Once you’ve been diagnosed with periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, your dentist will make a plan for your treatment, including periodontal maintenance. Periodontal maintenance is the care that takes place after you’ve already received treatments like scaling, root planing and periodontal surgery.
What is involved in Periodontal Maintenance?
It is essential to keep your gums clean and healthy while you’re treating your gum disease. Untreated gum disease will only get worse over time leading to pain, discomfort and ultimately the loss of your teeth. Therefore home care is imperative, as well as regular dental appointments.
What Happens in a Periodontal Maintenance Dental Appointment?
When you have gum disease, a dental cleaning appointment is a little more intense than you may be used to. Gum disease causes the gums around your teeth to recede, creating spaces called periodontal pockets, so there is more space where tartar and plaque can build up and accumulate. Your dentist will use specialized equipment to deep clean your teeth at each periodontal maintenance appointment. Periodontal pockets collect bacteria that can make your gum disease worse, making periodontal maintenance imperative in your healing process.
How Does Periodontal Maintenance Improve Gum Disease?
Regular periodontal maintenance appointments reduce the amount of plaque bacteria on your teeth and in the periodontal pockets surrounded your teeth. The less bacteria, the quicker your gum disease can heal, which means less inflammation, less infection and more healing. It’s also important to see your dentist regularly after you’ve been diagnosed with periodontal disease so your dentist can prescribe any necessary medications that may speed your healing process.
If you have been diagnosed with gum disease, it’s essential to see a trained professional dentist regularly so that your gums can heal and you can have a healthy clean smile again. For information on periodontal maintenance, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Zola Makrauer or Dr. Julie Miller, contact Huntingdon Valley Dental Arts today.