What is the difference between a prophy (D1110) and a perio-maintenance (D4910) appointment?

A prophy or “regular cleaning” appointment is intended for patients with healthy gum tissues. During this appointment we remove stain, soft plaque and hardened plaque (aka tarter or calculus) from the crown of the tooth or above the gumline. This cleaning is prophylactic and superficial in nature and typically performed every 4 to 6 months.

A periodontal maintenance prophy or “perio prophy” is intended for patients who have or have had pocket areas of 4mm and above, recession and bone loss (aka periodontal disease which is a chronic condition / infection). Maintenance appointments begin after someone has had scaling and root planing (SRP). SRP is a deeper cleaning that removes bacteria / biofilms (hard and soft) from the root surfaces, crown of tooth and the soft tissue pocket area. This procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia (tissues are numb). The frequency of periodontal maintenance appointments is generally every 3 to 4 months to clean below the gumline in order to disinfect the area and control the disease progression.

If you would like more information about your diagnosis and treatment please don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Amble or your hygienist.

By Linda, hygienist working with Dr. Amble for over thirteen years.