This is a preventive maintenance  procedure preformed on periodontal patients. This is done after scalings have been completed.  A prohylaxis is a "cleaning" performed on a healthy mouth.  Periodontal maintenance is a more involved appointment requiring  more skill and time. As the current research shows that 80 to 90% of adults have periodontal disease we obviously will be preforming more periodontal maintenances than "cleanings".