Dental cleaning costs

Getting regular dental cleanings can help protect your teeth and gums and prevent serious future dental problems. Regular brushing and flossing at home are important to help keep your mouth healthy, but even if you have a good oral hygiene routine and you are diligent about taking care of your teeth, you typically won’t be able to get your teeth and gums as clean as a professional dental hygienist would. Regular dental cleanings help keep your gums and teeth healthy by getting rid of plaque buildup and bacteria that can cause cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, and eventually tooth loss. 

What does a dental cleaning cost with or without dental insurance? 

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends regular dental visits at intervals determined by your dentist. While many adults may visit the dentist twice a year, some people may need to go more or less often.¹ You don’t need to have dental insurance to get a cleaning, meaning you will pay out of pocket for the services, but many insurance plans — subject to applicable restrictions and limitations — may help cover the cost of a dental cleaning, and you may end up paying nothing out of pocket. The cost of a dental cleaning without insurance can be $200 or more, depending on the type of cleaning that needs to be done.² 

What does a dental deep cleaning cost? 

If you have certain medical conditions like diabetes, you might need to have deep cleanings of your teeth done frequently.³ Or, if you haven’t had a dental cleaning in a long time, you might need a deep cleaning. A deep dental cleaning is referred to by dentists as “scaling and root planing.”⁴ Scaling and root planing is also something that your dentist might recommend if you have gingivitis, as the procedure helps get rid of the bacteria that can typically make gingivitis worse. 

Dental deep cleaning costs are typically higher than the cost of a regular cleaning. When you have a regular dental cleaning done, it can be done in one visit that usually takes less than an hour. But scaling and planing can take two or more visits. That’s because your mouth is divided into four quadrants, and usually the dental technician will clean just one or two quadrants per visit. Because it’s a more in-depth cleaning, each visit can take an hour or longer. Spreading out the cleaning over several appointments will likely give your gums time to heal between visits and give you a break from being in the dental chair.⁵ 

Because scaling and planing is a typically more invasive and time-consuming procedure than a regular cleaning, it may cost more than a regular cleaning. 

While a regular dental cleaning without insurance can cost $200 or more, a scaling and planing procedure, depending on many factors such as the dentist performing the cleaning or your state of residence, can cost approximately $200 or more per quadrant, meaning that the entire procedure could cost more than $1,000 out of pocket.⁶ Dental insurance may cover all costs of scaling and planing or a portion of the cost, depending on your plan. 

How much does a dental cleaning cost? 

If you’re wondering how much does a dental cleaning cost, there is no simple answer. The out-of-pocket cost that you pay for a dental cleaning depends largely on whether you have dental insurance. Cleanings done by a dental hygienist may cost less than cleanings done by a dentist. With no insurance, your out-of-pocket cost for a regular dental cleaning will range from around $75 to around $200.⁷ If you get dental cleanings twice a year, that might be a lot of money to pay out of pocket for routine dental care. 

What is the average cost of a dental cleaning? 

If you live in a large city or a concentrated urban area, the cost for services like dental cleanings typically may be higher. You might also pay higher rates if you live in an extremely rural area due to a lack of dentists and hygienists in some very rural areas. Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans let people choose the dentist they want to see as long as they are in–network, regardless of what the provider charges for their services. So, under PPO coverage, it doesn’t matter if you want to see a dentist whose out-of-pocket cost is more expensive than another dentist’s, provided they’re both in your network. 

While dental cleaning, deep cleaning, and scaling and planing procedures all differ in cost depending on circumstances, practitioner, and location, the right insurance plan can help you save costs. Whether you are retiring and looking to leave the workforce or experiencing a temporary lapse in group coverage, you don’t have to have an employer-paid dental plan or COBRA to maintain dental coverage. See how Guardian covers you after you leave your job.