What Does Periodontal Maintenance Actually Mean?

Despite the fact that periodontal disease is highly preventable, it still affects a large majority of adults of all ages. That’s largely because the disease doesn’t go away and typically cannot be cured once it develops. Fortunately, it’s most damaging effects (including tooth loss) can still be successfully prevented with a customized schedule of expert periodontal maintenance. Even if you have periodontal disease, you can stop it from growing worse by routinely cleaning and maintaining your healthy periodontal tissues.

Scaling and Root Planing

One of the first steps to periodontal maintenance is periodontal (deep) cleaning, also known as scaling and root planing. The procedure involves carefully and systemically accessing your teeth roots underneath your gums to clean them of harmful, disease-causing oral bacteria. Then, the root surfaces are smoothed (planed) to inhibit bacteria from clinging to them again. Scaling and root planing often takes up to four visits to complete because it is more comprehensive than a traditional prophylaxis (dental cleaning).

Holistic Periodontics

In addition to cleaning and planing your root surfaces, you might also require one or more holistic periodontal treatments. For instance, minimally invasive ozone therapy involves the use oxygen to eradicate harmful, anaerobic oral bacteria. Platelet-rich therapy utilizes your body’s own healing platelets to promote the growth and repair of tissues that have been damaged by periodontal tissues.

Laser Periodontal Maintenance

If necessary, your maintenance plan might also include laser periodontal treatment, or LANAP. The laser-assisted new attachment protocol involves using a specially calibrated soft-tissue laser to trim away extensively diseased periodontal tissues while promoting the healing of healthy tissue. Combined with holistic treatments, LANAP can help you minimize your periodontal maintenance and, in some cases, reverse some if the disease’s effects.

Learn More About the Importance of Periodontal Maintenance

Periodontal maintenance involves controlling gum disease so that it doesn’t cause extensive damage to your gums and oral health. However, the specifics of your treatment will depend on the severity of your condition and a variety of other factors. For more information, schedule a consultation with Dr. Kania by calling her periodontal office in Encinitas/San Diego, CA, at (760) 642-0711.