Periodontist? Why Periodontics is Important & how it can Help Steer your Gums from Periodontal Disease:

Periodontist? Is that a dentist? Probably something you heard while you had your braces taken off… or perhaps after that last dental clinic visit…? While it most likely isn’t at the top of you radar, it may be a dental term that you’ll want to add to your repertoire. According to dentists and dental surgeons worldwide, a good periodontist can be the difference between good overall health and consistently searching the internet for ‘dentist near me’… Have your attention, yet? Below we outline 5 ways Periodontists can benefit you and help to retain your oral health. Don’t worry, we’ll start with the basics –

1. What is a Periodontist? What is Periodontics?

So, what exactly is Periodontics? And more specifically – what exactly is a Periodontist? According to perio.org, A Periodontist “… is a dentist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease, and in the placement of dental implants…”. Inversely, the study of periodontics itself would be described as “…the dental specialty focusing exclusively in the inflammatory disease that destroys the gums and other supporting structures around the teeth…” via mouthhealthy.org. Most importantly, while these periodontists are capable of saving and diagnosing treatments, helping patients with mouth pain and fixing oral issues, their most essential objective lies in treating and diagnosing Periodontal disease. As specialists in Periodontal disease, a large majority also specialize in cosmetic periodontal procedures.

2. Why do I need a Periodontist and How to Avoid Tooth Pain?

Sore gums? tooth infection? inflammation in the mouth? Interestingly enough, Periodontists are notorious for treating periodontal disease but they also play an important role in oral inflammation. That’s right! They’re actually dental specialists in the field of mouth inflammation and experts when it comes to inflammation of the gums, teeth, etc. etc. So next time you’re experiencing gum pain, give a call to the periodontist near you and allow him to treat your tooth pain! It’s important to add that General Dentists and Periodontists generally work side by side and work as one to help diagnose tooth pain and oral diseases.

3. How Periodontists can help Prevent Periodontal Disease?

Periodontitis, also called gum disease, are both classified under the same roof and are names of the commonly heard “periodontal disease”. Periodontal disease is a disease that effects the tooth structure and gum structure due to an underlying bacterial infection present in the mouth. If left untreated, Periodontal disease can result in tooth loss as it slowly destroys the tissue around the area. So, how can Periodontists fix the problem, or prevent it, before it happens? Well, its important to understand that the beginning stages of gum infection and the differences between Periodontal disease and Gingivitis. While Gingivitis is the infection and inflammation of the gums; Periodontal Disease is the actual disease portion where the gums become chronically inflamed and infected. In the early stages of Gingivitis, bacteria present in the gums causes bleeding and inflammation during regular teeth brushing. At this stage, the gums are still intact and there is no presence of gum degradation, bone loss or tooth decay. As it progresses to Periodontal disease, the bacteria in the gums become increasingly present and cause the body’s immune system to react. During this phase, the underlying bacteria cause the gums to recede and pull back resulting in more infection, all the while the immune system continues to attack the gum region as the bacteria release toxins and other poisons into the gums. In turn, this causes the breakdown of the gums, teeth and connective tissue throughout the mouth. If you’d like to read more on this topic, there is a great article written here: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health  

4. How Periodontists Assist with other Dentists’ Work to Help Retain Gum Health and Prevent Oral Disease:

Dentists provide the framework for generalized dental needs that include teeth cleanings, deep cleanings, x-rays, and consultations. While in most cases they also provide implants, veneers, braces and invisalign – dentists are more a generalized doctor and may not specialize in one specific dental area. For example, a dentist will do your deep cleaning and possible do the surgical means of installing a dental implant but if that same patient comes back with gum pain and hints at gum disease 6 months later, it won’t be the dentist that they’ll see, it will be the gum specialist – the periodontist. As you can see, both doctors work hand-in-hand when it comes to dental work. While the dentist is specialized in a wide range of general dentistry, the periodontists are specialized in the gum regions and are trained to help fix gum disease, gingivitis, periodontal disease, generalized tooth pain & gum pain. Likewise, in the instance that a patient comes in the door with tooth pain and gum pain, it will be both the dentist and the periodontist checking on them. Additionally, in the instance that a patient has pain their teeth and needs to have a tooth pulled and replaced with a dental implant and/or all on four denture, the dentist and the periodontitis will most likely work hand in hand as they are both specialists in dental implants, placing dental implants and for the periodontist, specialist in the gum tissue and connective tissue surrounding the teeth which is essential when placing a dental implant to ensure there is no significant bone loss or gum recession present or that will occur in the future. In fact, checking of the gums is one of the most pivotal steps as the the gums’ health will determine the placing of the dental implant.  

5. How to find a Periodontist Near you:

So, you have oral inflammation, your gums hurt, you have tooth pain and you really need to find a periodontist near you… What do you do? Well, instead of searching all over the internet, a great place to start would be at yes.dental Dr. Arash Hakhamian is a master of dentistry and has a full team of dental surgeons and dental specialists working under him. In fact, he has not one periodontist, but two periodontists on staff to assist you and prevent oral gum disease such as gingivitis from getting worse. If you live in the Los Angeles region and need to find a periodontist near you, a great place to start is at Yes Dental Centers in Downtown Los Angeles. You can book an appointment directly by clicking this link here: https://yes.dental/appointments/

Otherwise, a great place to go is yelp.com where you can search dentist near me or more specifically periondontist near me to find periodontists in the area that accept your dental insurance that have open availability to see you in their office and fix your gum disease before it gets worse. If you have any other questions regarding gingivitis, periodontal disease, or finding a periodontist near you, you can reach out to our staff and we’ll be glad to assist you (310) 564 – 2376. Or, you can click on this link to contact us directly: https://yes.dental/contact-us/

You can also find more information on our website and read more about periodontics and the important role of periodontists here: https://yes.dental/procedures/