Periodontics is an oral health specialty within the overall field of dentistry. When you visit a periodontist, you’re being treated by a dental practitioner whose education exceeds that of a regular DDS or DMD. He or she has received three additional years of extensive training in surgical and non-surgical procedures and treatments related to the bone and tissue surrounding and supporting your teeth.
What Periodontists Offer Beyond Traditional Periodontics
Periodontists treat more severe, complex cases your general dentist doesn’t normally tackle, including periodontal disease treatment and dental implant placement. But they also offer other rejuvenating and cosmetic oral health services of which you may not be aware, like these five:
#1 Lip Repositioning and Gingival Sculpting
Do you self-consciously cover your mouth when you smile or laugh because you think your gums show too much? You may have what we call a “gummy smile,” which is when what may be thought of as too much gum tissue shows above the upper teeth when smiling. This excess display of gum tissue can result from the shape and height of your teeth or from hypermobility, where your upper lip shifts dramatically when you smile.
Periodontists can recontour gum and/or bone tissue to target the extra “gingival” display. With oral plastic surgical procedures like lip repositioning, gingivectomy (also known as flap surgery), gum recontouring (gingival sculpting), esthetic crown lengthening, and gummy tucks, periodontists help you smile with confidence. Your board-certified periodontist will review your situation and determine which procedure will work best. You can enhance your smile with minimal downtime and discomfort.
#2 Orthodontic Assistance for Adults
These days, it’s certainly not just teens who want to straighten their teeth or correct crowded or crooked smiles and misaligned bites. Of the nearly six million orthodontia patients nationwide, it’s estimated that 20% are adults over the age of 18. That number could be higher if the overall process was shorter. Many adults may avoid considering the straightening process because they simply don’t want to wear metal braces or plastic aligners for long periods.
Your periodontist may be able to work with your orthodontist to safely help hasten the teeth-straightening process and address the orthodontic recession. Procedures like POPA (pre-orthodontic periodontal augmentation) and Piezocision (an augmentative orthodontic procedure) help accelerate tooth movement and reduce the time you must wear braces, whether traditional metal braces or removable plastic aligners.
#3 Tori Removal
Whether the result of genetics or misaligned teeth, excess bone protrusions can develop inside the mouth in either your upper or lower jaw. Normally non-malignant, tori nonetheless can result in negative side effects like discomfort as well as increased plaque accumulation. A bump (torus) or bumps (tori) can interfere with speech, the teeth straightening process, or even denture positioning. It may be hard to floss and maintain tooth and gum health, with food getting trapped more easily, leading to bacterial accumulation and sensitivity to extreme temperatures.
Utilizing a virtually painless procedure originally designed for brain surgery, called piezosurgery, periodontists use ultrasonic frequency to cut into this hard, unwanted bone tissue while leaving your soft tissue untouched. If tori overgrowth is interfering with your lifestyle, ask your periodontist how they can remove the tori to help eliminate any discomfort these bumps cause, while also allowing for a proper fit of dentures or bridges and more.
#4 Laser Treatment to “Zap” Diseased Gums
You may have heard of laser skin resurfacing or laser hair removal, but did you know that you can use lasers in periodontics to target diseased gum tissue?
Trained periodontists utilize the LANAP® laser protocol (laser-assisted new attachment procedure) to remove gum disease without having to use scalpels or sutures. The FDA-approved PerioLase MVP-7 laser safely and effectively targets diseased gum tissue without damaging healthy tissue and with minimal discomfort. Because the laser seals the gums, no sutures are required. LANAP can let us treat an entire diseased mouth in one sitting rather than one quadrant at a time, a more common scenario with traditional gum disease surgery. LANAP is also considered a uniquely regenerative procedure since the laser also stimulates the growth of healthy tissue.
#5 Tooth Extraction
Oral surgeons aren’t the only dental specialists who can remove teeth. Periodontists are experts at teeth removal and often can remove failing teeth and address periodontal (gum) disease and dental implants simultaneously. Their goal is always to save your natural teeth when possible. However, if saving a tooth isn’t the best and most cost-effective option when considering additional possible treatments that may be required down the road, your periodontist can pull the tooth and often replace it in same-day dental surgeries.
About The Author:
Dr. Philip L. Fava, II is a board-certified periodontist and dental implant surgeon as well as director of the Pennsylvania Center for Dental Implants and Periodontics. The practice currently has two locations at Einstein Center One, Suite 211-212, 9800 Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19115, and 140 East Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002. They offer “All-on-4™ dental implants; SameDay Smile® or “Smile Zone” dental implants; single implant, crown, and bridge implant restorations; Pinhole® gum rejuvenation; reconstructive dental surgery, as well as LANAP® and other treatments for gum disease.
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