Why won’t a Dental Office Give me a Regular Cleaning?

Why won’t a dental office give me a regular cleaning?

If you have been to the dentist recently looking for a dental cleaning but were unable to get one, we understand you may be frustrated and disappointed that your needs were not met. We strive to make all patients happy, and while that is not always possible, we do take the time to explain in person and over email what some of these reasons might be. Many patients come to us from offices where they were reportedly “denied” a dental cleaning.

We actually get patients coming to our Winter Park dental office quite frequently with this frustration, looking for some help. So, if this is something you are dealing with, please read on for the key points and considerations that we provide to our patients. We strive to inform our patients so they understand the reasons for their absence.

What are some reasons why I didn’t get a same-day dental cleaning?

If you were not offered a cleaning on the same day as your exam visit, it could simply be that the dental office does not have the time on the schedule that day. At The Ivory Dental, we know most patients have busy schedules and prefer doing as much in a single visit as possible. That’s why, by default, all of our new patient appointments include the timing for a same-day regular dental cleaning for the patients. However, some offices do not operate this way and run a separate cleaning schedule for their patients. In some other cases, your examination may have taken longer than average, perhaps with discussion to provide a treatment plan for you – or perhaps due to other prioritized procedures (such as fillings or Invisalign scanning).

Another common reason a cleaning may not have been offered at a dental office is that you have been diagnosed with needing a periodontal cleaning. In this case, a regular cleaning may be insufficient for your dental health. Because these types of cleanings typically take preparation and more time, there may not be enough time on the schedule without delaying other patients. Our Winter Park dental office always offers a same-day start on periodontal cleanings if there is sufficient time. However, we are transparent with the patients upfront if this is not possible.

Why was I denied a regular cleaning?

Based on reports from several of our patients, the answer to this can be muddy. Some of our patients state that they have been denied a regular dental cleaning or further dental work without a “deep cleaning” being first performed at nearly $1000. While there are certainly legitimate and clinical reasons for needing to delay some dental procedures when certain dental conditions are present, there are also usually many other options. As with all of our patients, we provide an objective, evidence-based evaluation of their periodontal health with X-rays, probing, and examination. This should be performed for proper diagnoses and to properly document your dental insurance. Often, when we see these patients from other offices, our diagnoses differ, resulting in a more reasonable and more appropriate set of cleanings for the patient.

While we can not promise a specific diagnosis or outcome without having seen a patient, we can promise an objective and evidence-based suggestion for treatment. We prefer to explain our reasons for diagnosis to keep the patient informed and part of the decision-making process.

In some cases, a regular cleaning will not provide sufficient treatment for a patient’s dental health. In the cases where a form of “deep cleaning” is necessary, several variations exist to treat conditions properly. It is not just a full-mouth scaling and root planing. When this is the case, we will explain and show why and how it is diagnosed – along with documentation for your insurance’s approval. If you have dental insurance, and a dental office is not planning to send the planned deep cleanings to your insurance company, you should consider this a red flag to ask questions about why.

Why was I referred to a specialist office for cleanings?

If you were not recommended to have regular cleanings and an advanced periodontal diagnosis, our office might refer you to a specific dental specialist called a “periodontist.” This is in cases where a general dental office is not the best or most effective to treat you. While we would love to treat all our patients, there are some cases in which we humbly must refer them to a specialist. In these situations, the periodontal condition may be so progressed or delicate that we must defer to the specialist techniques, training, and tools available to them to treat you with the most comfort and fewest visits.

If you have been frustrated with dental offices refusing regular dental cleanings for you, please give our office a call! While we can not promise a specific or a different outcome – we can promise to keep you informed and objective about your diagnosis and why a particular treatment is being recommended.

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