What Types of Dental Patients Need a Periodontal Dentist?

Are you suffering from a gum condition? A periodontist can help.

Does your dental condition require the specialized care of a periodontal dentist, or would the services of a general dental practitioner be sufficient? The team at Penn Dental Family Practice can help you to answer this critical question.

What Is a Periodontist?

Before you can determine whether or not you need periodontal dental treatment, it’s important to clearly establish what periodontics means.

Periodontics is a dental specialty that focuses on the structures surrounding the teeth. A periodontal specialist is trained in the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal diseases, which affect the gums and other anatomical areas surrounding the teeth. Additionally, periodontists specialize in the placement of dental implants.

Periodontists undergo extensive training related to this particular discipline. In fact, licensed periodontists are required to complete three years of specialized education in addition to standard dental schooling. Along with the treatment of periodontal conditions, periodontal dentists are also trained in cosmetic periodontal procedures.

This highly specialized training means that periodontists are uniquely qualified to care for patients with gum conditions and damaged supportive dental structures.

Do I Need a Periodontal Dentist?

Now that we’ve defined periodontics and described their areas of expertise, it’s time to return to the original question: do you need the care of a periodontist for your particular dental condition?

While the best way to determine the most beneficial course of treatment for any patient is to undergo a dental examination, there are certain clear indicators that periodontal treatment is needed.

Listed below are types of patients that require the specialized care of a periodontist:

• Patients with gingivitis, a relatively mild periodontal disease that causes inflammation of the gums.
• Patients with periodontitis, a severe periodontal disease that causes the gums to be pulled away from the teeth. Serious cases of periodontitis may result in loosened or lost teeth.
• Patients with infected root surfaces. Periodontists can perform intensive scaling and root planing to clean infected root surfaces.
• Patients with damaged root tissues; periodontists address this issue with root surface debridement treatment.
• Patients in need of surgical procedures to repair the damage caused by severe gum disease.
• Patients who require dental implants. Periodontists specialize in the placement, maintenance, and repair of dental implants.

Where Can I Find a Periodontal Dentist?

If you think you may be in need of specialized periodontic care, the next step is to find a qualified periodontal dentist. For patients in the Philadelphia area, Penn Dental Family Practice is proud to feature advanced periodontal treatment options.

To learn more or to plan an appointment with a periodontal dentist, contact Penn Dental Family Practice today.