Oral Prophylaxis Categories

Understanding Your Dental Cleaning Category

We believe in empowering our patients with clear, objective information about their oral health. Our Oral Prophylaxis Assessment utilizes a standardized six-category scoring system to determine the exact level of dental cleaning your teeth and gums require.

By categorizing your oral health status, we ensure transparent care, targeted treatment plans, and predictable pricing based on your clinical needs.

The Six Categories of Oral Hygiene (P1400-P4500)

1. Ideal (Score 0)

• Status: Excellent oral health.

• What it means: Your teeth and gums show no signs of active plaque buildup, inflammation, or tartar. Treatment focuses purely on routine preventive cleaning to maintain this optimal baseline.

2. Mild (Score 1)

• Status: Soft plaque above the gum line, covering up to 1/3 of the tooth surface.

• What it means: Early plaque buildup has started. A standard dental cleaning is highly effective at this stage to sweep away soft bacterial film before it hardens into tartar.

3. Moderate (Score 2) 

• Status: Presence of tartar (above or below the gums) and/or soft plaque covering up to 1/3 of the teeth.

• What it means: Plaque has mineralized into hardened tartar (calculus) that cannot be removed by regular brushing alone. Professional scaling is required to clear these deposits from the tooth surfaces.

4. Severe (Score 3) 

• Status: Presence of gross (heavy) tartar on the teeth (above or below the gums), soft plaque covering up to 1/2 of the teeth, accompanied by severe gingival (gum) bleeding.

• What it means: Significant bacterial deposits have built up, triggering an active inflammatory response. Your gums are irritated, swollen, and bleed easily during cleaning, requiring thorough therapeutic scaling to resolve the inflammation.

5. Heavy (Score 4) 

• Status: Presence of gross tartar on the teeth (above or below the gums), soft plaque covering more than 2/3 of the teeth, severe gingival bleeding, and visible stains.

• What it means: Heavy, extensive tartar coverage coupled with stubborn external stains (often from coffee, tea, or smoking). This stage demands an intensive, deep cleaning process to lift dense deposits and surface discoloration.

6. Periodontal Case P1,500 -  P5,000 per quadrant (for assessment)

• Status: Presence of gross tartar on the teeth (above or below the gums), soft plaque covering more than 2/3 of the teeth, severe gingival bleeding, tooth mobility (loose teeth), bone loss, and deep dental pockets.

• What it means: The inflammation has advanced past the gums to the underlying bone supporting your teeth. Because there is structural damage (bone loss and loose teeth), standard cleaning is insufficient. This condition requires specialized periodontal therapy (deep scaling and root planing) to stop the progression of gum disease.