The Two Phases of Treatment that a Periodontist Performs

You will be referred to a periodontist if you show signs of gum disease. There are two phases of periodontal treatment that you will undergo.

Periodontal disease may not be something that you are not aware that you have developed until your dentist points it out to you. Also sometimes referred to as gum disease, periodontist or pyorrhea, this is a disease in the mouth that is often silent as it shows very few initial signs or symptoms when it is first getting underway.

If your dentist notices signs of gum disease when you come in for a check-up then he or she will refer you to a dental specialist known as a periodontist. These dental professionals specialize in saving teeth and finding appropriate means of controlling a disease that has afflicted the gums.

The periodontist that you are referred to will diagnose the problem and then will devise a treatment plan that is appropriate for the condition at hand. He will often work in conjunction with your family dentist and keep him updated as to how the treatment is progressing.

There is generally two phases to the periodontal treatment that you receive from the specialist. The first phase is that of the initial preparation for the treatment while the second phase is a re-evaluation of what stage the gums are in.

First Phase of Treatment

The initial preparation for periodontal treatment is the first phase. This phase is when the periodontist educates the patient about how to properly go about brushing his teeth and how to use dental floss properly. The emphasis is on removing plaque from the teeth, which is bacterial film that can wreck havoc if it clings to the teeth for too long a period of time.

During your dental visits the hygienist in the office will perform numerous scalings in order to remove the plaque and the tartar that has firmly attached itself to your teeth's surface.

Positive changes in the teeth and gums are often visible very soon after the multiple scalings. If you had gotten used to bleeding from your gums then this should lessen and the pockets around your teeth should shrink in size. How much shrinkage has occurred is something that will need to be determined by the periodontist once phase two begins.

Second Phase of Treatment

The second phase of treatment for gum disease begins with a re-evaluation of the depths of the pockets around the teeth. The dentist will also be looking to see if the gums continue to bleed even after a number of scalings have taken place. The more time and effort a periodontal patient is willing to put into developing and maintaining suitable oral hygiene practices the more chances they have of improving upon the gum condition that they have.

In some cases the periodontist may recommend that additional scalings be done by the hygienist in order to further reach the goal of making the pockets in the gums and surrounding the teeth become smaller.

However when the teeth and gums reach the second phase and it is discovered that the pockets are very deep still then to improve the periodontal health of the patient other more serious forms of treatment must be undertaken. At this point it may be time to consider surgical options to save the teeth that are affected and to heal the gums.

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