Dental Cleaning on a Budget

We all know that having a dental cleaning twice a year helps improve our health. Some people may not have dental insurance or cannot afford dental cleaning, especially with inflation! If you are managing a budget and need preventative dental care, Pearl Boutique Dental can help you! 

How does billing work for dental cleaning?

Dental cleaning prices depend on how much plaque and tartar build up there is. As well as how much time is required for your registered hygienist to remove that build up. We base our prices on BC’s Dental Hygiene Fee Guide. For every 15 minutes of scaling we charge about $55, as an example for one hour of dental cleaning it would be about $220.  Polish (removes surface stains) and fluoride (prevents cavities) together costs about $66. At Pearl Boutique Dental you can opt out of the polish and fluoride to save you the $66. 

Splitting up appointments

Some patients that have not had a dental cleaning done in a while will have a higher price point. As it will take the dental hygienist longer to remove all of the deposit from the teeth.  For those patients that will need a more comprehensive cleaning, we offer the option to split the appointment up into multiple appointments.

These can range from 1-3 additional appointments, depending on the complexity of gum disease and level of deposit. Completing a complex dental cleaning in separate appointments has multiple benefits. Firstly, we are able to split the cost up. It is much easier on the pocket book to pay for three hours of cleaning in two separate appointments, instead of all at once.

Second, the gum tissue is often sore when there is severe gum disease and a lot of tartar and plaque to remove, it is preferable to have only half the mouth feeling sore at a time (this subsides within about 12 hours and is managed with salt water rinses).

Lastly, when it is a big job, and there is a lot to remove from the teeth, the hygienist wants to do their most thorough job possible. Tactile sensation in their fingertips is what they use to detect deposit, this can decrease after a couple of hours of heavy scaling, as well they get tired too! If it has been over 12-18 months since your last dental cleaning, expect the dental hygienist to have to bring you back.

If you do not have dental insurance please email us, we can help with that too 🙂

How to look after your teeth at home between dental cleanings

Keeping up with good at home oral hygiene habits between dental cleanings is key to maintaining a healthy mouth.  Not only will good oral hygiene at home save your mouth, but it will help your bank account too! Keeping your plaque build up and tartar to a minimum between dental visits, means the Dental Hygienist can complete their job faster and therefore lessen the price! Pearl Boutique Dental recommends patients to use a Sonicare electric toothbrush for everyday brushing and flossing- yes flossing! Doing so everyday limits plaque build up in between your teeth. An alternative to flossing that we personally love is waterpik! Finally adding a mouth rinse to your daily routine reduces overall bacterial load.