Maintaining an oral hygiene schedule is essential, more now than ever.

As the COVID-19 emergency puts a pause on everyday life, including regular dental visits, practicing good oral hygiene and setting reminders to reschedule missed office visits are two absolute musts.

This goes for patients who’ve recently underwent prophy or periodontal treatment.

“Prophy” is just a fancy way to describe the type of treatment you may receive during your biannual visit to our office. Think a routine dental visit.

During this appointment, we’ll perform a thorough oral examination and tooth and gum cleaning. Typically, you can expect the use of hand and ultrasonic instruments.

Finally, we will also ask about your oral hygiene habits and offer up a few tips, as well.

Periodontal maintenance, on the other hand, is a bit more involved.

This dental maintenance will happen following other kinds of treatment, which can be surgical in nature or include deep cleaning.

Periodontal disease requires regular treatment due to the presence of chronic bacterial infections. Unfortunately, there’s no cure. The disease can be managed and stabilized , however, with proper care – including actions you take a home between visits.

Lifestyle decisions and chronic illness can impact results from ongoing treatment. That’s why it’s important to consult with your dentist about habits to build on, which ensure good dental health and happy smiles.

Remember, you’re not going at this alone.

Together, we can approach your particular dental needs and find success. Regular treatment and good care at home is a can’t-lose combination that will keep your dental health on track.

As we begin to reschedule appointments and plan for future visits to make up ones that we missed out on during the COVID-19 crisis, our office will be happy to discuss your options.

There will be an appropriate time to restart your regular office visits and have prophy or periodontal treatments done.

We look forward to congratulating you on the progress you’ve made and seeing your healthy smile once again.