How to Choose a Periodontist to Treat Gum Disease?

How to Choose a Periodontist? Factors to Consider when Selecting Your Periodontist. Are they board-certified? Do you feel comfortable with the doctor and the office? Does the doctor offer advanced sedation options? Does the office offer financing options? Is the office on top of the latest technology and current with new procedures?

A periodontist specializes in treating diseases of the gums and soft tissues. If you have severe gum disease, inflammation or bone loss, or persistent bad breath you may need to choose a periodontist. Sometimes this dental specialist may become involved in your case involves a large number of dental implants.

How to Choose a Periodontist to Treat Gum Disease

So, How to Choose a Periodontist?

A periodontist may treat dental diseases such as gingivitis and may also perform certain cosmetic procedures. A periodontist will:

• Examine, diagnose and treat infections and inflammations of the bone and soft tissues surrounding your teeth.
• Perform a deep cleaning of the teeth to eliminate irritating filling margins and correct occlusions.
• Remove diseased tissue and use cosmetic procedures to restore the appearance of the gum line around the teeth.
• Install Dental Implants or mini-implants to serve as an anchor for crowns or false teeth. This may require bone augmentation procedures if the patient has suffered bone loss.
• Restore lost bone and gum support by performing bone regenerative procedures.
• Help in the oral care and treatment for patients with certain diseases such as diabetes.
• Provide education on proper oral care techniques.

How to Choose a Periodontist?

1. Ask your family dentist for referrals to a qualified periodontist.
2. Use the information at Dental-Consultants.Com to help narrow down your choices.
3. Find out if the periodontist is using the latest equipment and procedures to minimize pain and maximize results.
4. Check out their dental qualifications. The basic dental degree is a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).
5. The dental professional should also have completed an additional three-year program with specialized training in the biology and clinical procedures regarding gum disease and its treatment. Ask about any continuing education classes on the treatment of gum disease.
6. Ask about privacy standards.
7. Ask for patient referrals.

Find out if they have any additional patient education information such as a newsletter or website page to help you prevent future gum or bone issues.

Ask about pricing, payment plans and determine what may be covered by your insurance plan. Are there more cost-effective options for the proposed procedure? Can complex procedures be broken down into steps and spread out over a period of time?

Dental-Consultants.Com is your go-to source for dental information and dental education. Use our dental profiles to help on How to Choose a Periodontist for your family because Dental-Consultants.Com is “where patients and dentists connect.”