Periodontal Maintenance

Usually, after non-surgical and/or surgical periodontal treatment, most patients do not require any further active treatment. However, the majority of patients will require ongoing periodontal maintenance therapy to sustain their periodontal health. This involves periodic checking of the gums for early interception of any new disease and scaling and root planing of the gums to remove new calculus or tartar deposits that have been deposited onto the teeth since the previous clean.

Most patients with periodontal disease will benefit from a 3-4 monthly recall for periodontal maintenance. The frequency of this ongoing periodontal maintenance recall can vary from patient to patient. Generally, the more able a patient is to maintain meticulous levels of plaque control with their home oral hygiene regimen, the less of a need there is for this maintenance. A more regular recall is necessary in patients with deep residual periodontal pockets and in those with furcation involvements. These patients have areas of their mouth where good oral hygiene alone is not enough to eliminate plaque and bacteria and so regular professional maintenance is essential to eliminate plaque and calculus deposits before they have a chance to destroy additional bone and gum around the teeth.

All periodontal research is conclusive in stating that a long-term periodontal maintenance recall plan is critical in securing the long-term periodontal health of the teeth and avoiding tooth loss.