Periodontal Maintenance

What Is Periodontal Maintenance?

Periodontal maintenance is the ongoing cleaning program that follows treatment for gum disease. It goes further than a routine cleaning: plaque and calculus are removed from above and below the gumline around every tooth, pocket depths are re-measured, and any area that is changing is caught early.

Why It Replaces a Routine Cleaning

Once you have had periodontal disease, the pockets around your teeth stay more vulnerable to the bacteria that caused it. Bacterial colonies rebuild below the gumline within a matter of weeks — which is why maintenance visits are usually scheduled every three to four months rather than every six. That interval is set by biology, not convention.

Patients who keep to the recommended interval hold on to their teeth far more reliably than those who return to twice-yearly cleanings.

What Happens at a Visit

Each appointment includes updated pocket measurements and a check for bleeding points and recession, thorough scaling above and below the gumline, polishing, and a review of your home care routine. X-rays are taken periodically to compare bone levels over time.