Of vital importance in the treatment of periodontitis is the patient’s responsibility in maintaining proper oral hygiene in between dental visits. Oral hygiene instructions and directions in the use of various cleaning instruments are discussed in detail and individualized to your specific needs. Without proper oral hygiene as performed by the patient, the success of therapy is greatly reduced.
Sometimes, scaling and root planning is all that is needed to control the disease process, and a regular schedule of maintenance cleanings is necessary to monitor any change in disease activity through changes in pocket depth. If the pocket depths continue to progress or are not resolved with initial scaling and root planning, surgery may be necessary to correct the loss of bone and resultant pocketing. Surgical therapy is discussed in that section.