Scaling and root planing cleans the root surfaces inside gum pockets. It should follow measured pocket depths, not a glance and an upsell. Ask to see your numbers, then pick from these ten.
Free to use. We're paid by verified practices, never by ranking position.
Per quadrant
$180 – $400
Full mouth (4 quadrants)
$280 – $1,600
Appointments
1 – 2
Maintenance interval after
3 – 4 months
Numbers firstevery listed practice charts pockets before quoting
Step 1 — your location
Ten practices near you that chart before they quote.
The single most common billing complaint in dentistry is a deep cleaning sold without measured evidence. Every practice on this list charts pocket depths and gives you the numbers before quoting.
Your location is used to sort results and is never sold or shared with third parties.
Showing 10 gum specialists near Austin, TXRanked by distance, review quality and published pricing
Gum disease is a pocket problem, and pockets are measurable.
A healthy gum sits about one to three millimetres deep against the tooth. When bacteria colonise below the gum line, the attachment breaks down and the pocket deepens — four, five, six millimetres or more. Those depths are measured with a calibrated probe at six points around every tooth, and those numbers are the entire justification for treatment. A regular cleaning cannot reach the bottom of a five millimetre pocket, which is why deep cleaning exists.
Ask for your chart. Six measurements per tooth. If pockets are consistently 1–3mm with no bleeding, you do not need deep cleaning.
4mm and bleeding is the usual threshold for treatment. 5mm and above almost always needs it.
It is usually done in halves or quadrants, with local anaesthetic, over one or two appointments.
The maintenance afterwards matters more than the treatment. Three to four month recalls, not six, for at least the first two years.
One or two visits, then a different maintenance rhythm.
The cleaning itself is straightforward. What changes permanently is how often you come back afterwards.
01
Full periodontal charting
Six measurements around every tooth, plus bleeding points and recession. You should be given a copy.
Visit 1 · 30 min
02
Diagnosis & staging
The numbers determine whether this is gingivitis, early periodontitis or something needing a specialist referral.
Same visit
03
Scaling & root planing
Under local anaesthetic, usually two quadrants per appointment. Ultrasonic and hand instruments below the gum line.
1 – 2 visits · 60 min each
04
Review at 6–8 weeks
The pockets are re-measured. This is how you find out whether the treatment worked, and it is not optional.
6 – 8 weeks later
05
Maintenance
Three or four month recalls rather than six, for at least two years. This is where the result is actually kept.
Ongoing
Before & after
Gum treatment cases from practices on this list.
Submitted by listed practices, with the patient's written release and the fee they actually charged.
BeforeAfter
Pockets from 6mm to 3mm
Full-mouth scaling and root planing over two visits, then three-month recalls. Re-measured at eight weeks to confirm.
Duration
2 visits + review
Fee charged
$980
BeforeAfter
Two quadrants only
Charting showed disease confined to the lower back teeth. Two quadrants treated rather than the full mouth she had been quoted elsewhere.
Duration
1 visit
Fee charged
$420
BeforeAfter
Referred to a periodontist
Pockets over 7mm with bone loss on X-ray. Treated in general practice first, then referred for surgical management of two sites.
Duration
6 months
Fee charged
$2,340
Individual results vary with your diagnosis, anatomy and healing. Fees shown are what those specific patients paid at those specific practices and are not a quote. Photography on this page is licensed stock imagery, not photographs of the patients described.
Cost & insurance
What deep cleaning costs in 2026.
Ranges below are the 25th–75th percentile of fees published by listed practices. Any dentist we match you with has agreed to give you a written quote before treatment.
Treatment
Typical range
With 0% plan
Scaling & root planingPer quadrant
$180 – $400
$0Usually insured
Full mouth, four quadrantsTypically over two visits
$280 – $1,600
Bundled
Periodontal chartingSix points per tooth
$0 – $90
Usually included
Local anaestheticPer quadrant
Included
Bundled
Periodontal maintenancePer recall, every 3–4 months
$110 – $250
Ongoing
Antibiotic gel in pocketsSite-specific, if indicated
$45 – $110
Per site
Deep cleaning is well covered on most PPO plans — typically 50–80% — because it is classed as periodontal treatment rather than preventive. The catch is frequency: many plans pay for scaling and root planing on the same quadrant only once every two to three years, and cover maintenance recalls at a lower rate than routine cleanings.
What insurance usually covers
Usually covered at 50–80% as periodontal treatment, after your deductible.
Frequency limits apply — commonly once per quadrant every 24 to 36 months.
Maintenance recalls are often covered but sometimes at a lower percentage than a standard cleaning.
Charting evidence is usually required. Insurers frequently ask for pocket depths before paying, which is another reason to insist on it.
FSA and HSA funds cover this in full — it is a qualified medical expense.
In-house 0% plans at 6–24 months, offered by roughly two-thirds of listed practices.
Third-party financing at 24–72 months, typically 9.9%–17.9% APR once the promotional window ends.
Dental school clinics run 40–60% below private fees, with longer timelines and supervised residents.
Get it itemised, in writing — every time
Every component on a separate line. It is the only way two quotes ever become comparable, and every practice on this list has agreed to give you one before you pay a deposit.
Payment calculator
Work out the monthly number before you walk in.
Drag the sliders to your situation. Nothing is submitted anywhere — this runs entirely in your browser.
Estimates only. Actual approval, APR and term depend on the practice, the lender and your credit. Promotional 0% offers are usually deferred-interest products — if the balance is not cleared inside the promotional window, interest may be charged retroactively from the purchase date. Always read the credit agreement.
Compare your options
Regular cleaning, deep cleaning, or a periodontist?
Your pocket depths decide this, not a sales conversation. Here is roughly where the lines fall.
Ask to see every option planned. A dentist who only ever recommends one route, regardless of the scan, is worth a second opinion.
Deep cleaning
Regular cleaning
Periodontal specialist
Typical pocket depths
4 – 6 mm with bleeding
1 – 3 mm, no bleeding
7 mm+ or bone loss
Cost
$280 – $1,600 full mouth
$95 – $200
$1,500 – $6,000+
Anaesthetic needed
Usually
No
Yes
Visits
1 – 2
1
3 – 6
Recall interval afterwards
3 – 4 months
6 months
3 months
Usually insured
50 – 80%
~100%
50%
Appropriate when
Charting shows pockets and bleeding below the gum line
Gums are healthy and this is maintenance
Deep pockets persist after treatment, or bone loss is advanced
How to judge a practice
Four things that separate a good practice from an average one.
None of this is marketing gloss — each one measurably changes how predictable your result is. Ask the practices you shortlist which of the four they actually have.
Imaging
They show you the images
A practice that turns the monitor towards you and walks through what it is actually seeing is a practice that expects to be questioned.
Ask to see your own scan
Pricing
A written, itemised quote
Every fee on its own line, handed over before you pay a deposit. Every practice we list has agreed to provide one.
Non-negotiable on this list
Volume
They do this often
Skill compounds with repetition. Each listing shows how many cases of this type the practice has completed in the last two years.
Case counts shown on every card
Aftercare
Someone answers afterwards
A named contact for the week after treatment, and a written policy on what a redo costs if something is not right.
Checked at every renewal
Inside the network
What a listed practice looks like.
We visit or video-audit every practice before it goes on the list — the operatory, the sterilisation room, the imaging suite and the front desk that will handle your insurance claim.
The operatoryChair, imaging and delivery unitSecond surgerySo urgent cases aren't bumpedSterile protocolAudited at every renewalThe front deskFiles your claim, not youStreet levelParking and access checked
Free consultation
Tell us the situation. We'll do the calling around.
Send this once and up to three matched practices near you come back with what a periodontal assessment costs, whether charting is included, and their next available appointment.
Our Austin care team — 11 people, none on commission
1. You send the details
Ninety seconds. Your ZIP, what you need, and your insurance if you have it.
2. We shortlist and forward
We pick the three strongest matches on distance, case volume and price transparency — then send them your case.
3. You compare in writing
Three written estimates in your inbox within two business days. Pick one, or none.
Care team hours (Eastern Time)
Monday – Friday7:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Saturday8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Open now — median callback time 41 minutes
Get up to 3 written estimates
Free, no obligation, and your details are never sold to advertisers.
FAQ
Deep cleaning questions, answered straight.
Reviewed by our clinical advisory panel in January 2026. General information, not a diagnosis.
Still deciding?
Talk it through with a care coordinator before you book anything. They don't work on commission and they can tell you when this is the wrong call.
Ask for your periodontal chart — six measurements around every tooth. Pockets of one to three millimetres with no bleeding do not need deep cleaning, full stop. Four millimetres with bleeding usually does, and five or more almost always does. If a practice recommends scaling and root planing without producing those numbers, get a second opinion. This is the most over-prescribed treatment in dentistry.
It is done under local anaesthetic, so the appointment itself should be comfortable. Afterwards the gums are tender for a few days and the newly exposed root surfaces are commonly sensitive to cold for two to four weeks. A desensitising toothpaste started a week beforehand helps considerably. Sharp pain rather than sensitivity is worth a call.
Both are normal and both are the inflammation resolving rather than damage. Swollen gum tissue was propping the teeth and filling the spaces; once the infection clears the gum shrinks back to healthy contour, which exposes slightly more root and can make teeth feel briefly mobile. It settles within a few weeks. Persistent looseness needs reviewing.
It stops the active disease in most cases, but gum disease is managed rather than cured. The eight-week review is what tells you whether the pockets have actually reduced. What keeps the result is the maintenance schedule — three or four month recalls instead of six, for at least two years. People who go back to twice-yearly cleanings frequently end up needing the treatment again.
Not if you have pockets. A regular cleaning removes deposits from above and just below the gum margin; it physically cannot reach the bottom of a five-millimetre pocket. Having a routine polish when you have periodontitis leaves the disease active underneath while the surface looks clean, which is the worst of both outcomes.
Usually one or two. Most practices do two quadrants per visit so one side of your mouth stays comfortable for eating. Some do the whole mouth in a single longer session, which is fine if you would rather get it over with. Ask which approach they use when you book, because it changes how you plan your week.
There is a well-established association with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and the relationship with diabetes runs both ways — uncontrolled blood sugar worsens gum disease and active gum disease makes blood sugar harder to control. That is not a reason for alarm, but it is a genuine reason to treat it rather than live with it, and to mention any diagnosis to your dentist.
That is what the eight-week review is for. If sites remain deep after non-surgical treatment, the next step is usually referral to a periodontist for surgical access, localised antibiotics, or in some cases regenerative treatment. Persisting with repeated deep cleanings on pockets that are not responding is a waste of your money and your time.
Imaging
Pricing
Volume
Aftercare
