Cleanings & Exams in Los Angeles

The cleaning-and-exam visit is the foundation everything else in dentistry stands on: it is where cavities get caught while they are still fillings instead of root canals, where gum disease gets found while it can still be reversed, and where a small problem is still a small bill. At PhD Dental in Los Angeles, at 3000 Whittier Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90023, most new patients start exactly here — with an exam and a full set of x-rays for $69 without insurance, the two as a package that cannot be unbundled — and a regular cleaning starts at $125, including fluoride. Walk-ins are welcome, we are open Saturdays, and our staff speaks English and Spanish. Call (323) 649-6905 or book online.

What happens at a cleaning and exam visit?

Two halves that belong together. The exam is the diagnosis: the dentist examines your teeth and gums, reads your x-rays, checks existing fillings and crowns, looks at how your bite is working, and screens the soft tissues of your mouth. The cleaning is the maintenance: a hygienist or dentist removes the plaque and hardened tartar that brushing and flossing cannot remove — tartar is the key word, because once plaque has mineralized into tartar, no home routine takes it off — then polishes the teeth and applies fluoride. If anything needs treatment, you hear the findings, the recommendation and its reasoning, and the cost in writing before anything is scheduled. Nothing is sprung on you, and nothing is treated the same day without your say-so, except in the urgent cases where delay is the risky option and we explain exactly why.

How much does it cost without insurance?

The two prices patients ask about are published and plain: a new-patient exam with a full set of x-rays costs $69 together — a package, so the price is $69 even if you bring recent x-rays of your own — and a basic cleaning starts at $125, with fluoride included. One honest caveat, because it protects you from a misunderstanding: the cleaning you need is set by the doctor’s diagnosis at your exam. If your gums are healthy or you have early gingivitis, the regular cleaning applies. If the exam shows periodontal disease — an infection of the bone around the teeth — the cleaning your gums actually need is a deep cleaning, which is a different, more involved treatment with its own cost; our Deep Cleaning page explains it. You will always know which one you need and what it costs before it happens.

How often should I come in?

For most patients, every six months — that cadence is what keeps the catch-it-early math working, since cavities and gum disease move slowly enough to intercept at that interval. Some patients are put on a shorter rhythm: if you have been treated for gum disease, you will likely come in every three to four months for periodontal maintenance, and your dentist will recommend the schedule your own mouth argues for at your visit. Children follow the six-month rhythm too, and Medi-Cal covers children’s checkups and cleanings every six months — one difference worth knowing: for adults, Medi-Cal covers one exam, one cleaning, and fluoride once every 12 months. If you want a cleaning sooner than your covered date, you can still come in and pay for it yourself at the $125 starting price; call us and we will check the date of your last covered cleaning before you book.

I haven’t seen a dentist in years. What should I expect?

A normal visit, and no lecture. A large share of our Los Angeles patients are returning after years away — work, cost, anxiety, life — and the first appointment is built for exactly that: exam and x-rays first, a clear map of where things stand, and a plan sequenced in the order your mouth needs most, at a pace and budget structure you help set. In-house payment plans and financing options exist for spreading out larger treatment. What you will not get is judgment; what you will get is the full picture in writing and the choice of what happens next. If anxiety is part of why you stayed away, tell us when you book — nitrous oxide can be requested at select offices, and we pace the visit around you.

Common questions about cleanings and exams

Do you accept Medi-Cal for cleanings?

Yes — Medi-Cal and Denti-Cal are accepted at this office and at all eight of ours. For adults, the program covers an exam, a cleaning, and fluoride once every 12 months; for children and teens, every six months. We check your coverage and your last covered dates before your visit, so there are no surprises about what is covered when.

Can I just get a cleaning without an exam?

The exam is what tells us which cleaning your gums need — a regular cleaning on gums with periodontal disease leaves the infection below the gumline untouched, which is worse than useless because it looks like care while the disease advances. That is why the visit pairs them. If you have had an exam with us recently, a cleaning on its own can absolutely be booked; call and we will look at your chart.

Can I walk in for a cleaning?

Yes — walk-ins are welcome at all our offices. Patients with appointments are seen at their booked times, so there can be a wait; booking ahead is the faster option. Saturday hours at this office, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, are the most popular walk-in window of the week.

How do I start?

Book the new-patient exam — $69 with full x-rays — at (323) 649-6905 or online. Bring a photo ID and your insurance card if you have one, and a list of any medications you take.

Cleanings and exams in Los Angeles and the communities around us

Cleaning and exam patients reach our Los Angeles office from Boyle Heights, City Terrace, and East Los Angeles first, and from Lincoln Heights, El Sereno, Montebello, Monterey Park, Alhambra, Commerce, Huntington Park, Maywood, Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, and Downey beyond them. Two features of this office’s calendar serve routine care especially well: weekday hours run to 6:30 PM, so a cleaning can follow a workday instead of consuming it, and Saturday hours, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, fit the families who book the whole household in one trip.

Book a cleaning and exam in Los Angeles

Appointments: (323) 649-6905, or book online. Find us at 3000 Whittier Blvd, Los Angeles, open Monday through Friday 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. We take Medi-Cal, Denti-Cal, and PPO plans — not HMO plans — and your benefits are checked before you come in.

• PhD Dental Los Angeles: 3000 Whittier Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90023
• Call: (323) 649-6905
• Hours: Monday–Friday 9:30 AM–6:30 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM, Sunday closed. We are open on Saturdays.

Last Updated: November 9, 2026