First visit hygiene

Many new patients call for an appointment and say they want a “check-up and a clean”. Giving in to the request for a first visit clean can put a dent in your practice’s standard of care.

Prior to doing an examination you have no idea about a new patient’s periodontal condition. They could have healthy gums, advanced periodontal disease or anything in between.

Obviously, if the gums are healthy and there’s only a bit of stain, then a 10-minute clean is appropriate. That’s easy to fit in alongside an examination.

But, if a patient has periodontal disease and a lot of sub-gingival calculus, multiple visits of scaling and will be needed. Perhaps you need to go quadrant by quadrant under LA. A 10-minute clean in this situation is inappropriate. It’s a waste of the patient’s money as well as not meeting the standard of care.

Therefore, the thing you should be aiming for is this: Examine and diagnose first, then do the clean in the right way over the proper number of appointments. Planning periodontal treatment also lets you quote a sensible fee because after an examination a patient understands the importance of the treatment and knows why multiple visits are necessary.

Do you do first visit cleanings on new patients in your practice?

If so, I suggest that you rethink and delay the cleaning until after diagnosis. You’ll be more productive and also provide your patients with a higher quality of care.