You come to see us for your regular cleaning. But instead of the usual “prophy” that you’ve always gotten, we tell you something different. You need a periodontal maintenance cleaning.
For a lot of patients, that phrase sounds confusing. Is it the same as a regular cleaning? Is it more like the deep cleaning you had last year? What changed? Let’s clear up the confusion.
The Short Answer
A regular cleaning, what we call a prophylaxis or “prophy”, is for people with healthy gums. It removes plaque and tartar from above the gumline. It’s preventive care.
Periodontal maintenance is for people who have already been treated for gum disease. It’s a different type of cleaning that goes slightly below the gumline. And it’s not optional. It’s the only thing that keeps gum disease from coming back.
Once you’ve had gum disease, your body doesn’t forget. The bacteria that caused the problem are still in your mouth. Without ongoing maintenance, they’ll colonize again. The inflammation will return. And you’ll be right back where you started.
How You Get to This Point
Let’s back up for a second. Gum disease happens when bacteria build up under your gumline. Your gums get inflamed, they pull away from your teeth, and pockets form. Those pockets trap more bacteria, and the cycle continues.
When our patients have moderate to advanced gum disease, we recommend a deep cleaning called scaling and root planing. That procedure goes deep below the gumline to remove bacteria and smooth the root surfaces so your gums can reattach.
Once that deep cleaning is complete and your gums have healed, you’re not cured. You’re in remission. And staying in remission requires maintenance.
What Happens During a Periodontal Maintenance Visit
When you come to us for periodontal maintenance, here’s what you can expect:
- We start by measuring the pockets around your teeth. That little probe we use tells us whether your gums are staying stable or whether the disease is trying to come back.
- Then we clean. But unlike a regular prophy, we go slightly below the gumline into those healed pockets. We remove any new buildup that has accumulated since your last visit. We smooth the root surfaces again if needed.
- After the cleaning, we might recommend other things based on what we find. An antibacterial rinse. A special toothpaste. A follow-up in three months instead of six.
Why Every Three to Four Months
Here’s the part patients sometimes push back on. Regular prophy cleanings are usually every six months. Periodontal maintenance is typically every three to four months.
That’s not us trying to get you in the chair more often. It’s science. The bacteria that cause gum disease repopulate in about 90 days. If we wait six months, those bacteria have had three extra months to do damage. By then, you might already be losing ground.
We’ve seen patients try to stretch their maintenance visits to six months. Almost without exception, their pocket depths get worse. Their gums start bleeding again. And eventually, they need another deep cleaning.
What Happens If You Skip Maintenance
Gum disease is chronic, like high blood pressure or diabetes. You can’t cure it. You can only control it.
Skipping periodontal maintenance appointments means giving that disease the upper hand. Over time, you lose more bone around your teeth. Your gums recede further. Teeth become loose. And in the worst cases, you lose teeth that could have been saved with regular maintenance.
We don’t say this to scare you. We say it because we want you to keep your teeth for life.
A Commitment Worth Making
Periodontal maintenance isn’t anyone’s favorite thing to schedule. But for patients who have already done the hard work of getting their gum disease under control, it’s the single most important thing you can do to protect your smile.
If you’ve had a deep cleaning with us in the past and you’re not sure whether you’re on the right maintenance schedule, just ask. Our team at AH Smiles serves patients from Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Deerfield, and Northbrook. We’ll check your records and get you back on track.