Supportive gum care · After treatment · Perivale, Ealing
The ongoing appointment that keeps treated gum disease stable: your pockets are re-measured, returning deposits removed, and your home routine adjusted wherever readings have slipped.
Keep treated gums stable. Book directly.
Marisa Lennie · GDC 252605
The short answer
Periodontal maintenance is the ongoing supportive appointment that keeps treated gum disease stable: pockets are re-measured, returning deposits removed, and your home routine adjusted wherever readings have slipped.
Gum disease (periodontitis) can be brought under control, but it doesn’t simply go away once treated. Guidance on treating periodontitis describes maintenance, sometimes called supportive periodontal care, as the step that prevents things slipping back, with regular monitoring by the dental team alongside your care at home.
Each visit compares your readings with last time, in writing, so we can both see whether your gums are stable, improving or need more attention. If an area has relapsed, it’s treated there and then, or we plan a deep clean for that area.
What “stable” means
At each visit I measure the gap between gum and tooth, in millimetres, at six points around every tooth. UK guidance sets a clear target for stability.
Target: pockets of 4 mm or less, with no bleeding at the 4 mm sites. That’s what UK guidance describes as periodontal stability.
Source: SDCEP (opens in a new tab) and British Society of Periodontology (opens in a new tab).
Your appointment
Your gum readings are taken the same way every time, so we can compare them fairly from one visit to the next.
Book a maintenance visit
01Review
Health & history update
We go through any changes to your health, medicines, smoking or stress, because these all affect your gums.
Re-measuring pockets
I re-chart pocket depths, bleeding and recession around each tooth, including any implants and crown margins.
03Treatment
Targeted debridement
Any sites that have relapsed are cleaned below the gumline, and the rest of the mouth is cleaned to remove returning deposits.
Your progress, in writing
You get your readings compared with last time, so we both know exactly where things stand.
05Adjust
Home care & next interval
We adjust your home routine for any areas that have slipped and agree the right interval before your next visit.
From the chair
After gum treatment, most people want to know whether the hard work is over. This is how I explain what comes next.
“My gums are fine now. Do I still need to come so often?”
That’s a good sign, and it’s exactly why maintenance matters: it keeps them that way. Missed maintenance visits are one of the most common reasons gum disease returns. Once your readings stay stable, we can usually extend the time between visits.
Related: Early gum disease
“Why do my readings change from visit to visit?”
Small changes are normal: a bit of extra bleeding around one tooth, for example, can be down to a missed area at home or a recent cold. What I look for is the pattern over time, and that’s why we compare every visit in writing.
Related: Bleeding gums
“I have implants. Do they need anything different?”
Implants can be affected by gum inflammation too, so I check the gum around them and the margins of any crowns at every visit, and show you how to clean around them at home.
Related: Plaque & tartar
Choosing the right visit
Maintenance follows active treatment. If you’re not sure where you are, book a check-up first and I’ll explain.
This page
£9545 min
The ongoing supportive appointment that keeps treated gum disease stable: pockets are re-measured, returning deposits removed, and your home routine adjusted wherever readings have slipped.
Best for
Patients who have completed deep cleaning, and anyone with a history of gum disease, dental implants or early tooth loss in the family.
Book this visitActive treatment
£130per quadrant · 60 min
Active treatment below the gumline for pockets that are still too deep, one quarter of the mouth at a time.
Best for
Sites that haven’t settled, or that have slipped back since your last maintenance visit.
About Deep CleanHealthy gums
£9545 min
Routine preventive cleaning for gums with no history of periodontitis.
Best for
Patients whose gums have never needed active treatment and show no deep pockets.
About Hygiene CleanHonest expectations
Maintenance is what keeps the benefit of gum treatment. It’s most effective when it’s regular and paired with good care at home.
Mild sensitivity for a day or two is normal. If an area needs cleaning below the gumline, numbing options are available so it stays comfortable.
Tell me about any areas that feel tender beforehand, and we’ll take it at your pace.
In line with SDCEP (opens in a new tab) and NHS (opens in a new tab).
Guidance on supportive periodontal care suggests intervals from 3 to 12 months, based on your gum health and risk.
Periodontal Maintenance FAQs
Can’t see your question? Email me or call 020 8997 0933.
A 45-minute periodontal maintenance visit is £95.
Every 3 months at first, extending to every 4–6 months once your readings stay stable.
A hygiene clean is preventive care for healthy gums. Maintenance is for people who have had gum disease: it includes re-measuring pockets, comparing readings with previous visits and cleaning below the gumline where needed.
Missed maintenance visits are the most common reason gum disease returns, so keep to the interval your clinician sets for you.
Mild sensitivity for a day or two is normal. If an area needs cleaning below the gumline, numbing options are available.
No. If you’ve had gum treatment elsewhere, you can book maintenance with me directly. Bring any previous pocket charts if you have them, so we can compare.
Marisa qualified through the Royal College of Surgeons of England, training clinically at King’s College Hospital, London, and is an Approved Education Supervisor for trainee hygienists & therapists. Supportive periodontal care is a core part of the GDC scope of practice for dental hygienists and therapists, and a large part of Marisa’s week at Bilton Road Dental Practice.
This page describes supportive gum care in general. It isn’t a substitute for your own gum assessment. Gums that suddenly become very sore and swollen, or a tooth that feels loose, need an urgent dental appointment.
Call the practice or send an email to book your appointment.
Bilton Road Dental Practice · 56 Bilton Rd, Perivale, Greenford, London, UB6 7DH
Periodontal maintenance in Perivale (UB6), a short trip from Greenford, Alperton, Sudbury, Hanwell and Northolt.
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