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Dental Cosmetic
There are a variety of ways periodontists can treat periodontal disease. Following dental school, periodontists receive up to three additional years of specialized training in both surgical and non-surgical periodontal procedures to treat gum disease. Periodontists are also experts in replacing missing teeth with dental implants.
Periodontists: Periodontal & Dental Implant Specialists A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease (a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth also known as gum disease), and in the placement of dental implants. Periodontists receive extensive training in both of these areas and more, including three additional years of education beyond dental school. While some general dentists treat less serious periodontal cases, many will refer their patients to periodontists for the more challenging periodontal cases.
Similarly, while some general dentists perform dental implant procedures, many will refer their patients to periodontists for the more challenging implant cases as well. In addition to handling challenging periodontal and implant cases, periodontists also provide a variety of other specialized services. These include scaling and root planing (in which the infected surface of a tooth’s root is cleaned), root surface debridement (in which damaged root tissue is removed), oral inflammation treatment, and cosmetic periodontal procedures.
During your first visit, the periodontist usually reviews your complete medical and dental histories. It’s extremely important for the periodontist to know if you’re taking any medications or being treated for any condition that can affect periodontal care, such as heart disease, diabetes, or pregnancy.
Your periodontist will then examine your gums for any gum line recession, assess how your teeth come into contact with each other when biting, and check to see if any of your teeth are loose. Your periodontist will further evaluate the health of your gums by placing a small measuring instrument (called a probe) in the spaces between your teeth and gums (called periodontal pockets) to measure the depth of those spaces. X-rays may also be taken to observe the health of the bone below your gum line.
Periodontal treatment helps you maintain your natural teeth, enhance your oral hygiene, and prevent further dental issues. With proper care, the results of periodontal treatment can last a lifetime.
If you have periodontal disease, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, more that half of American adults age 30 and older have some form of periodontal disease. Some patients who require simple periodontal treatment can be managed by a general dentist. However, in light of extensive research suggesting that periodontal disease can be linked to stroke, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases, more challenging periodontal treatment may require a higher level of expertise that only a trained specialist in periodontology can provide. Here are some possible reasons your general dentist might refer you to a periodontist for more advanced periodontal treatment:
Periodontal treatment helps you maintain your natural teeth, enhance your oral hygiene, and prevent further dental issues. With proper care, the results of periodontal treatment can last a lifetime.
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