Teeth cleaning and FL law?

In the state of Florida, is there any law that states a dentist can not perform a general cleaning as requested when a deep cleaning was performed 2 or 3 visits prior but instead are required to perform a more extensive cleaning? What would be the reasoning behind this, isn%26#039;t it better to at least get them cleaned than not? Reason for the question is cost, what if you have lost or do not have dental insurance to at least off-set the cost? Would dentists rather have your teeth rot than provide basic service? The dentists actually told my friend it was %26#039;against the law%26#039; to perform a regular cleaning but couldn%26#039;t provide the back-up info for this. So does it exist and what%26#039;s the reasoning if it does?

Teeth cleaning and FL law?
Shop around for a new dentist. While he%26#039;s not obligated to provide you any dental service, he CAN choose what to bill for it. If your friend really needs a 2 hour $800 cleaning job to fix gum disease, just cleaning the teeth isn%26#039;t going to help your friend though.





If he only needs an extra 15 -30 minutes worth of gum work, he might see if he can find a dental hygenist who%26#039;ll do it at the regular cleaning price if he%26#039;s not bothered by a deep cleaning and doesn%26#039;t need sedation.





What he%26#039;s running into is that there%26#039;s %26#039;no way%26#039; to bill an %26#039;intermediate%26#039; cleaning in most dentists offices because insurance companies don%26#039;t recognize %26#039;needs a little more work%26#039; but not a 2-3 hour ordeal as even an option.





There%26#039;s the regular cleaning for $100, and then there%26#039;s anything from an extra 15 minutes of gum work to an extra hours worth with nitrous or with conscious sedation that they bill $800 for, but there%26#039;s no price break for you if you only take the extra 15-30 minutes.





Since I can %26#039;take%26#039; a deep cleaning without requiring any additional sedation, which I need maybe once every couple of years, my dentist doesn%26#039;t bill me extra.





Your friend can also look for a dental/hygenist school.
Reply:What would be the use of having the teeth cleaned above the gumline, which is a regular cleaning, when the teeth below the gumline are ready to fall out?





Kind of like putting makeup on a pig.





Your friend%26#039;s dentist has informed your friend as to what she needs. Your dentist is not obligated to do anything for your friend, at all, anymore than a restaurant is required to serve someone they don%26#039;t want to serve.





It%26#039;s that simple. Your friend%26#039;s dentist is obligated both ethically and legally to inform your friend about the nature of her condition and to advise her as to what to do about it. That%26#039;s all. If your friend chooses not to take this advise, then that is her responsibility.





No, having your teeth cleaned is not better than having your teeth cleaned properly.
Reply:From the dentist%26#039;s point of view, it would technically be


malpractice to do a %26quot;normal%26quot; cleaning, if a more deep


cleaning was needed, judging by the amount of calculus,


debris, plaque, etc. And it wouldn%26#039;t really help the patient


much, in the long run, to do less cleaning than the patient


needs. You would only be taking care of part of the problem,


in that case. It would be like building a house on quicksand.


A lot of patients just want the %26quot;quickie%26quot; cleaning, get the


nicotine stains off, and polish them, etc., so they look better,


but things are really unhealthy under the gumline and in the


bone support, so when the patient starts to lose their teeth,


then they would get upset and say they%26#039;ve been coming


there for years, why are they still losing their teeth? And they


in some cases would sue or threaten to sue for malpractice,


when all along, they%26#039;ve been told that they need more treatment than just a %26quot;surface%26quot; cleaning, but they were in


denial and didn%26#039;t listen. Does that make sense? I tried to


put it in normal, %26quot;non-dental%26quot; terms.
Reply:Basically, doing a regular cleaning on someone who needs a deep cleaning is a waste. It will not help, in fact according to studies removing the top layer causes the gums to heal tighter around the buildup making it harder to remove and making the gums more irritated causing the gum disease to progress faster. It is considered neglect to do a regular cleaning on someone who needs a deep cleaning. He could do it, but you would be better off to wait, save, and do the deep cleaning. A cleaning involves scaling off buildup, the polishing is just the shining part. A deep cleaning must be done once gum disease begins and bone loss starts and buildup begins to grow beneath the gumline. In a regular cleaning beneath the gum line is not the focus area. In treating gum disease/bone loss/ deep cleanings, cleaning all diseased buildup and tissue as well as smoothing rough areas to prevent further buildup is the focus. If this is not done, you will lose your teeth. Just scraping the top layer may make it worse. If you cannot afford it, try going to a dental hygiene school.



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