• 360.972.3330
  • 718 Yelm Ave West Yelm, WA 98597
  • Mon-Thur: 7am-4pm Select Fridays from 7am-12pm

Periodontal Maintenance FAQ


1) What is Periodontal Maintenance?

Perio Maintenance is the follow up appointment for RPC initial periodontal therapy. These appointments generally last 60 to 90 minutes. The hygienist will perform a cleaning involving scaling, polishing, and a fluoride treatment, and will also check the depth of the perio pockets regularly. You will also have an exam by the doctor at every other perio maintenance visit.

2) How often is the follow up necessary?

We recommend that you schedule a perio maintenance appointment three months after completion of the RPC treatment. At that appointment you and your hygienist will review the success of the RPC treatment (and the effectiveness of your home care) and make a recommendation as to how often you should return for your perio maintenance appointments. This recommendation could be as often as every three or four months. The factors that are considered when setting the interval include:

     Change in pocket depths

     Appearance of gum tissue

     Plaque and calculus levels

     Smoking habit/other dietary and environmental risk factors

     Blood glucose levels in diabetic patients (please provide useful information such as date 

      and result of most recent HbA1C reading)    

3) Will the perio maintenance protocol ever be completed?

Periodontal  disease is a permanent condition. Therefore, it is our recommendation that you continue a perio maintenance protocol indefinitely to prevent progression of the disease. The interval may change from every three months to every four months, or even every six months as your condition stabilizes.

4) My insurance company doesn't pay 100% of the perio maintenance appointment, can't I    just have a prophy appointment instead?

The health of your mouth is our highest priority. We work very hard to accurately diagnose your periodontal condition, and to recommend the treatment that will give you the highest probability of success. We also obey the law, which dictates that we report the services that we provide.