Why See a Periodontist?

Another question I get a lot from patients, physicians, and other dentists is, “Why do I need to see a periodontist?” One reason is that a patient might get referred to a periodontist.

Why were they referred? Often it is for specific prescription procedures, such as gum graft or dental implant. It might seem quite self-explanatory that you need to see a periodontist because you were referred there. However, it may not be that simple. We can go back to the training a periodontist has, which is above and beyond your typical dental school training.

Special Training

A periodontist’s training is usually about three years of eidetic and clinical training in the treatment of periodontal conditions, including bacterial infections of the teeth’s supporting structures, and treatment of the condition of loss of the supporting structures due to trauma or disuse atrophy. These issues, however, can occur not just around teeth, but also dental implants, which is called peri-implant disease, or peri-implantitis.

A periodontist has unique training in regenerating lost tooth structures.

Such as bone and gum, to obtain root coverage and/or allow us to replace roots with dental implants. Often, to achieve optimal esthetics and function, it is necessary not just to replace the enamel of the tooth, but also the hard and soft tissues like the bone and the gum to help frame the tooth properly.

These procedures can be highly sensitive to technique, and to achieve the optimal result, the restorative dentist or another dental specialist might refer you to a periodontist to help co-manage your care to achieve the ideal results.

Manage Disease

Another common reason to see a periodontist is to manage periodontal disease, which is often associated with other chronic diseases of aging, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. The periodontal treatment may necessitate a greater understanding and increased level of expertise to help manage these patients with a complex medical history for improved oral health.

Additionally, it can reduce their risk for other systemic complications, like a stroke, heart attack, insulin resistance, or low birth-rate babies. This is best managed with a partnership between a dentist and a periodontist. 

Versatile Approach

Periodontists are part of a multi-disciplinary team. A multi-disciplinary approach involves drawing from multiple disciplines or specialties, to give a more holistic approach to health for improved clinical outcomes for the patient, as well as improved patient satisfaction.

A patient will often require a multi-disciplinary approach to their overall care.

Where the patient is managed to achieve an optimal dental function that may require an orthodontist to level and align their dentition for improved occlusal factors and esthetics. They may also need to see an endodontist for pulpal infections, or an oral maxillofacial surgeon for wisdom teeth extraction or orthognathic procedures to help reposition the jaws in proper alignment.

The periodontist would also be part of this team, in helping to maintain good zones of keratinized tissue, good periodontal health, and good bone levels for ideal esthetics and overall functional load.

Conclusion

In summary, a periodontist is someone you would want to see for a prescription procedure such as a soft tissue graft or dental implant. However, you also might need to work with a periodontist to help manage inflammatory infection or chronic inflammatory periodontal disease, especially when associated with other systemic or medical issues.

A periodontist might also work with your multi-disciplinary team to achieve your best dental health and function.