Continuing Care/ Periodontal Maintenance
Program
Joy Thurman, RDH;
Margie Thomas, RDH; & Rebecca Santos, RDH.
Our Continuing Care/ Periodontal
Maintenance program is an organized sequence
of office procedures and treatments designed
to help you maintain oral health by the
early detection and treatment of oral
disease. Hand in hand with this we also
incorporate patient education regarding oral
disease and prevention, as well as, the
dental scaling and polishing that make up
the regular cleanings which we provide. All
of these things fall under the category of
Preventive Dentistry, which we consider to
be very important.
Our Continuing Care Program is detailed,
comprehensive, and set up with your best
interests in mind. Early diagnosis and
treatment of problems is practicing
prevention which usually makes treatment
more successful and helps keep your personal
and insurance costs down.
There is a specific structure and
organization to the sequencing of each
patient’s individual Continuing Care Program
which includes:
Cleaning your teeth, examination for
pathology including cancer, examinations for
periodontal disease (gum disease),
evaluation of your bite and joint (TMJ),
X-rays to evaluate the teeth, check the bone
for pathology, and to monitor periodontal
bone loss around the teeth, evaluation of
esthetics to address any of your concerns or
needs for cosmetic treatment like bleaching/
bonding/orthodontics/surgery. Evaluate your
needs for tooth replacement through
dentures, bridges, and placement of
implants. We provide Oral Hygiene
Instruction. And, we currently provide each
patient a brush, floss, and other aids for
cleaning at no extra charge to our patients.
And of course, we check for tooth decay.
The timing for these procedures is
different for each patient, but we try to do
all of these things at least twice each year
and usually they are done more frequently.
The hygienist will do a screening exam at
each visit, and, most patients are scheduled
for an exam with the doctor on alternating
appointments. If the patient comes every six
months, the doctor will do an exam once a
year. If a patient has special needs and
comes in every three months, then they are
scheduled two exams each year. When we
schedule time for the doctor to examine a
patient, we charge for this time in the form
of an examination fee. The doctor frequently
will see patients more often than this for
brief, unscheduled exams when the hygienist
sees something in their mouth which needs a
diagnosis; or, if the patient has an area of
concern. Please let the hygienist know if
there is an area or a condition in your
mouth you are concerned about. They will
call in the doctor to talk with you and do a
clinical exam. Hygienists are capable of
screening a patient for decay, oral cancer,
and of course periodontal problems, but they
do not have the training, nor can they take
the responsibility, to diagnose and create a
treatment plan for a patient.
Insurance Benefits
Every insurance plan is
different, but most have similar coverage
for your Continuing Care visits. Most
benefit plans will cover two cleanings and
two examinations each year. Most plans will
cover routine screening X-rays (BiteWing
X-rays) once each year and a full mouth set
of X-rays every 3-5 years. These parameters
are fine for many patients, but, there are
also many people who have treatment needs
exceeding their insurance benefits. It is
important to us that you understand both
your treatment and the cost of your
treatment. If you have any questions about
your insurance coverage, your treatment
needs or recommendations, or any of our
fees, please ask.
Appointments
Your regular appointments
for Continuing Care/Periodontal Maintenance
are part of an effective system for
maintaining oral health over your lifetime.
It has been repeatedly demonstrated in
research studies that patients who are
faithful with their 3, 4, or 6 month
cleaning/exam regimens retain their teeth
longer and maintain healthier gums. These
regular visits are an important part of each
patient’s program for prevention.
Rescheduling or missing these regular
appointments will delay the treatment you
need to stay healthy. Our practice is
organized to help you stay organized for
these appointments. Your next appointment is
made in person when you are in the office
for your current appointment; a postcard
reminder is sent two weeks ahead of time for
Continuing Care appointments; and, you will
receive a phone call a day or two ahead to
confirm appointment times. It is difficult
for the staff to administer the schedule and
to stay organized if appointment times are
missed or rescheduled, so, we want you to
keep your appointments as they have been
scheduled, or, to give us plenty of notice
if you need to change an appointment. We
would greatly appreciate 48 hours notice if
you need to change an appointment time. That
will give us the opportunity to give your
time slot to another patient. If you call us
to change at the last minute or just fail to
keep the appointment, you will be charged a
fee. We realize that problems do
occasionally occur at the last minute and we
will try to work with you, but, please
realize that missed or broken appointments
increase the costs of providing dental care.
Finally
It is important to the
doctor and all of the staff to maintain a
well-organized program of Continuing
Care/Periodontal Maintenance that will
benefit you. We have a well-trained
professional staff that cares about you and
we will have adequate time scheduled to take
care of your needs.
Please take advantage of us. Following our
Continuing Care Program should reward you
with a lifetime of good oral health in
Function, Comfort, and Aesthetics. We look
forward to serving you. |