Periodontists: Periodontal & Dental Implant Specialists
A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease (a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth also known as gum disease), and in the placement of dental implants. Periodontists receive extensive training in both of these areas and more. In order to announce Limitation of Practice to Periodontics, a dentist must complete an additional three years of formal academic training beyond dental school. Periodontics is one of nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association.
While some general dentists treat less serious periodontal cases, many will refer their patients to periodontists for the more challenging periodontal cases. Similarly, while some general dentists perform dental implant procedures, many will refer their patients to periodontists for the more challenging implant cases as well. We frequently see patients with multiple interrelated periodontal and restorative issues which require comprehensive interdisciplinary treatment planning.
In addition to handling challenging periodontal and implant cases, periodontists also provide a variety of other specialized services. These include scaling and root planing and ongoing periodontal maintenance, management of non infectious periodontal diseases, as well as cosmetic periodontal procedures, crown lengthening, bone regeneration, soft tissue grafting, and implant site development.