BARRIERS TO TREATMENT
Need for More Frequent Charting and Probing
Despite the prevalence of periodontal infection and the persistent nature of bacteria and biofilms, more than 70% of dental practices do not perform regular full-mouth probing and charting.16
Although 3 out of 4 American adults are affected by periodontal disease11:
- Prophylaxis procedures outnumber SRP procedures by a ratio of 20:117,18
- Less than 1/2 of periodontal pockets are treated with adjunctive therapy5*
* According to a utilization tracking survey evaluating 14,945 patient records from 647 offices. The average number of pockets per patient was nine.
Financial Concerns
Patients who believe they cannot afford treatment will often opt not to have any. Talking to your patients about the severity and potential outcomes of periodontal disease and the importance of comprehensive treatment should help with their acceptance of additional procedures. Also, by letting them know that you will work with them to obtain maximum reimbursement, you can help them realize that treating the active bacterial infection actually reduces the risk of more costly treatments in the future. Left untreated, periodontal disease may continue to progress. In advanced stages, surgery is often needed, which can cost several thousands of dollars. With early treatment using this simple procedure, the investment is minimal.
Concerns About Practice Productivity
With ARESTIN® (minocycline hydrochloride) Microspheres, 1 mg + SRP, your patients can benefit from receiving prompt and thorough treatment of a chronic bacterial infection. Your dental practice may also benefit from using this unique combination therapy. OraPharma has developed a range of materials that can help educate office staff on correct billing procedures and ways to maximize practice productivity and reimbursement for ARESTIN®. Contact us for more information.