General dentistry
Dental cleanings & checkups
A checkup is two things in one visit: a hygienist cleans your teeth, and a dentist checks them. Most people need one every six months.
- Time in the chair
- 60–75 min first visit, 45–60 min after
- Visits
- One, every six months
- Numbing
- Not needed
- Typical cost
- $100–$350 before insurance
What it is
A hygienist removes the hardened buildup (tartar) that brushing at home can’t reach, then polishes your teeth. A dentist then looks at every tooth, your gums, your bite and the soft tissue of your mouth, and reads any X-rays taken that day.
The point is to catch small problems while they are still small: a soft spot beside an old filling, gums that have started to bleed, a crack before it becomes a break. Small problems are quicker and cheaper to fix.
If it has been years since your last cleaning, that’s fine. We hear it every week, and nobody here will lecture you.
Who does this here
Dr. Renata Alcott
Dr. Marcus Tellez
Dr. Meera SethiWhat to expect, step by step
Check-in
You fill in a short health history (online before you come, or on a tablet at the desk). Tell us about your medicines, and tell us if dental visits make you nervous. It changes how we work.
X-rays
On a first visit we usually take digital X-rays. A small sensor sits in your mouth for a few seconds per picture. The dose is very low: a set of checkup X-rays is about the same as one day of natural background radiation.
Measuring your gums
The hygienist gently measures the small space between each tooth and the gum with a thin probe and reads the numbers aloud. 1 to 3 millimetres is healthy. It feels like a light poke and shouldn’t hurt.
The cleaning
Tartar comes off with an ultrasonic scaler (it hums and sprays a little water) and small hand instruments, then a gritty polish and floss. If anything is sensitive, raise your hand and we stop.
The dentist’s exam
The dentist checks each tooth, your bite and jaw, and does an oral cancer screening: a quick look and feel of your tongue, cheeks and neck. Your X-rays are on the screen in front of you while we talk.
Your plan
If everything looks good, you book your next visit for six months’ time. If something needs work, you leave with a written plan and estimate. Nothing extra is done that day unless you want it to be.
How long it takes
Plan for 60 to 75 minutes on your first visit and 45 to 60 minutes for regular checkups after that.
There is no recovery time: you can eat, drink and go back to work straight away. If you had fluoride, wait 30 minutes before eating.
What it costs
$100–$350
Typical U.S. range, per visit, before insurance
Most patients pay somewhere in this range. Your exact cost depends on whether you need a full set of X-rays (first visits usually do) and whether a deeper cleaning is needed.
Most PPO plans cover two cleanings and exams a year at or near 100%, so with insurance this visit often costs you little or nothing.
This is a guide, not our fee and not a quote. After your exam you get a written estimate, and we check your insurance, before anything starts. Call (602) 555-0148 for a quote. Where these ranges come from.
Questions patients ask
Why do my gums bleed when you clean them?
Bleeding usually means inflammation from plaque left along the gumline. It is common and reversible. Better flossing usually settles it within a couple of weeks. If it doesn’t, we’ll talk about gum treatment.
I haven’t been in years. Will it take longer?
Sometimes. If there is a lot of buildup we may split the cleaning over two visits or recommend a deep cleaning. We explain why before we start, and the cost.
How to book
Use our request form and we’ll call you back within one business day to pick a time, or call us now on (602) 555-0148. Tell us it’s for cleanings & exams and we’ll book the right length of visit.