Why Your Dentist Wants a Periodontist to Do Your Gum Surgery
Posted on: 27 December 2018
If your dentist has determined that you have periodontitis, then your gums will need some treatment. This stage of gum disease is relatively advanced. Your gums have been affected by plaque and bacteria to such an extent that they have started to move away from your teeth. This creates gaps between your gums and teeth that can ultimately affect your jawbones. You'll need to have the gaps cleaned out to prevent your periodontitis from getting worse.
If the gaps are deep, then they may need gum surgery. This involves cutting the gum to lift it and give deeper access to clean the gaps out before stitching the gums back in place.
While dentists can treat gum disease, they sometimes prefer to pass their patients on to periodontists for certain types of treatments like gum surgery. Why does your dentist want you to see a periodontist for your surgery?
Periodontists Have Specialist Training
Periodontists go through the same general training as dentists. They are qualified dentists. However, periodontists then continue their training for a number of years after they qualify. This additional training is all based around gum disease and implant work.
Your dentist will have some training and experience of working with gum disease. However, some prefer to leave more specialist gum treatments to periodontists who have had this extra training.
Dentists have a lot of experience of general dentistry but may not have done a lot of complex periodontal work like surgical procedures. Periodontists do this work all the time.
Periodontists Have Specialist Equipment
The equipment your dentist has in their clinic tends to be focused on general dentistry work. They hire or buy equipment that they use most regularly. Periodontists work on the same principle; however, the equipment they use is focused on the gum treatments they give to patients.
It may not be cost effective for general dentists to purchase advanced periodontal equipment that they won't use that much. So, if you see a periodontist, your dentist knows that you'll have access to state-of-the-art equipment and techniques that they can't necessarily offer. For example, the periodontist your dentist refers you to may use video perioscopes. These tools use digital imaging to help diagnose and treat gum-disease problems.
Some periodontists work as part of a general dental practice. If your clinic doesn't have a periodontist on staff, your dentist will refer you to a specialist periodontist or periodontal practice.
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