Teeth Cleaning Cost - Buyer Experiences and Price Information

My husband, son, and I went in for our 6 month cleaning last Saturday. I had switched insurance plans in January. I checked with the dental office before I switched and they assured me that they accepted my new plan. However, when the receptionist called my plan on Monday (they weren't open on Saturday) she was told that we had the HMO version and the dental office doesn't accept the HMO version. We are now stuck for paying for 3 cleanings and x-rays!!! I'm afraid to open the bill when it comes!!

Full charge: $153; but I paid $89., Medicare Dental Ins. paid $32.00. Insurance contract amount $121. Outrageous! It WAS sonic cleaning, though.

Self pay.Told them money was a big issue. I trusted them when they said I really needed it. It took all of 20 minutes.
Then I got the final checked by the Dentist who gives me a big sales pitch about how great I could look after Invisaline braces. I HAD BRACES My whole childhood- my teeth Are straight!!! Was he even looking??? Then He gave me the hard sell on a OralB Brush they sold.

I have good dental Insurance I pay for monthly. At the dentist my first appointment was for full x-rays when leaving I was charged 58.80 co pay fee, my second appoitment was for teeth cleaning, when leaving I was charged 83.70 co pay fee. When I got home I called my Insurance plan to find out what my contracted fees were to the dennist, my co pay fee out of pocket x-rays 19.80 and cleaning was 24.90 so I called the dentist office they owe me a refund total 97.80 Bottom line is when you leave the dennist office after you pay the office fees and leave call your your dental plan and verify what the fees are you were suposed to pay, so you dont't get ripped off.

My Venice Florida dentist charges $270/quadrant for deep cleaning plus $66 per Arestin dose X 11 cartridges required. If you subscribe to Aetna discount plan then hygienist charges are reduced to $135 per quadrant plus $100 to administer Arestin. In round numbers $320/hr for hygienist
time. Outrageous rip off

I go to a dental school to get my teeth done by students under supervision. you have to sit in the chair for about 3 hrs. but you can't beat the price. It usually takes 3to4 visits to complete the job but they do a very good job on your teeth. They will also take x-rays and all this for $20 or $5 if you are a senior.

I went in to get a tooth pulled and was asked if i wanted a teeth cleaning while i was here. They said the insurance would cover it no worries. I said sure and how much well they immediately took me in and cleaned my teeth in about 25 minutes. Then they pulled my tooth. Pulling the tooth took longer and pain killers and the dentist and a assistant. Here is where it makes no sense. 110 dollars to pull the tooth no problem, money earned. Now hold on for this, 954 dollars to clean my teeth in 25 minutes good lord this is flat stealing.That's over 1800 dollars an hour no way this is right and should be illegal. Plus not telling me how much first. Get this I asked and they are on my plan so the dentist ought to know what the ins.company should pay. They will not commit to a price only estimates Imagine if every were did business like this what a bunch of crooks. Go buy a car your groceries or your utility and let them tell you its just an estimate wait and see what the real cost is

I went for a regular cleaning at a dentist in Quakertown, PA. They told me that I would need would need full X-rays before they could do the cleaning. My wife and I do not have insurance often prefer to not have X-rays. I told the dentist I would like to waive the X-rays and would sign a document in that regard. They refused to clean my teeth! Is the consumer laws of PA the problem here? Laws which cause people who can not afford the high price of X-rays and oral exam to not have their teeth clean only. Or is the dental association trying to get the last buck out of the retired and working poor? What legal steps can I take to buy only the services I want?

I asked the dentist for clearance to have bone marrow transplant. He would not sign unless I agreed to "deep cleaning". This procedure was no more extensive than the other cleanings I have had and only took 25 min for all four quadrants. Pricing my quadrants is rip off. This place wanted to do each quadrant in a different appointment that would have delayed my cancer procedure. Finally agreed to do it all and took 25 min. Hygenist commented after she was done that there was not as much plaque as she first diagnosed.

I found a lot of dentists charging from 29 to 69 for this-
I might go as high as 80-90 anymore is a ripoff.

I hadn't been to the dentist in about 4 years, I now get a basic cleaning every 6 months. Its not that expensive compared to what some of you are paying.

The new perio doctor that did my deep cleaning spent 25min and the last time i had this done it took almost a hour well so much for going to the same office ive been going to for the last 20 years , all he did was look at the clock and the buzzer that tells him that his next paitent is here. did this on 4/10/13 im going back tomarrow and find out what the rush was all about.

I want to confirm what another posting observed on 2/21/12. My dental plan with HumanaOne includes to free cleanings and I paid $146 for the year, but I have been to four different dental offices looking for a regular cleaning and the dentists refuse to provide a regular cleaning. It is unbelievable. Instead they want you to have deep cleanings with the additional cost, hundreds of dollars more.

I have had deep cleaning in the past and it never cost this much. Americans are greedy a** holes who think money is everything. Sure do hope she enjoys her new caddy that I paid for. I guess the only people who should live on the earth are the special people who love only money and won't do a thing without gobs of it coming out of their ears.

I just took all four of my kids to the dentist for the first time since my husband found a job and we have insurance. Before that, we had medicaid. I was the stupid one who didn't inquire into what they were including in the exams; after all, medicaid patients don't think too much, right? The truth is, I was too affected by our whole situation to think straight. My husband a scientist out of work, how will they treat me in this office, etc. It was just a dark time. Anyway, I just got our first bill as "private insurance" patients, and am appalled to find that I paid $27 per child for a fluoride treatment, and out the ears for x-rays (kids just had them 6 mos. ago). I take the blame for not thinking to ask what would be included. Had I known, I would have refused fluoride and x-rays just to keep my costs low (I'm not sure which items the insurance will cover; I was told not x-rays). This isn't about fluoride; it's about a bill I can't afford to pay. Can anyone please graciously advise?

For all the dentists and their assistants out there we are not trying to insult you, we are trying to figure out a way to pay for keeping our teeth healthy with the right Dentist. First of all have you ever tried to shop around for a dentist? It costs more to go in for a second opinion and get an appointment, and in some cases depending on the insurance company as in our case, you need to let them know you are changing to another dentist. That has to be done at the first of the next month. $8000.00 for two dental implants seems ridiculous to me. And now the same periodontist wants to charge me $4000.00 for a deep cleaning, all four quadrants. That includes some surgery on the gums and "biologic materials" (bone, I think). And that price is with a 25% discount, what my insurance pays for a specialist (periodontist) Then of course you have to go back and forth between dentists because some general dentists do not perform some of the procedures a perio does and vice-versa. I know I have asked. So it might be just a little daunting for the average patron to swing this. We are now looking into calling a perio about 45 minutes from our home, but he came recommended from a friend of a friends dentist's husbands. So we'll see if we can get in. So any comments??

I just got a teeth cleaning for the first time in year, and although my insurance said they cover the cleanings, they would only cover 196. of the over $400 charges because they claimed they were too high. Not so great really.

Adult cleaning $98rnDental exam $48rnBitewings (2 films) $49rnrnDid I get overcharged?

i went into the dentist office great staff great place, but i was told i needed a "deep cleaining" i got on here to see what that ment well it looks like it takes longer than 5 mins, cuz thats how long the lady took doing my "deep cleaning" and they billed my insurance company 1382 which was my 1000 max so now i can't get filling or crowns that i need. i felt like i was ripped off and my teeth still have tons of plague and build up. no a happy camper at all

I live in Valdez Alaska and since I'm unmarried I qualify for Denali Kid Care which will usually cover the cost of an exam, cleaning and a few other procedures. Yet the only dentist in town does not accept Denali Kid Care for pregnant women so I had to pay out of pocket. I already had x-rays earlier in the year ($60 for a full set and a brief exam) so when I called to make an appointment paying out of pocket I was told it will be $80 for the exam, and I can make an appointment for a cleaning in August (3 months after I have my baby) which will cost about $105, and a deep cleaning will cost about $200. I'm pretty sure I have advanced periodontist issues so I'm going to need a root scaling and planing eventually. My teeth only seem to have issues when I'm pregnant!

I had my upper quandrants done yesterday, which took less than 30 minutes. they said that the paperworks and the x-ray had took all the appoinment time so they asked me to get the lower quandrants done during the next visit. I never thought about how much they would charge and finally found out on the planning sheet, they wanted to charge twice just for one service. Is it normal to do that? teeth cleaning is $99, $145 for x-ray, $75 new checking.

After about 15 years since last visit which was 35 years from previous because of a 25 year abscess I had a chunk of TARTAR fall off tooth and it felt like I was missing part of a tooth. My gums were attached to tartar which I had not been aware about and there was a severe ledge if you will overhang to my gums, which fell back and then came up over the course of a week. Longs tory short - I discovered I needed cleaning among other things... the chunk that came out was almost the size of a tooth to give you indication of the severity. It was concentrated on one area in front of mouth where I smoke and chew cigars - the upper was relatively non existent compared to bottom and the center teeth about 10 times worst than the side so essentially 5 teeth in front were cemented together.

I'm a dental hygienist and we charge $300 for cleaning and an exam. I do think it's a little too high, in my area you can get a cleaning anywhere from 120-300, which includes the exam. However, my point is not the price, is who is doing the cleaning! Make sure you ask the person that will be working on you who, she or he really is. MANY offices have their dental assistants polish kids teeth, which is not considered a cleaning. Soooo many times I have seen children after they were getting those "professional teeth cleaning" by the assistant, and they had tons of calculus under their gums, with swollen inflamed, bleeding tissue around! Be aware, especially with children, since a lot of offices tend to let their assistants just polish, which doesn;t do much at all but they still charge you regular price. Assistants are not allowed to clean (they are allowed to polish teeth if they are certified, but polishing alone is not a complete cleaning)

If you want to get great dentist care without the high cost go to another country South America is great they have all of the same technology now a days and sometimes the dentist's are much better as they pay attention to each patient if you are paying cash, American dentist charge on an average 5 times as much and are not any better it is crazy what they charge here I make a trip every couple of years depending on my situation with my teeth

I am over 65, and have had problems with my teeth m whole life. If there is a dental procedure, I've had it. Quarterly cleaning, deep scaling, and on and on. Right now, I have only FOUR teeth left. I was charged for a full adult cleaning, that took about 10 minutes. rnIn the past, I was only charged for children's cleaning. Love thei dentist, but not crazy about the hygenist or the front office staff.

I certainly feel being charged 644 dollars for an hour of service for scaling of a couple of teeth seems rather high. Feeding my family or heating my house might make better sense. Not being told a price and then presented with a bill that amounts to a week of hard labor for one hour of sitting in a chair makes me wonder. Can I take my x rays and get a second opinion or do I just smile and thanks them with blind faith. Also listening to a sales pitch for their sonic care brush that they sell at twice the retail price while being strapped to a chair with probes in my mouth seems like unfair marketing.

I visited this site because I wanted to know if the amount I was billed seemed high for a routine cleaning. My girls were in the office for about 10 minutes each, max. After reading through some of the posts I have to say that the professionals in the health care field have a point when they talk about how long it takes and how much it costs to become a licensed practitioner as well as what is involved with running your own business. I am an Architect, with 20+ years of experience and have run my own business for more than a decade so I completely understand this point of view. HOWEVER, unlike medical practitioners, my clients do not come to me because they need me to survive. My field is considered a luxury for most people and a necessity for only a select few. I do not have clients because they need building checkups or because of conditions brought on by injuries, although building age can have an effect on my customer base. In my opinion, charging what amounts to more than $1,000 an hour to clean teeth is outrageous! Lawyers, health professionals, big business Chiefs, financial gurus of some sort or another, elite athletes and celebrities charge these rates. Of these, only health professionals have a moral obligation. They take an oath to that effect. The necessity for their services is manifest in being human. Lawyers are needed because of lawyers. If there were none, we wouldn't need any. Athletes and entertainers are compensated by masses, at the masses’ discretion. Financial gurus are compensated because they get to hold the money and take ridiculous amounts for doing so (shame on them). But Health professionals are taught and held accountable for their responsibility to the welfare of their patients. Their responsibility should include not taking advantage because they feel they deserve to drive nice cars and live in big houses. If farmers did the same, there would be a lot more skinny people. Just my opinion.

I don't have insurance. Where can I go that's reliable and reasonable in cost?

I go to a reputable dentist with a professional office/staff. Same hygenist for past 5+ years and occasionally a sub if she is out. The cleaning was very thorough as usual. Since I currently do not have dental insurance and go every four months, I opted to not have dentist exam or x-rays. I thought $95 was high, but maybe not - you get what you pay for (usually).

If you guys think the hygienist is making the money you are wrong. For an 800. dollar root plane and full set of xray at 95 dollars that takes an hour I get 35 dollars of that. So if you patients think you are getting ripped off you are getting a good service that you probably need. The hygienist gets a hurting hand and neck and just enough money to make it to work the next day to do it again. Most of the money goes to the dentist that doesn't even come in the room half of the time except to make sure we charged for everything he coud think of.