Periodontal Disease is a chronic disease much like diabetes or asthma. It cannot be cured. As with all chronic diseases the goal is control. There may be times when certain areas of your mouth are no longer in remission. The only way to know this is by routine examination and assessment at the Periodontal Maintenance visit.
Your periodontal maintenance appointment will be comfortable and require approximately 30 – 60 minutes. We utilize various topical anesthetics such as Oraqix. As always, TV, radio, and iPod are available for your comfort and relaxation.
Research has clearly demonstrated that patients seen every three months for Periodontal Maintenance are far more stable than those seen at longer intervals. This is usually quite surprising to patients used to going every six months. However, that interval was recommended in a 1950’s toothpaste commercial for decay and has no scientific support for periodontal disease.
The maintenance frequency is customized for each patient depending on their disease level (early or advanced), oral hygiene accuracy, risk factors and disease susceptibility. This can be as frequent as two months or as long as six months.
Normally, however, it takes plaque about three months for periodontal disease to develop into an aggressive infection. For the first three months there is minimal bone loss, but after this, the breakdown dramatically increases. If the plaque is removed every three months, the plaque aggressiveness will usually stay low.
Studies have shown people who are not seen for regular and timely Periodontal Maintenance can have 20 times the amount of bone loss as those who do.
For those patients that have dental insurance, contracts are usually written to provide benefits for two Periodontal Maintenance visits per contract year. For the vast majority of periodontal patients this is totally inadequate. Most patients prefer to be seen at the correct interval for periodontal maintenance to help decrease the need for additional treatment. They know the additional investment in prevention will result in improved oral health, longer retention of their teeth and decreased out of pocket expense.
For most patients with chronic periodontitis, the first few Periodontal Maintenance visits will be at our office to help ensure disease stability. Subsequently, we usually suggest alternating with your general dentist. This helps provide the best overall care – we help keep your gums healthy and your dentist helps to keep your teeth healthy.
In some cases your general dentist will be providing all of your Periodontal Maintenance. Conversely, if patients demonstrate unstable disease, all maintenance may be done at our office.
If all periodontal maintenance is done at our office, you will still need to be seen by your general dentist on a regular basis for cavity/restoration checks.
1501 Hamburg Turnpike, Suite 304, Wayne, NJ 07470
TEL: 973-694-2000 Fax: 973-694-4860 www.drmterry.com
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Periodontist Dr. Mark Terry treats Gum Disease & provides Implants at North Jersey Periodontics and Denal Implants in Wayne NJ.
Serving patients in Passaic, Morris, Bergen, Essex County, Sussex County & all of North Jersey.