Periodontal Maintenance
Once you have completed your initial periodontal therapy, you will be placed in our periodontal maintenance program. It is important to remember that WE CANNOT CURE GUM DISEASE. The best we can do is stop it from progressing. Maintenance is the key to success. Therefore, compliance with diligent home care and ongoing periodontal maintenance is crucial. Otherwise, periodontal disease can become active again, and patients may lose more bone around their teeth.
After the initial phase of removing the tartar and providing home care instructions, your gums will begin to heal, and the bleeding should cease.
Keeping Your Gums Healthy
Over time, a few spots may accumulate plaque again if home cleaning is not ideal. For most patients, four to six monthly maintenance sessions are perfect. During maintenance appointments, you will be seen by our specially trained dental hygienists, who will remove any reformed plaque and tartar and provide additional advice on improving your brushing technique. From time to time, the periodontist will remeasure and re-evaluate the need for further periodontal treatment.
Crown Lengthening
Crown lengthening is a dental procedure that reshapes the gum tissue, and sometimes the underlying bone, to expose more of a tooth’s surface. It is a procedure that increases the amount of visible tooth structure.
Purpose:
This procedure can be performed for restorative purposes, to prepare a tooth for a crown, or for cosmetic reasons, to improve the appearance of a ‘gummy smile’.
Restorative purposes:
When a tooth is fractured or decayed below the gum line, crown lengthening creates enough space for a proper restoration, such as a crown. It ensures there is sufficient tooth structure for a secure and stable restoration.
Cosmetic Concerns:
‘Gummy smile’ correction: If excessive gum tissue covers the teeth, crown lengthening can create a more balanced and aesthetically pleasing smile. It can also correct asymmetries in the gum line, resulting in a more harmonious appearance.
Before and After
Improving Bone Volume Prior to Dental Implant Placement
Before:
After:
FAQs
Does gum maintenance hurt?
Periodontal maintenance isn’t usually painful. Some patients may experience mild discomfort during the cleaning process. Your dental hygienist can use numbing agents or adjust the cleaning technique to make the procedure more comfortable for you.
How often do I need periodontal maintenance?
The frequency of periodontal maintenance appointments varies from one individual to another and depends on several factors, including your susceptibility to gum disease (periodontal disease), risk factors for gum disease progression such as smoking and diabetes, and your ability to maintain good oral hygiene at home. The frequency of Periodontal maintenance appointments can vary, ranging from every 3 months to every 9 months, depending on the factors above. At these appointments, gum health will be carefully checked to ensure everything is okay, and plaque and calculus that are difficult to remove daily at home will be removed from above and below the gum line.
Will I ever have healthy gums again?
Gum disease is incurable, but it can be managed with the appropriate treatment. In concept, it is very similar to people who have high blood pressure or diabetes, where they have to take the medications regularly to stay on top of their health problem. With gum disease, we don’t have medications to control it; hence, regular periodontal maintenance is crucial to keep the gums as healthy as possible and prevent further progression of periodontal disease.
Can I perform periodontal maintenance at home?
Daily home care, including good oral hygiene and making some lifestyle changes, is crucial for maintaining your gum health after periodontal treatment. These oral hygiene habits aim to disrupt the bacteria, allowing the gums to stay healthy around the teeth. Proper brushing and flossing should be part of these habits. However, some plaque and tartar (calculus) will always reform, and they are difficult to remove. Therefore, regular periodontal maintenance visits are crucial for maintaining your gum health in the long term.
Is periodontal maintenance worth it?
In short, yes. Periodontal maintenance aims to keep the gum tissues healthy and prevent the progression of gum disease. By undergoing regular periodontal maintenance, you can maintain the health of your gums and teeth and reduce the risk of gum disease progression. Untreated periodontal disease is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults.