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periodontists

Periodontists – What Do Periodontists Do?

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Has your dentist recommended a periodontist, and have you wondered, periodontists – what do they do? A periodontist is a dentist. This dentist specializes in the field of periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. You can be sure that they are very qualified. As well as attending college and dental school, they are required to spend three more years in college obtaining a degree in this area of expertise.

When you first see a new periodontist at the request of your regular dentist, he or she will want to evaluate the condition of your teeth and gums. They also will want to check to see how far the gum disease has progressed. The next thing they will generally do is to have the dental hygienist clean your teeth. You will also be instructed on the necessity of good and proper dental hygiene in order to maintain good health.

Scaling is a procedure which is used by your periodontist to remove as much plaque buildup as they can manually. This is also used to reduce pocketing created by gum disease. In some cases when the illness is not greatly progressed, this procedure will be enough combined with proper dental hygiene in order to stop the progression of the periodontal disease.

A periodontist has the capability of performing dental surgery. If your gum disease has advanced to the stage where it is necessary, they may decide to use a surgical procedure in order to remove plaque which has built up below the gum line.

Your periodontist, more so than your regular dentist has the main goal of helping you to keep your gums healthy throughout your lifetime. These highly skilled professionals out there to help you. If you want to extend the life of your teeth, you will certainly want to follow their advice.

Grab your free report: How To Stop Gum Disease at https://www.HowToSTopGumDisease.com

Scott Wells recommends the book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease for those seeking more information on this topic. ISBN: 978-0981485508

Disclaimer: If you have or think you might have gum disease or any other health problem, please visit your doctor or periodontist for advice, diagnosis and treatment. This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to provide advice, diagnosis or treatment for any health condition.

Five Tips to Help Fight Gum Disease

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Question:

Hi David,

I accepted your request for me to follow you on Twitter and noticed you have written a book on gum disease.

I am awaiting a date for a biopsy because the roof of my mouth has developed some white patches.  But in the meantime, my gums have started to bleed and are quite sore sometimes.  Horrible.

What advice would you give me?

Thanks,

Theresa

Answer:

Hi Theresa.

Thank you for writing in with your question.

It’s important to note that I don’t give advice, diagnosis or offer treatment solutions. That is for licensed dentists, periodontists  and doctors to do. However, I can comment a bit on your situation.

Is it accurate to say that your gums “just started bleeding” or have they been bleeding for a while? If I had to guess, I’d say that you have seen them bleed before. Bleeding is definitely a sign of a problem, most likely gum disease – but since you are getting a biopsy your dentist could rule out other possibilities once the results are in.

If this is gum disease, first and foremost, I would suggest visiting a periodontist if you are not already under the care of one. I prefer periodontists over regular dentists because of the additional training they receive that relates specificially to periodontal tissue (gum tissue). In addition, the focus of their practice tends to be in that area as well. A general dentist may have other things on her menu besides helping you to get your gum tissue healthy again.

If you are indeed facing gum disease, which seems to be likely. There are quite a number of things you can do. Here are 5 tips.

1. Quit smoking if you have been. The smoke is highly toxic to your gum tissue and increases the risk of gum disease and the problems that come with it! Ask any periodontist and he will absolutely verify that smoking is bad for your gum health. Lela Bryan has a very interesting program (you can find her on twitter as well) You can learn more about Lela’s program here.

2. Gum Disease is caused by an accumulation of anaerobic bacteria which grow under a structure called dental plaque. The key is to remove the plaque at least daily – most professionals will probably recommend at least twice a day.

Remove may not be the right word. Breaking up the plaque is perhaps a better way to look at it. This takes away the comfortable breeding ground that the anaerobic bacteria love to reproduce  in. Brushing and flossing are both methods that aim to break up this plaque.  The plaque begins to form again almost immediately, this is why you must continue to disrupt it daily.

However, brushing and flossing are not enough for many people – the proof of that is in the high number of people who actually have gum disease.

While it is tempting for a dentist to blame the patient, I like to suggest that the patients are not or have not always been well educated about gum disease.  Many people, up to 96%, can improve thier gum health via greater efforts at home care.  But what do you need to do exactly?  That is the question.

The answer is different for every person. I’ve discovered and believe that every person needs to work at a different level of effort to achieve the goal of getting rid of gum disease and making sure that it does not come back! Unfortunately, only your own efforts are going to tell you exactly how much work you need to do because the amount of work  varies for each person.  

3. Besides brushing and flossing ( in addition to, not as a replacement for) consider the Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator This device did a great deal of the work in healing my gums back up – to the point that I was told that I did not need that SRP (Scaling and Root Planing) treatment they had recommended just 5 months before. Two studies have been done on the Hydro Floss and it’s ability to produce a reduction in plaque  in between office visits. Again, reducing the plaque is a key point to improving your periodontal health.

4. Use dental tape, instead of dental floss. Dental tape is thicker. Physics tells us that it will do a better job just for that reason alone. Waxed or unwaxed does not matter. But I personally prefer unwaxed.

5. I favor one of two mouthwashes for periodontal health. One is CLOSYS – in England, it may go by the name of Retardex. The other is Perio Therapyby Dr. Katz. I like them both. If you go with the latter option, you might  consider using a coupon from https://therabreathcoupon.com

I hope that helps a bit. I invite you to improve your knowledge about fighting and defeating gum disease further by reading my book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease which is available in print form at Amazon or in e-book form at https://Gingivitiskiller.com

I also encourage you to sign up for updates from me at https://tobeinformed.com/sign-up.html on the topic(s) of your choice.

Please feel free to ask a follow up question by clicking “Ask Dave” at the upper right hand corner of your screen.

Get and stay healthy and well!

David Snape

* please note that this post is for informational purposes only and does not seek to provide advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you might have a periodontal problem or any health problem, visit your dentist or doctor immediately for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about product on this site!

Debunking Two Myths About Gum Disease

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This book can help you save your teeth
This book can help you save your teeth
There are two major misconceptions when it comes to gum disease. One is that people believe it is something you only get when you are older. The second is an incorrect notion on how many people actually have gum disease.

Let’s look at the first notion. Gum disease is something that occurs at all ages. Children as young as six years old have been found to have it. Periodontal disease (another name for gum disease) is often thought to occur as a consequence of aging by most people.

Actually, what is happening is that the damage has been accumulating over time. You don’t realize that you have it when you are young. You just see the results show up later in life (mid 30’s and beyond) and you think you just got gum disease as a result of getting older. There is a need to take care of your gum health at all ages.

The second notion is about how many people actually have gum disease. Periodontists and dentists generally will agree that up to 80% of the population has some form of gum disease right now. That is a scary thought, right?

What does that really mean? Eighty percent means eight out of ten. Line yourself and nine of your friends up and the statistics say that up to eight of you will have some form of gum disease right now. What are the odds that you are one of the 8 and not one of the other two that are completely free of gum disease?

Now let’s say that periodontists are wrong with this statistic (just for the sake of argument). Let’s say that the real number is 40% or 4 out of ten. There is still a pretty good chance that you or someone you love or are friends with has it, right?

About the author:
David Snape invites you to learn more about his book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

Gum Disease: Should I Get a Second Opinion?

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Click Here for the Hydro Floss

Question: Gmj wrote:

Hi I saw one of your videos on youtube and I wanted to ask I am 22 years old and my dentist said i need to get a deep cleaning. Am nervous about the whole thing specially since I have braces on.

Do you think I should get a second opinion?

Answer: Hi Gmj, thank you for submitting your question.

Here is how I view the issue. First of all, ALL patients should realize that it is their RIGHT to seek a second opinion if they wish too.

Second: If you are feeling uncomfortable with your dentist’s recommendation, then I definitely think it is appropriate to seek a second opinion. Obviously, you feel something at a gut level.

What I would do personally, in a case like this, is to go see a periodontist – not just another dentist but a periodontist.

Why? Periodontists are dentists but they have additional training in gum disease. Not only that, but usually the major focus of their practice is gum health and disease. Therefore, they may be in a better position to tell you about what your gums may need.

Look at it this way. Would you rather have a general medical doctor give you advice on your heart or would you rather have an experienced cardiologist (doctor who specializes on the heart) give you advice on matters concerning your heart?

I think I know how you answered that.

Personally, I would rather have a periodontist tell me about my gum health. And personally speaking, I have. Want to know the result? The periodontist had a lot more to tell me about my gum health than the general dentist did, including practical suggestions. The periodontist did a thorough check of my gums in a way that no one at the general dentist’s office did.

Now, I’m not saying you can’t find a general dentist that has it together when it comes to gum tissue. But I can tell you that my general dentist didn’t help me much with my gum health. The periodontist did. There was a huge difference in the level of care and concern for my dental health.

I ‘fired’ my dentist. Again, that is not to slam general dentists. I’m certain there are very good ones out there. Mine wasn’t as good as I would have liked in this area. I’m just telling you my personal experience.

David Snape
Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease – A Layman’s Guide to Fighting Gum Disease