Periodontists are dentists who specialize in the gums, soft tissue and jawbone. Before becoming a periodontist, a dentist must graduate from dental school. Then, the dentist must complete three additional years of education and complete a periodontology residency training program.
This training program focuses on surgical and non-surgical treatment for periodontal disease. During this program, dentists also learn about dental implants.
Conditions Periodontists Treat
A periodontist is primarily concerned with preventing and treating gum disease to prevent jawbone recession and tooth loss. Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease is progressive, meaning that without treatment it will get worse and cause serious oral health problems.
Periodontists can treat gum disease at all stages from mild to advanced. For mild cases, a periodontist focuses on removing the bacterial infection that is causing the gum disease. For more advanced cases, the periodontist might have to do planing. Once the issue is resolved, your periodontist will educate you on proper hygiene and oral care to prevent future infections.
Periodontists commonly treat the following conditions.
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Gingivitis: this is mild swelling of the gums. It is often accompanied by bleeding and pain, though not always.
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Early to mid-stage periodontitis: we measure periodontitis based on the pockets between your teeth and the surrounding soft tissue. Once it reaches 4-6 mm, your dentist will diagnose you with moderate gum disease.
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Advanced periodontitis: we classify gaps of 6 mm or greater between your teeth and soft tissue as advanced periodontitis. At this point, you might be suffering from jawbone recession and loose or moving teeth.
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Loose/missing teeth: as gum disease progresses, you could face severely loose teeth. With time, you’ll lose the tooth entirely. A periodontist will replace the teeth with an implant to restore the function and look of your missing tooth.
Treatments Periodontists Perform
Periodontists perform a wide range of treatments and procedures to prevent the spread of gum disease and restore a patient’s smile after gum disease. Here’s a look at some of the common procedures periodontists perform.
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Implants: if you lose a tooth for any reason, a periodontist can restore that tooth using a dental implant. This is a permanent natural-looking ceramic tooth attached to your jawbone.
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Osteoplasty: once your periodontist has removed all infection from your mouth, he can recontour your hard tissue to make your smile look great once again.
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Gingivoplasty: patients who have suffered receding gums due to periodontal disease can have a more toothy smile. With soft tissue recontouring, your periodontist can straighten the gumline for a visually more appealing and comfortable smile.
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Bone grafting: you need sufficient bone to attach an implant to. If you’ve lost too much bone due to advanced periodontal disease, we can add bone and promote bone growth using bone grafting. This gives us enough bone to attach your implant to.
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Cleaning deep pockets: patients with advanced gum disease often experience deep pockets between the gums and teeth. Your dentist might recommend scaling and root planning to remove infection-causing bacteria and debris from these deep pockets around your teeth.
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Crown lengthening: to lengthen a crown, your periodontist must first expose more of your tooth by removing some gum tissue. This allows the dentist to lengthen a crown and make your smile look healthy and beautiful.
Patients who have concerns about gum health should see their dentist immediately. And even if you don’t have any concerns, keeping regular checkups and cleanings with your dentist can help with early detection and prevention of gum disease. Schedule an appointment with our office today.
When to See a Periodontist
Periodontists treat ailments related to the soft tissue in your mouth and your jawbone. Both are crucial parts of your oral health and need attention right away if you have signs or symptoms of infection. The longer these conditions are left untreated, the more serious they become and you could lose your teeth to the conditions.
Knowing when to see a periodontist can be confusing though. We offer some insights about signs and symptoms that it’s time to see a gum and jawbone specialist.
Signs It’s Time to See a Periodontist
One way you might know it’s time to see a periodontist is if your general dentist recommends it after a regular cleaning and exam.
Sometimes, you have no pain or oral discomfort, but your dentist can identify early signs of a problem. That’s why it’s smart to go to regular checkups to review your oral health. Prevention and early detection are far better than treating an issue like gum disease or jawbone recession.
While a referral from your general dentist is one sign it’s time to see a periodontist, a referral is not required. You might notice any one of the following symptoms that could indicate it’s time to see a periodontist.
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Bleeding: if you experience serious bleeding when you’re eating or brushing your teeth, this could be a sign of an infection in the gums. The earlier you get this checked out, the better.
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Continuous bad breath: ongoing bad breath despite good oral hygiene can tell you that your gums are infected. This is another early sign of gum disease, but one you should not ignore. Plus, it’s certainly unpleasant and can make you feel self-conscious.
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Gum recession or loose teeth: if you suddenly notice that your teeth look longer, that might be due to gum recession. Once infected, your gums will slowly create pockets that grow larger when left untreated. Eventually, the infection will attack your jawbone, which can cause loose teeth. This is a serious sign that you need to see a periodontist immediately to prevent losing a tooth entirely.
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Gangrene: this is a serious infection of the soft tissue, periodontal ligament or alveolar bone. Most people aren’t able to self-diagnose this symptom but a dentist or periodontist will see the infection.
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Other health conditions:ometimes, health conditions are the body’s way of telling you that something isn’t right. Some conditions that can correlate with periodontitis include osteopenia, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease. That’s because the bacterial infection from your gums could move to your bloodstream and affect other areas of the body.
How Periodontists Diagnose and Treat Soft Tissue and Jawbone Ailments
To get started, your periodontist will examine your soft tissue, jawbone and teeth. Once the periodontist is confident that you’re suffering from periodontal disease, he or she will use
surgical or non-surgical treatments to stop the infection. The treatments also help protect your teeth and long-term oral health. Here are treatments your periodontist might recommend based on your diagnosis.
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Gingivitis: early periodontal disease is known as gingivitis. At this stage, the pockets between your gums and teeth are less than 4 mm. The periodontist will likely do scaling and root planing to remove the early infection and any debris in the gums. This allows your soft tissue to heal. Then, the periodontist will explain how to clean your gums to prevent future infection.
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Moderate periodontal disease: when the pockets in your gums reach 4-6 mm, the dentist will do a more involved scaling and root planing treatment to remove the underlying infection. Because this is more thorough, you’ll likely go under local anesthetic for the treatment.
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Advanced periodontal disease: when gum pockets exceed 6 mm, the infection generally has reached the jawbone and led to severe gum recession and bone loss. The periodontist will try scaling and root planing to start. But if the infection remains after treatment, your periodontist might recommend surgery to reduce the pockets in your gums.
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Tooth loss: if you’ve lost a tooth due to periodontal disease, your periodontist will recommend a dental implant to restore your jaw’s function. Before you can get an implant though, your periodontist will review your jawbone health to see if you need a bone graft first. If the jawbone isn’t strong enough, it won’t serve as a good anchor for your implant.
You should see a periodontist immediately if you are concerned about the health of your gums or if your general dentist recommends you visit a periodontist.
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