Scaling and root planing and generally accepted standards

Anonymous26 · medicine forum beginner Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Posts: 1

I had a four quadrant scaling and root planing performed by a general
dentist. Nine months and two weeks later, I was referred to a periodontist
by a different general dentist. I showed the periodontist documentation
showing my previous SRP. The periodontist recommended having the SRP again
in all four quadrants. He performed the SRP on my upper quadrants. This took
him five minutes. (I looked at my watch before and after the procedure.) On
another visit, his hygienist performed the SRP on my lower quadrants. This
took approximately five to seven minutes. In other words, the SRP took
approximately 10 to 12 minutes for all four quadrants.

The insurance company denied the SRP claim, stating that it only pays for
necessary work, in terms of generally accepted dental standards. My
insurance plan has no documented limitation for SRP procedures per year, so
the denial came as a surprise to the periodontist's billing staff member.
The insurance company will re-review the case based upon further
documentation from the periodontist and my prior charts. The bill for the
SRP is approximately $600. I would greatly appreciate insight from the
dentists here.

1. Are two SRP procedures ever clinically indicated within a one-year
period?
2. Can a four quadrant SRP be performed in 10 to 12 minutes with clinically
acceptable results?

Thank you very much for your input.

Steven Bornfeld · medicine forum Guru Joined: 28 Apr 2005 Posts: 492

Anonymous26 wrote:

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