Patty, you should go more often...it's not that expensive for just a cleaning.... They have dental hygienists do the cleaning. I too do not care for the ultrasonic cleaning and they do it the "old fashioned way."

I can tell you that bite wing Xrays should be done now and again, just because. Just because they can see a cavity between the teeth in the early stages, when it may not be visible on exam. Rick ran into this issue and now needs a bit more work than had he had the Xrays a bit sooner.

If you have pockets..space between the gum and teeth, if they are a certain measurement, you should be there more often for routine maintenance and may need a deep cleaning...Get out your wallet.

 

X-rays are done at those intervals usually because its considered the "standard of care". In our litigious (sp?) society, if x-rays weren't taken regularly and problems developed, the dentist could be sued. It's similar to medicine, how many tests do doctors order just to cover their ass.

Although, if problems can be found sooner and taken care of with fillings instead of root canals or crowns, aren't the x-rays worth it?

 

My dentist has hygienists to perform the cleaning. I get the same one every time. He said that he determines by the amount of plaque buildup at the six month cleaning. If it is too much, he would recommend every three months. He said that some people just have more build up and they should have their teeth cleaned more frequently.

 

Hmmm... In this case, I'm not sure that it is the dentist's responsibility to EXPLAIN what the insurance policy would cover. However, if I was in your situation, I'd attempt to negotiate with the dentist as well. But I think this is really a consumer responsibility to know what the insurance covers.

I have very bad teeth. I spent almost as much time in the dentist's chair as in my office chair it seems. But as for X-rays, I follow the general guideline that was mentioned in the original post. Because of my bad teeth, I don't see any reason to decline them when recommended. I need all the help I can get.

 

No? What do you pay for just a cleaning?

Mine was $90 in December broken down as $25 for Periodic Oral Exam and $65 for Dental Prophylaxis.

In January I had two fillings redone at one for $80 and the other for $95.

Then in February a crown was finished for a total of $715.

So, I should go more often? I guess so.

Oh, and the pockets I'm talking about are the ones at the bases of your molars. Debra has a thin metal gauge that she sticks down into the small space next to the molar roots. As I understand it, how far down it goes determines the depth of the pocket. Deep pockets are bad in this case.

 

They used that ultrasonic device on me once, and that's the last time. I will refuse it next time. It's my mouth and my right to say no.

 

I'm too biased to have a balenced opinion. My +1 was a dental assistant for many years and our one daughter has been a dental hygienist for 19 years. Both worked in single dentist with over 800K gross. They know all about standards of practice and standard operating procedures and dentist directives as insiders. Two points. Even though both had/get free regular exams and dental care, they rarely ever receive(d) X-rays for bite wings and never a cephalometric or panorex. Second, I spent nearly 30 years in the military with mandatory annual dental exams/treatment. In that time, I received 2 panorex and a handful of bite wings. There was no motive to save money whatsoever, and they had all the equiment they could ever want. Because I took so many X-rays (radiographs) and operated the machines myself, I am very conscious about my lifetime exposure. I always challenge the dentist as to need. In fairness, X-rays often is necessary for making a proper decision, like can a old filling be redone or do you need a crown or is a tooth cracked, or is there an abscess, etc. Draw your own conclusions.

 

"Pockets" are the space between the tooth and the gum and they are found around all teeth. The depth of the pocket is measured, 3 millimeters or less is generally considered healthy, while 4mm or more may be a sign of periodontal disease.

The idea of seeing your dentist every six months first came up in an ad for Ipana toothpaste.

 

^rich85tpi, are you a dentist by chance? You seem to know a lot about this.

John (RC- Ryder), thanks for your input. It seems to go with what I do.

I always wonder how many X rays are too many. I've had a lot done this year and it makes me worry a little bit.

 

Kyras, yes I am.

What's alot of xrays? The exposure for each dental xray is small, while CAT scans and such have a larger exposure.

The way I see it, I make recommendations to patients about what treatment they need, from x-rays to be able to make a proper diagnosis to fillings, crowns, etc. But ultimately the decision is up to the patient since it is their mouth.

When I see someone for a checkup/cleaning, I have to be thorough otherwise it's considered malpractice. If a patient refuses xrays, I explain to them why I feel I need to take them and what I may not see if I don't take them.

If patients are regular about their checkups and would rather have bitewings taken every 18 months or 2yrs instead of once a year, I'm ok with that.

If someone needs a tooth pulled or a root canal performed, I need to take an xray. If they won't let me, I can't work on them.