Why You Should Choose to Invest In Treatment From a Periodontist

A periodontist is a trained dentist that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases that affect the gums and bones inside of the mouth. Not only does a periodontist need to go to 4 years of dental school, but they have to complete a minimum of 3 more years of specialization courses. Throughout the extra education that is required, they learn the advanced techniques to diagnose and treat various forms of periodontal disease and how to properly place dental implants. Along with this, they are also typically trained in a lot of forms of cosmetic procedures as well. Below, we will be going over some of the reasons you will want to choose to invest in the treatment from a periodontist and what you should look for and expect.

Reasons Why You Should Choose a Periodontist:

1. Better Suited To Treat Advanced Disease.

One of the biggest reasons you will want to opt for the treatment from a periodontist is because they are much better suited to treat advanced diseases. Because a traditional dentist is not required to go through advanced training, they are not going to be in the position to help treat advanced diseases in the mouth whether it’s gum or bone related. They have the education and experience necessary to provide you with the best diagnosis and treatment in the industry. Whereas a dentist would only be able to tell you whats viewable from the surface, they will likely end up referring you to a periodontist anyways.

2. They Handle Cosmetic Issues Too.

Another reason to consider heading to a periodontist is that they are fully capable of handling cosmetic issues as well. You are going to be able to get some cosmetic work done if you so wish. This is great for those that are looking to get all of their dental work completed in the same place with the same dentist. Instead of having to travel from dentist to dentist, you will be able to choose a periodontist and get all of the necessary work done with them.

3. Customized Treatment Plan.

Because a periodontist is fully trained in providing custom treatments and solutions to their patients, they will x-ray your entire mouth including every single tooth, the jaw, and even the oral structures in your mouth. They will then fully examine it and come up with a fully customized treatment program that is designed to enhance the overall health of your entire mouth. They will discuss this treatment plan with you and you will be able to ask any questions that you might have available. If there is anything that you are unclear about, you can ask them about it.

What To Expect?

When you visit a periodontist, you can expect them to take x-rays of your entire mouth. They will also be examining your jaw joints, head, neck, mouth, throat, and your teeth and gums. They do this in order to get a full and proper interpretation of what is going on with your bone development, jaw, and everything else. By getting a full idea of what is going on, they will be in a better place to be able to properly diagnose you and give you customized treatment advice and options. Having everything they need to make a full and organized plan for your treatment is going to help you get the best possible results from your treatment.

During your visit, you will likely also be asked about any medications that you might be taking, your medical history, whether or not you are dealing with medical problems, any diseases that can be linked to your mouth and gums, and more. Medication that you might be taking can have negative effects on various parts of your mouth. Therefore, a periodontist needs to have an accurate understanding of it in order to fully and accurately diagnosis you and figure out what is going on. By having a full and clear picture, they will be able to better examine you and figure out what might be causing certain issues to present themselves. They will be able to treat you much better by having your history.

Overall, there are plenty of reasons to choose a periodontist for your needs. Not only will they be in the best possible position to assist you in bettering your oral care, but they are much better suited for diagnosing and treating advanced diseases that are occurring in your mouth whether it’s with your bone or soft tissue. Therefore, you will be able to get the best possible oral care by going to a periodontist with the extra 3 years of training if you are someone that is dealing with gum disease or any other advanced disease in your mouth.

What Is the Cause of Dental Bone Loss?

There are many issues that we may experience with our oral health but one of the more severe problems that can occur is a problem with bone loss. Understanding what causes bone loss can help you to avoid problems in many cases. If you are already experiencing dental bone loss, there may be some things that can be done in order to correct it or to keep it from getting any worse.

One of the more common reasons why people experience dental bone loss is because they are missing teeth. It could be that they were missing them from a young age or, as we get older, we may end up having teeth pulled and we never have an implant inserted in the area. If the tooth is not replaced or if there are multiple teeth that are not replaced, the bone is eventually going to dissipate and be reabsorbed into your body.

The bone is supported and preserved because your teeth are in place and they are used for chewing. As you continue to chew, it is that stimulation and the pressure that it exerts on the bone that keeps it in place and thriving. After your teeth are missing, there is nothing to keep the bone in place so you may lose up to 25% of your bone from that area in the first year after the tooth is extracted.

Another common reason why you may experience dental bone loss is because of a type of bacteria that leads to a problem known as periodontitis. The teeth may still be in place but there are ligaments that connect the bone that supports the teeth to the tooth itself. When you have periodontitis, bacteria that is in the area will eventually eat away the bone that supports the tooth and it will also affect those ligaments that hold the tooth in place as well.

Unfortunately, when you experience dental bone loss, it is a problem that is typically going to be permanent. You might wonder if replacing the teeth with implants or getting dentures is going to correct the problem because it would cause the chewing to take place again. In reality, the stimulation provided by dentures is only approximately 10% of what is experienced by your natural teeth. That isn’t enough to cause the bone to grow back.

When the teeth are removed from the upper jaw, it can even cause further problems because the bone is reabsorbed into the body as it is expanded further into the area of the sinus cavity. Since the teeth are no longer in place, the pressure that is inside of the cavity can cause the bone that is surrounding the sinuses in that area to be re-absorbed.

There are also additional reasons why you may experience a problem with bone loss. These include misaligned teeth, bone infections and facial tumors that would cause some of the bone to be removed along with the tumor itself.

Individuals with dentures may also experience a type of bone loss that is easily seen. This bone loss is so severe that it ends up collapsing the lower part of the face.

Although building back up the bone after it is gone is next to impossible, it may be possible to prevent bone loss by having a replacement tooth inserted immediately when one is lost. This type of a dental implant will act like a normal tooth and provide the stimulus that is necessary to keep the bone healthy. In addition, you may consider some other forms of treatment, such as bone grafting or a sinus lift. It isn’t as effective as an implant, but it may help.