Patients often ask why they are having “Perio Maintenance” when all they want is to have their teeth cleaned. It is our job to educate our patients on the differences, and help them make the best decision for optimal oral health.
Regular prophy patients are considered to have healthy mouths- they come every six months, have no 4mm pockets (checked during perio charting), minimal-to-no bleeding gums while probing, have excellent home care, and have healthy gingival tissue. During a prophy cleaning, hygienists do not clean below the gumline.
Periodontal maintenance cleanings are for patients who have had active periodontal disease in the past. It involves removing calculus and plaque from above and below the gum line. Patients typically come 3-4 times a year for per
iodontal maintenance cleanings- the frequency is higher than those with prophy cleanings due to several factors: how quickly the plaque and calculus accumulate, how much bleeding is present, how stable their perio condition is, and how consistent they are with their home-care. Periodontal maintenance is different from a regular prophy because it is used to control disease.
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