Dental scaling and root planing can cost between $400 and $4,000. The difference in the fee varies due to the extent of the infection and how widespread it is. If you only need one quadrant of your mouth scaled, it may be closer to $400. Treating the entire mouth will, of course, be more costly.
You can also expect to see a difference in the fee schedules at a general Dentist and a Periodontist. If your infection does not require the specialized treatment from a Periodontist, your general Dentist may be able to treat you with less out-of-pocket cost to you.
Additional Costs of Scaling and Root Planing
There are a few costs that you may incur along with scaling and root planing. To begin, you may show up for a routine cleaning at your dental office and be diagnosed with periodontal disease, so they will not be able to perform a regular prophylactic cleaning, instead performing a full mouth debridement which can cost from $75 to $200. They will also likely need to take a full set of dental x-rays which will run between $50 and $300. If you have dental insurance that you are relying on for this treatment, your insurance provider will likely request x-rays and periodontal charting before they pay for the scaling and root planing.
Once your scaling and root planing is complete, you may require arestin, an antibiotic chip, to be placed in particularly deep pockets. Arestin helps your gum tissue heal closer to the tooth surface and can tack on an additional $50 to $100 per site.
Lowering Your Cost of Scaling and Root Planing
Dental Insurance: Insurance can help reduce your out of pocket cost. Most insurances will cover 80% for procedures done by an in-network doctor and up to 50% for an out-of-network provider. You may also consider having your dental office submit a pre-treatment estimate to your insurance provider to better determine how much they will cover and what your exact cost will be.
Dental Discount Plans: Another option to help alleviate your out of pocket cost is a discount plan. Insurance has a monthly premium but dental discount plans have annual membership fees. Any dental treatment you receive will be at a discounted rate but only with participating dentists, which you should be able to find on your program’s website.
Dental Schools: You may be a little hesitant to seek out a dental school for treatment but all procedures are supervised by a licensed dental professional so it can actually be a very cost effective option. You also may be able to find a continuing education course that needs a volunteer for a class or seminar and your procedure would be performed in front of an audience.
If cost is a concern, make some calls to different offices and ask about their fees. Some offices may not give that information over the phone without meeting you and seeing your teeth and gums for themselves but that allows them to give you an accurate treatment plan and fee schedule.