Periodontal Care
Restoring gum health—and keeping it stable
Healthy gums are the foundation of a healthy smile. If you’ve been told you have signs of gum disease (periodontal disease), our team will help you calm the infection, protect your bone, and maintain results with a simple, consistent plan.
We provide periodontal cleanings every 3 months (quarterly) to help keep harmful bacteria under control and support long-term gum health.
What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal (gum) disease is an infection of the tissues and bone that support your teeth. Early gum irritation (gingivitis) can progress to deeper “pockets,” bone loss, and eventually loose teeth if it isn’t treated. Many people don’t feel pain until late stages—bleeding, puffy gums, or bad breath are often the earliest clues.
Common signs:
- Loose or shifting teeth
- Red, tender, or bleeding gums
- Gum recession (teeth look longer)
- Bad breath or bad taste
Our Approach
- Comprehensive evaluation: Periodontal charting (measuring pocket depths), gum health assessment, and digital X-rays as needed to check bone levels.
- Comfort-first care: Numbing is available so treatment is comfortable.
- Personal plan: We’ll review findings, answer questions, and map out next steps that fit your goals and schedule.
Deep Cleaning (Scaling & Root Planing)
For early to moderate disease, we typically recommend non-surgical gum therapy, a deep cleaning that removes hard deposits and bacteria below the gumline and smooths the roots, so the tissue can begin to heal. Treatment may be done by quadrant over one or more visits. When appropriate, we may add localized antimicrobial therapy to support healing.
After SRP: We recheck healing and move into periodontal maintenance.
Periodontal maintenance (every ~3 months)
Once disease is stabilized, routine “regular cleanings” (prophylaxis) aren’t enough. Periodontal maintenance is a specialized cleaning schedule—about every 90 days—that targets bacteria before they repopulate and helps keep pocket depths from worsening.
At these visits we:
- Remove plaque and calculus above and below the gumline
- Re-measure and monitor key areas
- Reinforce home-care techniques and tools (floss, interdental brushes, water flosser, electric brush)
- Update X-rays as needed to monitor bone levels
What to expect
- Assessment & planning – Charting, X-rays (if needed), diagnosis, and a personalized plan.
- SRP (deep cleaning) – Comfortable, numbed as needed; may take multiple visits. We numb the area as needed and check comfort throughout.
- Re-evaluation – We check healing and discuss any targeted therapies.
- Quarterly maintenance – Ongoing cleanings every 3 months to keep things stable.
Insurance & X-rays: If you had X-rays within the last year, we can request them from your previous dentist. Some plans don’t cover duplicate X-rays—we like to check first to avoid surprises.
Insurance & financing
We’ll help you maximize your benefits and review your estimated costs up front.
No insurance? Our Membership Plan includes a Perio option with savings on four periodontal maintenance cleanings a year (every ~3 months). See Membership Plan →
Ready to get started?
Call (618) 632-8471 or request an appointment. We’ll make a clear plan and help you protect your smile for the long term.