| Insurance Coverage Averages for the Procedure | Usually 2/Year at 50%-100% of the Fee | Usually 2/Year at 50%-100% of the Fee. * It is uncommon, but some insurances may cover 60%-100% of all 4 annual visits. We will verify your coverage prior to your appointment. |
| General Description of the Procedure | 
The area above the yellow line in the image above illustrates the portion of your teeth that are cleaned and polished during an Adult Prophy visit. Adult Prophy: Recall Appointment for a Patient With No History of Active Periodontal Disease Infection An adult dental prophy is removal of bacterial deposits on the coronal (enamel) portion of your teeth. Patients receiving a prophy have not had bone loss, so their root surfaces are covered in bone. |  The area above the yellow line in the image above illustrates the portion of your teeth that are cleaned and polished during a Periodontal Maintenance visit. Active Periodontal Disease Treatment: Periodontal Disease is an infection deep below the gums that has caused bone loss. Patients with active disease have deep, inflamed, soft tissue pockets (gum pockets, greater than 4mm). Active disease requires Scaling and Root Planing treatment, commonly referred to as a “deep cleaning” or “SRP”. Periodontal Maintenance: Recall Appointment for a Patient with a History of Periodontal Disease Infection After successful periodontal disease treatment, deep soft tissue pockets resolve. However, the bone does not grow back to cover the root surfaces of teeth. For a patient with a history of periodontal disease, both the coronal (enamel) and root surfaces must be cleaned at recall appointments. Given the potential for bacteria to accumulate on root surfaces and the higher risk of re-occurrence of periodontal disease, periodontal maintenance visits are more frequent than dental prophy visits. |