Periodontal Maintenance Silver Spring, MD

Maintaining Your Oral Health After Gum Disease Diagnosis

Periodontal disease is an uncurable infection of the gums and supporting structure, which gradually destroy the support of your natural teeth. If you are diagnosed to having periodontal or gum disease, and have had scaling and root planning and/or periodontal surgery, the regular cleanings that will be recommended to you after those treatments is called periodontal maintenance therapy.

Initial treatment for periodontal disease usually involves scaling and root planning (also called a deep cleaning) and sometimes periodontal surgery to help bring the disease under control. Once the disease is brought under control, it is critical that periodontal maintenance procedures be performed on a regular basis by your dentist or hygienist. Performing daily oral hygiene at home is a “must”, but it is not enough to keep periodontal disease in check. Periodontal maintenance is more complex than a normal cleaning or “prophy”. Patients who have periodontal disease or a history of periodontal disease need a deeper cleaning because they have pockets, spaces between the teeth and gums, deeper than those found in a person with healthy gums. The procedure removes plaque and calculus from above and below the gum line. It may also include site-specific scaling and root planning if active periodontal disease is discovered and polishing the teeth.

If appropriate in your situation, Dr Tekle may prescribe additional therapy such as Perio Protect. Perio Protect is to help arrest the progression of periodontal disease. Your dentist will discuss this with you and answer all your questions. The daily plaque control, the initial periodontal treatment, periodontal maintenance, and Perio Protect combined, provide an ongoing program to prevent progression of the disease since there is no cure to periodontal disease.

Appointments

You will need more frequent visits than other patients since the gum pockets and other changes due to periodontal disease make it more difficult for you to clean plaque from your teeth, especially below the gum line. Dr Tekle may recommend treatment every two to three months, or even more often. As you progress, recommendations of appointment frequency may change. Studies show that if you follow through with periodontal maintenance therapy you will do better than those who do not. If you do not continue with your maintenance, your periodontal disease will progress and you may need more aggressive periodontal treatment. You may or may not have pain as your periodontal disease gets worse but you will be more likely to lose some or all of your teeth. Discuss all this with Dr Tekle, because every patient has distinctive needs.

Preventing Gum Disease

The best way to prevent gum disease is effective daily brushing and flossing as well as regular professional examinations and cleanings. Unfortunately, even with the most diligent home dental care, people still can develop some form of periodontal disease. Once this disease starts, professional intervention is necessary to prevent its progress.

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For more information about Periodontal Maintenance, any of the other services we offer, or to schedule a consultation appointment, call our office in Silver Spring, MD at Elsabet H. Tekle, DDS Phone Number 301-384-7800.

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