What is Periodontal Maintenance?
Maintenance is a periodontal procedure necessary to preserve the long-term health of your teeth and gums. Many dentists feel that it is the most important in-office periodontal treatment. Maintenance combined with thorough daily oral hygiene is very successful at retaining teeth for many years. Active periodontal therapy without maintenance often results in relapse of gum disease and the need for additional treatment or extractions which can be costly.
What To Expect At Your Periodontal Maintenance Appointment:
- Complete charting of periodontal pocket depths
- Scaling
- Light root planing
- Polishing
- Oral cancer exam
- Update of health history
- Support and instruction of good oral hygiene
- Evaluation of gum health and oral lesions
- Digital x-ray imaging of teeth and supporting bone
In our practice, patients that have adhered to their suggested maintenance interval have seen a noticeable improvement in their oral health. The frequency of these visits depends on your specific needs.