Dental Cleaning

Are there different levels of cleaning?

Dental cleaning procedures differ although they all have the same purpose: good oral health. There are several different cleanings offered at our office. By measuring your gum tissue the dental hygienist determines how healthy your gums are and what cleaning is right for you. A Prophylaxis is for patients with healthy gum tissue. A Full-Mouth Debridement is a mid-level cleaning that provides deeper cleaning for patients that have not been to the dentist in a while. This could be a ‘two-step’ cleaning. Soft Tissue therapy or root planning and scaling is for patients with moderate to severe gum disease. Soft Tissue therapy is required to remove any hardened plaque that can affect bone levels and your overall health.

The American Dental Association owns and publishes hundreds of dental procedure codes used in dentistry. Treatment should always be based on the patient’s needs, not the insurance/ADA code. We use these codes as a guideline to help explain the necessary procedures.

D1110-Adult Prophylaxis /Hygiene Therapy

This dental cleaning is for patients with healthy gum tissue. It is defined as “removal of plaque, calculus and stains from the tooth structures” and is intended to help the patient maintain a healthy mouth. Usually the teeth are scaled (remove hard deposits), polished (brush the teeth) to remove soft plaque
and stain. This procedure generally takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

D4355 – Full Mouth Debridement

A full mouth debridement (sometimes called gross scale) is common for patients that have not had their teeth cleaned professionally in a long time. The main purpose of this procedure is to remove as much of the build-up as possible, to allow for a thorough evaluation of the teeth. This is sometimes a two-step dental cleaning. The first being the removal of tartar and the second, a “fine scale” to remove the remaining build-up and polish or a more thorough exam to evaluate for a Scale and Root planning . This procedure takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

4341 – Soft Tissue Therapy or Root Plane and Scaling

Periodontal Root planning and scaling is often called a “deep cleaning.” This procedure is recommended when a patient shows more significant signs of gum disease. These signs may include the finding of deeper gum pockets (5mm> depth), loss of bone that is visible on x-rays, bleeding gums, and accumulation of tartar below the gums. Plaque and tarter are removed above and below the gum line through a process called scaling. Rough spots on the root are smoothed to remove all bacteria and leave a smoother surface for cleaning.
SRP procedures are generally completed by half mouth and usually require local anesthetic. Expect two to four visits for completion. When *+periodontal disease has progressed into the bone support, this
procedure will help to arrest the disease, but will not cure it, only control it. Example: A patient that takes high blood pressure medication is not cured of high blood pressure; the pressure is ‘controlled’ with medication. Due to the higher level of complexity this procedure can take 1 to 2 hours depending he severity on t of the disease.

4910 Periodontal Maintenance

A periodontal maintenance (PM) is a procedure that is recommended “following periodontal treatment (such as root planning and scaling) and continues at varying intervals, determined by the clinical evaluation. These intervals are usually every 3-4 month cleanings. Perio Maintenance is important because periodontal disease can recur without adequate follow up. These cleaning visits include removal of plaque and tartar above and below the gums, scaling and root planing of specific areas, and polishing. Perio Maintenance is always completed following a Scale and root planning.