What Is A Periodontist?

Why Would I Need To Go To A Periodontist?

Most people are familiar with the role of a dentist and orthodontist, but less so with a periodontist. Periodontists are dental specialists who focus on the health of gums and supportive tissues. What follows is a more detailed description of what a periodontist does and how they contribute to your overall dental well-being.

What Is a Periodontist?

Periodontists provide care focusing on the gums, bones, and connective tissues supporting teeth. While periodontists are concerned with a patient’s overall well-being, they use their skills and expertise to help patients with issues that affect their gum health.

Periodontists typically have completed dental school plus three or more years of additional training in periodontal disease management, gum-related surgery, dental implant placement, and other services. They also learn scaling and root planing, which involves cleaning and treating infected tooth roots.

Before a periodontist does any work, they review a patient’s complete dental and medical history and ask the patient to provide a list of medicines they’re taking. They also need to know if the patient is pregnant or has heart disease or diabetes.

What Conditions Does a Periodontist Treat?

A periodontist treats several conditions that affect the gums and surrounding supportive tissues. They also work to prevent oral inflammation, which, if not treated, can lead to serious dental problems. Periodontists can also place and repair dental implants and perform cosmetic periodontal procedures.

Other periodontal treatments include

• Treating tooth detachment from the gum. When the teeth and gum separate, bone and tissue loss is always possible.
• Pocket reduction surgery. In this surgery, the periodontist lifts back the patient’s gums to remove tartar, which causes gum detachment. Then, they replace the gums tightly around the teeth to prevent new pockets from forming.
• Treating recession of the gum line. If the gum line has receded, a periodontist will seek out the infection and its source. They measure the depth of any spaces between the teeth and gums using a small probe. This helps them assess the health of the gums. They may also take X-rays to help evaluate the health of the bone below the gum line.

Most periodontal diseases and conditions result from accumulated bacteria around the teeth. Excess bacteria in the mouth can be very harmful, and their presence can manifest itself in several ways, including full-body ailments that can be traced to diseases that a periodontist combats. Daily oral preventative care, including regular cleanings at your Cincinnati dental office and flossing your teeth daily, can help.

Periodontal Care and Other Dental Services Close to Home

If you’re concerned about bleeding or receding gums or have a periodontal issue, contact the Beckham Square Family Dental team. In addition to a routine check-up and cleaning, our Cincinnati dental care providers can address your periodontal needs and determine whether you need specialized care.