Regular Cleaning & Check Ups

The medical term for a dental cleaning is Prophylaxis, the dictionary definition of this word is:

Prophylaxis - The art of guarding against or preventing disease; preventive treatment.

The importance of preventive treatment can't be stressed enough. The hygienist professionally clean and polish the teeth. In addition, the procedure allows the trained eye of the hygienist to spot potential problem areas at the earliest stage. The hygienist has a dual role within the dental office, firstly cleaning teeth and secondly offering patients oral hygiene instruction.

At the first visit to our office a full mouth series of x-rays is taken to enable the Doctor to give a complete diagnosis to the patient. An oral examination is also completed and any treatment required is explained to the patient, offering the treatment options available when appropriate. The patient will leave the office with a written treatment plan and an estimate of the costs involved. We are happy to bill to your insurance company and provided coverage can be confirmed the patient portion will be the sum due at the treatment visit. It is important to stress that the patient portion is an estimate; any unpaid balance after insurance has paid is the responsibility of the patient.

Regular cleaning and exams are among the most inexpensive procedures to have at the dental office, in fact most dental insurance carriers cover this at 100%; they are however by far the most cost effective. When patients are seen on a regular basis dental problems are identified at the earliest stages, offering patients the opportunity to be proactive in their own care and treatment. For example, a cavity identified in its earliest stages most often can be treated with a filling. The same cavity left untreated is likely to deteriorate to the point where a filling is no longer an effective treatment and a crown, and sometimes in addition a root canal, becomes necessary. In financial terms a filling can be as a little as one tenth of the cost of a root canal and crown.

Our office policy is to promote dental health whilst offering appropriate treatment of the highest quality. We recommend to all our patients that they establish a pattern of routine office visits.