....I am away from home for a few months and only trust my dentist. Can I go somewhere in the interim to only get a cleaning?
2007-03-04 03:04:58 · 5 answers · asked by sothere! 3 in Health ➔ Dental
Yes of course! Infact check to see if there are any local colleges that teach dental hygiene. They are always taking outside people in to clean teeth for their clinical practice and its much cheaper. They do a good job. I know the one near me cleans teeth and will do x-rays for just 20 dollars. Once a dentist charged me 350 dollars for that service. Otherwise your paying the money and dentists love to empty your wallets. Hovever you can just go to a local dentist and pay only for a cleaning.
2007-03-04 05:01:11 · answer #1 · answered by Peter and Sandy G 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Most dentists will want to do at least a cursory exam just to protect themselves from liability. In the US, state boards set the laws about what hygienists can and can't do without a doctor. If a dental hygienist does a certain type of cleaning and the doctor does not even look at the patient - they are "diagnosing" and are outside their state-licensed authority.
You don't have to have the local dentist "do" anything to you, just look in your mouth. Most dentists I know would not want to do restorative work on someone else's patient unless it was an emergency. If they found something during the exam, they would likely tell you to bring it up to your regular dentist when you get home. They might give you an x-ray or something in writing if they thought it was important.
If you really think your cleaning can't wait a month or two, call around a few dental offices and ask what thier policy is about exams.
2007-03-04 11:38:17 · answer #2 · answered by emmalue 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm a dentist.
Technically, yes. The cleaning is a procedure called an "adult prophylaxis", and has its own dental code and fee. The exam is called a "comprehensive exam" and has its own code and fee. Technically, you can have one without the other.
The problem is, however, that they are invariably perfomed together. As a doctor, I would have a very hard time allowing a hygienist to clean a patient's teeth without me looking in their mouths.
If I were you, I'd dispense with the "I only trust my dentist" approach. We are doctors, and as such we all have to meet a certain level of competence in order to practice. Let the "other" doctor examine your mouth and send to your own doctor his diagnosis. It is certainly possible that your usualy doctor may not agree completely with the diagnosis, but this doesn't mean necessarily that one is right and the other is wrong.
2007-03-04 20:59:31 · answer #3 · answered by Nebula D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would contact my dentist and have him/her recommend a office where you're located. If they're a established dentist they should have connections all over the US. Ask him/her what you should do or where to go, after all they are your primary care office. If that doesn't work you'll probally have to see the doc for a quick visit. It is their name and license that the hygienists are working under, so he needs to see you before they are allowed to see you.
2007-03-04 12:46:08 · answer #4 · answered by B.Woorley 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, in Mexico you can. so, if you are anywhere around Mexico, go find a dentist there. and, they don't have all that complicated lingo baloney. they treat the patient like a fellow human and they cater to them. no hoops to jump through, no red tape.
2007-03-07 06:38:30 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋