 2nd opinions on perio cleanings.  We have done a full mouth debridement and regular cleanings after that.  Others have need perio cleanings.  Failure to diagnose and properly treat periodontal disease is still the number one law suit against dentists.  So, of course some will overtreat.

 

Yes, and once a perio patient, always a perio patient.  That is the way it works.  Insurance will be coded differently for routine maintenance and insurance companies pay out differently than for a routine preventative cleaning(which many insurances pay @ 100%)  

 

If you have true periodontal disease with calculus present, there is no level of home care you can do that will be successful without first removal of the deposits.  And water"flossers" are great for braces and pockets less than 3mm.  Reliable research shows it doesn't touch bacteria 4mm or lower at a consistent enough level to replace flossing.  Nope.  Don't give up on the string. :)