What is Periodontal Maintenance?
Professional dental cleaning, also known as Prophylaxis, is a preventative procedure for maintaining the health of the teeth and gums with specialized dental cleaning techniques. There is a simpler level of cleaning that usually happens with every visit as a routine cleaning that prevents gum disease. However, when gum disease is already present and being treated by the dentist, cleaning then becomes Periodontal maintenance.
Regular Dental Cleaning
As specified before, a regular dental cleaning occurs during any regular dental visit. The goal of the dental cleaning is to remove any plaque and other foreign objects from the teeth. Steps include brushing the teeth, flossing between each tooth, and polishing each tooth to perfection. This cleaning is to prevent any oral health problems someone can encounter from improper cleaning routines.
Tools the dental specialist uses to help clean the teeth are:
- A scraping tool to remove plaque from the surface of the tooth above the gumline
- An electric toothbrush to effectively clean the surface and between the teeth
- Floss or a water jet to clean between the teeth
- Coarse toothpaste to clean and polish the surface of the teeth
- Dental mouthwash to rinse
These dental cleanings are usually recommended for patients who have visible stains on their teeth, or for those who have no bone loss, which is also known as periodontal disease/ gum disease.
Periodontal Disease and Maintenance
Periodontal disease is diagnosed when there are infections around the teeth, along and in the gumline, and also on parts of the bone and ligaments as well. Gingivitis is an early symptom of the disease when there is evidence of mild bleeding of the gums around the teeth. Other symptoms of the disease may also include:
- Swollen gums
- Bad breath (Halitosis)
- Chewing becomes painful
- Sensitive teeth
- Loose/ wobbly teeth
- Gum recession (gum line thins out and teeth separate
The difference between both cleanings is that this service is more of a deeper clean of the teeth. This comes after the initial ‘scaling and root planing’ procedure, as the tooth below the gum line was scraped of any tartar buildup that formed pockets. The technique also buffs out any rough spots on the tooth. If there is infection present, the dental specialist will prescribe medications that range from:
- Antimicrobial mouth rinse
- Gelatin-based medication called an antiseptic chip
- A low dose of doxycycline as an enzyme suppressant to prevent destructive enzymes from multiplying
Ideally, it is best to keep up with the maintenance every six months to ensure that the buildup doesn’t spread too far and cause infections. If the plaque is too deep in the gums to clean and leaves large open pockets, then surgical methods would be used. One procedure is ‘flap surgery’, where the gums are sutured to the teeth so that they fit tightly around the teeth. More serious treatments like bone or tissue grafts occur when there is evidence of bone loss or loss of gum tissue. This is where synthetic or natural bone is placed in the affected areas to help promote bone growth.
Related Article: How Much Does Periodontal Maintenance Cost?
