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Cleanings done in one visit ? (possibly deep)

M

moonbunny

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2011
Messages
83
Location
Indiana
I read the deep cleaning page in the Dental FAQ tab up there ^ and noticed it talks of breaking the cleanings into 2-4 appointments.

Is that really necessary ? Is it possible to have it all done in one visit ? They told me how much my cleaning is going to be and I really don't want to pay that more than once. And certainly not 4 times...! Money's an issue in my dental journey, unfortunately.

I'm just assuming it's a deep cleaning I'm getting. Before my appointment I hadn't been to the dentist in over 20 years and my gums were red at the teeth and would bleed (they're already better now), and I have tartar on a few teeth. But I could be wrong ?

So, to cover both bases - is it possible to do *any* cleaning in one appointment for the sake of (surely?) saving money ? Or will it be really hard on me ? I don't care to be numb for a few hours. And while I don't *like* the idea of long appointments, I don't have the luxury for a lot of little ones if it's possible.

Thank you for any help. I will be having someone call the dentist for specifics on my upcoming cleaning.. But I'd like feedback and views from here too beforehand in case the majority says it really would be better to have it done in shorter appointments .
 
I would have thought most fees for hygiene treatment are based on the time it takes rather than the number of visits. Two half hour visits should work out roughly the same as one long 60 minute one. The reason for splitting it up is because you might find it a bit much having the whole mouth done at once especially if being numbed as it is not pleasant being completely numb and you are more likely to burn/bite yourself etc etc
What your dental office's practices are, only they can say and also based on what they feel you would benefit from at this point in time. Are you playing catch up? Is there a lot of stuff to clean off because if so, it takes longer to do.
 
Ah, I see. I guess I thought it was more based on what was being done rather than length of time. But charging by time makes sense as well. Maybe I'm scheduled for a somewhat long appointment (like for half of my mouth) and that's why the quoted price seems high to me.

I'll have my go-between (because of my fear and hearing loss) call tomorrow. No matter what, I still want to know whether it's a deep cleaning or regular cleaning and how much they're doing on the 31st. I just didn't think to ask the dentist during my consultation, I was too dazed and trying to process a lot of information and news all at once.
 
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