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Is a deep cleaning ever required to extract a tooth?

S

sbtd

Junior member
Joined
Nov 11, 2015
Messages
1
Hi all, I went to a dentist recently to get a broken molar extracted. He refused to extract the tooth before I got a deep cleaning. He wanted to do the whole mouth and charge me $1250 for it. The tooth extraction would have been covered under Denti-Cal. This sounded pretty fishy to me so I just left. Is it ever required to get a deep cleaning before extracting a tooth? I've searched the web and haven't found anything to back the dentist's claim.
 
Hi welcome to the forum.

Yes it is very common for a dentist to do a really good clean before completing other treatment if they think we need it. It is a good thing that way your teeth have the best chance of not getting more cavities or you needing more extracted. It will also make sure the mouth is clean around the extraction site which is very important. :)
 
Sounds like the typical bait and switch that companies use to do is now being done by dentists and insurances.
So I would assume that the insurance pays a very low fee to the dentist to provide a service but because that fee is ridiculously low the dentist can't make a living on that fee so the doctor then has to find some way of getting more money out of you so that he can do want you want done really cheaply. Without doing those tactics he might not even be able to survive.
What I have described is a general strong trend that I have observed over the last twenty years and might not apply to your particular case but I thought I need to address this very common practice.

As to you if you have deep pockets like 5mm and up and you have some bone loss then it is reasonable to spend 1250 to have the procedure done. It usually takes two appointments each one being at least one hour long.
 
I have seen what comfortdentist described and was even warned about it by the hygienists my dentist's office when I thought I was going to have to change dentists due to relocation.

It sounds like you have California Medicaid which likely pays a very small amount for the extraction... This makes it even more likely the case that they are trying the 'bait and switch' described above.

I would definitely get a second opinion if you can.
 
Unfortunately I see your experience as becoming commonplace as numbers drive care to the bottom.
 

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