Periodontal Maintenance or a Regular Cleaning—What’s the difference?
Posted on Thu, Jul 07, 2011
Over half of Americans have some form of gum disease. If you’re one of them then your dental cleaning is not “just a cleaning.” Patients often ask us, “What is the difference between periodontal maintenance and a regular cleaning?” It’s a common and fair concern since the cost is different and it may feel like the same thing.
A regular cleaning (prophylaxis or prophy in dental terms) is typically recommended every six months for patients with healthy gums and bone levels. At this appointment, our hygienist removes stain, soft plaque, and hard calculus (tartar), takes xrays, and checks for cavities. Dental insurances generally provide this six-month preventative service free to the patient.
Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection caused by plaque that destroys the bone and fibers holding teeth in place. Some people are more at risk than others. Smoking, stress, certain medications, diabetes, and poor hygiene are some things that can increase your risk. The first way to treat this disease is called scaling and root planing. The goal with scaling and root planing is to stop the infection by cleaning and disinfecting the roots of the teeth above and below the gums. This procedure takes place in two visits, during which the hygienist may use a local anesthetic to treat one half of your mouth at a time.
Periodontal disease cannot be cured, but much like diabetes, it is a chronic condition that can be controlled. Unfortunately, once damage to bone levels has occurred, it is generally permanent. Good disease control is a team effort that depends upon your careful oral hygiene at home and frequent office visits to monitor and maintain your gums and bone levels.
The frequency of your periodontal maintenance visits will vary according to individual needs. However, studies show that after scaling and root planing it only takes three months for the bacteria to accumulate in the pockets between your gums and roots. Most patients are able to stay healthy when they schedule maintenance visits at three-month intervals. At periodontal maintenance appointments, our hygienist will clean and disinfect above and below the gums, measure bone levels, and take x-rays. Dental insurances generally require an out-of-pocket expense for periodontal services such as maintenance or scaling. This is a small price to pay because periodontal disease is the number one cause of tooth loss.
Our hygienist may detect one or more areas of the mouth that have begun to relapse, in which case we can treat the area before it becomes a bigger problem. If there has been no change that means your periodontal maintenance schedule is working for you!
Good periodontal health and dental health in general has many proven benefits that extend beyond teeth. It can affect blood sugar regulation in diabetics, as well as your heart, respiratory, and reproductive health. Don’t underestimate your perio maintenance appointment…it is so much more than “just a cleaning!”