I have a recurring periodontal infection that my periodontist wants to treat with a targeted antibiotic. Before that, however, she wants to do a scaling and root planing. She charges $300 per quadrant for this, and my regular dentist charges $165.
The periodontist says that she’ll do a better job than the hygienist and that given the severity of my infection and her knowledge of my mouth (she did gum surgery on me a couple years ago), it’s better for her to do it. The scheduler at the dentist seemed skeptical of this claim. (Obviously, both have vested interests.)
What do you think? Is there any benefit to having the periodontist do this that is worth nearly double the price. The only one I can see is that the periodontist can do it next week, and I might have to wait till December to see the hygienist at my regular dentist.
Is any portion of either procedure covered by your insurance? How expensive is this for you compared to your budget? If I were in your shoes (with my tight budget) I’d schedule the cheaper, later appointment (except of course I can’t see your teeth, so I don’t really know how bad it is). You might be able to stave off the disease worsening, or even turn around some damage, by buying a water-pik and using it assiduously between now and December. Not that it’s a substitute for dental care, but if you have to wait anyway, a water-pik is a great way to keep your teeth in the best possible shape. I’ve read reviews on Amazon from people saying that it helped their periodontal issues, it’s worth a look.
IANADentist (nor am I shill for water-piks, though it may sound that way)
IANA dental professional. I just help keep them in business. I don’t like periodonists. They want to take these measures with every set of teeth they see. Sticking antibiotics under your gums is not rocket surgery. I’m assuming you have an opinion from your regular dentist already. Unless he or she recommended going to the perio for the treatment, your only question should be whether you want to wait. All in all, both options will cost less than replacing the teeth, so get it done by someone.
I’m not a dental professional, but I do have some experience with periodontists because I had to have several procedures done during the course of my orthodontic treatment (funny how that works). My last procedure was a few months ago; it cost me $1300, so I obviously wouldn’t want to repeat it.
With my financial limitations in mind, my advice to you would be to take the cheapest possible route. Now, do what you can to stave off the infection until you can see your regular dentist, but again, I say hold off until you can do it while spending the least amount of money.
I can speak to the quality of Waterpiks too; I use one myself, and my mom was actually able to save a ton of cash by using a Waterpik to stop her gums from bleeding (her dentist had said she needed a “deep cleaning” so she bought a WP and just did it herself). Using one could be a very smart move.
Thanks, all, for the responses. I have been using a Waterpik off and on for some time, and am back to using it regularly.
My use of the expression “severity of the infection” probably gave the wrong impression. I probably should have said “nature of the infection.” I don’t think the infection is particularly severe, it’s just that the periodontist claims that because she knows my condition better, she will have more insight into doing the planing and root scaling. I’m skeptical that that knowledge is worth twice the price.
Still hoping for some input from dental professionals before I decide in a day or so.