Full Mouth Dental Debridement – How Much Does It Cost? Does It Work?

Dental Debridement – Restoring Your Oral Health.

A Full Mouth Dental debridement is basically when the dentist removes dense deposits of plaque and calcified tartar from above and below the gum tissue line.

It is often needed when you haven’t visited your dentist for a few years and it is considered the first step towards restoring your dental health.

Having a healthy mouth is vital to both the beauty of your smile and the longevity of your teeth.

One of the biggest problems with not going to the dentist often enough is the buildup of plaque and tartar. Read our article on this topic HERE.

What Is A Full Mouth Dental Debridement?

Even if someone regularly brushes their teeth, plaque and tartar can still form and it can lead to problems, even dental debridement.

If you are brushing too quickly, you use a worn brush, one that is too soft or stiff or even simply not brushing properly can contribute to ongoing buildup.

Plaque is composed of bacteria and bacterial by-products. Calculus is basically calcified tartar.

A full mouth Dental debridement is the process to remove these dense deposits in your mouth.

• Also read: 4 Best Invisible Teeth Aligners Right Now

Sometimes you will even need to do a dental debridement BEFORE a regular check-up because the dentist won’t be able to accurately check for decay, infection and gingivitis.

Calculus and plaque can be a problem because it means there is a space between the tooth and gum which can results in bad breath, bleeding gums, gum disease, recession or even worse, bone loss due to inflammation.

Your dentist will need to use a range of dental tools depending on the extent of the plaque and calculus build-up. In most cases, debridement requires a special electronic tool with ultrasonic vibrations.

The ultrasonic tool is used to dislodge calculus and plaque. Scaling and root planing is another name of this treatment and is done primarily to prevent gum disease in the future.

Difference Between A Full Mouth Debridement and A Teeth Cleaning?

Debridement is used when there is heavy plaque and calculus. After the debridement is done, then you can have a cleanup.

The presence of buildup above and below the gum line indicates you should have a debridement before the dental deep cleaning scaling and root planing.

Be aware that if your gums are bleeding it is possible that you might have some kind of disease.

What is a dental debridement?

• It removes dense deposits of calculus and plaque from your teeth
• It removes the plaque from above and below your gum line.
• Usually performed before the regular cleaning
• Usually, take longer than a regular deep cleaning

What is a regular cleaning?

• Usually done once every six months
• If there are no heavy deposits of plaque or calculus then you might need this
• Will remove plaque, tartar, and stains from the teeth
• Usually confined to below the gumline

In order to know if you need a debridement or a normal deep cleaning you simply need to make an appointment with a dentist.

They will examine you and tell you what you need. If you regularly take care of your teeth chances are high you won’t need a debridement.

What happens during A Dental Debridement?

The first thing they will do is apply a topical anesthetic if you have sensitive teeth.

They will then most likely use a high vibration ultrasonic scaler to crush and dislodge calculus and disrupt bacterial cells.

They will use irrigation to flush and cool the root surface of the tooth with water. They will use handheld scalers to perform fine scaling and root planing as bacteria are more likely to be in rough areas like the root, they will clean it in a process called root debridement.

This process will remove the calculus and contaminated cementum on the root, which will make sure it is less susceptible to bacteria.

In some cases, you might have to visit the dentist twice in order to do the root debridement.

When Is A Dental Debridement Necessary?

It becomes essential when there is a dense deposit that prevents the dentist to obtain a proper diagnosis and examine your teeth and gums properly.

It is after the debridement that other issues can be uncovered as it enables the dentist to probe the gum line more thoroughly to check for possible disease and ensure your bone is healthy.

Heavy deposits on your teeth is not just bad for your oral hygiene and health…It can also increase the risk of heart disease.

Is It Painful?

Most likely not. Dentists are now using devices and technologies that make it painless, contrary to 20 years ago when they used to do periodontal disease surgery and grafting in order to fix this.

Dental debridement is something that can be performed without an anesthetic and a dental hygienist can perform it without any pain on your side.

In some cases, they might use a topical anesthetic if you have super-sensitive gums.

After the dental debridement, it is possible that your gum line is sensitive to hot and cold temperatures for a while.

There might be some bleeding too as the gum may need some time to re-adhere to the tooth after the removal of the calculus. If this is your case, simply rinse your mouth with saltwater.

Full Mouth Dental Debridement; How Much Does It Cost?

How much does full mouth dental debridement cost? It varies between $150 to $300. It will depend on the hardness or calcification of the deposits and the difficulty of the case.

In most cases, it will cost a little bit more than a general cleaning because it is more difficult and takes more time.

Most dental insurance companies cover regular teeth cleanings, but some of them don’t cover dental detriment because it is categorized as a different service.

Again, the full mouth dental debridement cost will depend on a few factors so you need to make an appointment with a dentist to get an estimate.

• Also read: 4 Best Invisible Teeth Aligners Right Now

What To Do After Your Dental Debridement?

The dentist will most likely educate you on how to properly clean your teeth at home with the proper technique. They might prescribe you a mouthwash containing antibacterial agents such as chlorhexidine in order to help heal your gums from inflammation.

Most of the time your dentist will set up a follow-up appointment with you in order to make sure everything is taken care of.

A full mouth debridement cost will depend on a few factors, but you can expect to pay between $150 to $300.