Dental Office Periodontal Procedures to Track
Dental office periodontal procedures count as a separate production total in my hygiene monitors. Because we want to know how much of our hygiene production is just perio, let’s take a look at perio.
And, in order to track perio production, we need to know what procedures we’re talking about! Also, keep in mind, that each office is uniquely wonderful!
So, what happens in the dental office where you work might be very different from where someone else works.
Common Periodontal Procedures
However, in general, there are some common basic periodontal procedures performed in our dental hygiene chairs. So, let’s take a closer look at those procedures and codes. And you can certainly adjust accordingly. Find out what’s done where you are! And then make your monitors fit your world.
Codes to Include
- D4341 – Periodontal Scaling & Root Planing (4 or more contiguous teeth per quadrant)
- D4342 – Periodontal Scaling & Root Planing (1-3 teeth per quadrant)
- D4346 – Gingivitis – Scaling of Full Mouth After Exam
- D4910 – Periodontal Maintenance
- D4381 – Localized Delivery of Chemotherapeutic Agents
- D4355 – Full-Mouth Debridement
Dental Office Periodontal Procedure Considerations
This is a general list of perio codes to reference! As you can see, these procedure codes all start with a “D4”. Dental insurance codes that are perio codes, start with this “D4”. That may help you identify perio codes if you are not familiar with them.
You may even want to look at a report that displays all perio codes posted in the last 12 months. Especially if you haven’t looked at this as a whole before.
Fees for Perio Procedures
Different periodontal procedures have different fees. That makes sense, right? But do the fees you charge for periodontal procedures make sense? This could be another piece of the hygiene puzzle you need to adjust.
Especially if the production numbers seem low. And I’ve seen dental offices with very strange pricing structures. Because they are afraid to charge “too much” for periodontal procedures.
A Distinct Difference
There should be a definite difference between routine hygiene fees and periodontal procedures. But start by looking at the routine prophy fee in your dental practice.
And then move from there. I understand you may want to look at the usual and customary fees for your location. But here’s something to think about too!
How Do Your Fees Measure Up?
Take your adult prophy fee (D1110) and double that for your periomaintenance fee (D4910).
So, if your adult prophy fee is $101.00, then your periomaintenance fee would be $202.00.
For one quadrant of root planing (D4341), triple your prophy fee ($303.00).
And the localized root planing (D4342) per quadrant is calculated as 3/4 of the fee for the D4341 ($227.25).
Or you could also base this on a per-tooth basis.
And charge something like $75 for one tooth, $150 for two teeth; and leave the fee at $227.25 for 3 teeth.
