Recent dental reports reveal that the number of dental hygiene visits are at an all-time low in the U.S.

Could cost be a factor in dental patients skipping this important oral care check up?

The Wealthy Dentist conducted a survey of dentists to see what a typical fee is for a dental hygiene appointment with dental exam and x-rays. The survey results found that the average fee dentists charge is $195.00.

“I charge $149.00 and that’s cheap, but some patients still complain,” said a Georgia general dentist. “I also take a PAN every 3 years which is $85.00, $24.00 for Fl2 too if they have it.”

Among the survey results, 35% of dentist respondents charge $150.00 or less for hygiene appointments with dental exam and x-rays, making it relatively affordable to most dental patients, while less than 5% of the dentists charge over $250.00.

“We decided that our fee should be about the number that most women spend on hair appointments per year,” said a Washington dentist. “We imposed our values on them — one should value their teeth as much as hair. We lost about 20% of our patients. This was about 5 years ago.”

Fees for this dental service ranged from $80.00 to $400.00 depending on where the dental practice was located. One respondent from Canada reported a fee of $20.00, with fees under $100.00 being reported by dentists in the southern U.S. states. Urban dentists charged the most for this service, with one Massachusetts periodontist quoting $400.00, but stressed that this fee included exam fmx and perio charting.

Additional survey findings included comments about how dental insurance has changed what insurance will cover, thus increasing the patient’s portion of the fee. One Pennsylvania dentist wrote, “United Concordia no longer pays for reriapical with BWs. Must be done at NC for partic provid.”

Dentists, what is your fee for dental hygiene appointments and what does that include?