Careful oral hygiene is a prerequisite for healthy gums and teeth. If it is neglected, the accumulation of bacterial plaque can lead to gingivitis. As gingivitis is not necessarily painful, the patient often only notices it when it has already spread to the periodontium.
Periodontitis is like an iceberg in the sea. The gradual decay is under the visible surface. Only when bone material in the periodontium increasingly disappears is tooth loss imminent. The course of the disease is rarely rapidly progressive. This is both a risk and an opportunity.
The risk is that the patient often only notices the periodontitis when large parts of the tooth-supporting tissue have already been lost, as the process is accompanied by pain.
The chance lies in early diagnosis with systematic treatment and thus halting the disease process.
Success depends on careful oral health hygiene at home.
Three factors play a decisive role here:

1. Awareness of patient responsibility and oral health care at home. Even 4 PZR appointments won't help if you don't clean your teeth at home. For comparison: If you want to lose weight, you won't expect any results if you go to the gym 4 times a year.
2. The use of interdental brushes and knowledge of how to use them. Here, the dental practice is required to demonstrate the correct use (the right brush for the right interdental space) and to practise the use with the patient.
3. The use of modern toothbrushes with sonic technology that have achieved significant plaque reduction in clinical studies. Here too, the following applies: Patients should be shown how to use the new cleaning technique with the new technical aids in their dental practice.