The Main Differences Between a Regular Cleaning and Periodontal Maintenance

Oral health is just as important as the rest of our health concerns. Oral hygiene and maintenance are essential to maintain. While a regular cleaning appointment to the dentist and periodontal maintenance sounds like synonymous procedures, they certainly differ from each other.

Regular cleaning is a procedure to help your teeth and oral cavity stay in their best shape. At the same time, periodontal maintenance takes care of existing conditions such as gum disease to help prevent it from spreading. These two are more like the defense and offense techniques in maintaining optimum oral health.

Regular Cleaning

When you visit a dental clinic for regular cleaning, we will thoroughly remove any plaque accumulated on your teeth. Best done every six months to once a year, this procedure helps to prevent too much plaque build-up and maintain the healthy condition of your gums and teeth.

Regular cleaning helps to keep periodontal disease at bay. Tartar and plaque contain a lot of bacteria that cause gum disease and infection. Removing them lessens your risk of getting gum disease, along with strict oral hygiene.

Periodontal Maintenance

If you have missed regular cleaning for years as you have never even had a deep cleaning performed, chances are your gums are in bad shape. You likely have periodontitis or gum infection.

When infection sets in your gums, your teeth are in danger of falling out. Periodontal maintenance addresses this threat. The dental hygienist removes plaque build-up, flushes your gum pockets with antiseptic, and does it more often, like every three to four months to stop an existing infection from progressing.

It is much like a regular cleaning, as removing tartar from the surface and treating gum infections regularly to prevent it from spreading further. You can schedule a visit with our approachable and well-trained team to see which procedure is best for you.