What You Can Learn from a Periodontist Office

A periodontist is a special kind of dentist who specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating periodontal disease and also in the placement of dental implants. As a periodontist office, we are experts in the treatment of all forms of gum inflammation, bleeding gums, and other problems often associated with or found before the advent of, gum disease or periodontal disease.  While many things can lead to periodontal disease,  we find that there are some basic steps that people can take that can help them prevent periodontal disease and a milder form of gum disease known as gingivitis. In order for people to be able to prevent these kinds of occurrences, they need to be on the lookout for certain signs and symptoms that may indicate the need for specialized treatment.

You might not always need to seek out a periodontist because you are experiencing some bleeding in your gums. Bleeding gums tend to be an early warning sign that something may be more seriously wrong with your teeth. About 90% of the population occasionally experiences bleeding gums. Typically this happens when a person is brushing or flossing and can lead to a little bit of inflammation.  If you are experiencing inflammation in your gums more often than not, it is definitely a sign that you need to see your dentist. Bleeding gums, and inflamed gums can definitely be a sign of a disease called gingivitis, which is quite a common occurrence. In between 10% and 15% of cases of gingivitis, people tend to develop a more serious form of the disease called periodontitis.

Being a periodontist office means that we come in contact with people who have had severe repercussions from having periodontal disease. If you have gingivitis, even if it in its early stages, you need to seek out your dentist so that you can find solutions to your gingivitis before evolves into periodontitis. If periodontal disease is left untreated it will continue to get worse and eventually will lead to things like gum recession, bone loss, and eventually the loss of your teeth. In order to avoid this, the best thing to do is let your dentist or dental hygienist know that you are having bleeding of the gums, or inflammation of the gums on a regular basis so that they can examine your teeth to check the spaces between your teeth and your gums. As soon as you let your dentist or dental hygienist know that you are experiencing inflammation of the gums or bleeding of the gums, they will use a small hand-held instrument called a periodontal probe to check the spaces between your teeth and your gums with let them know if you have gum disease, gingivitis, or are on the way to having periodontal disease and need to be referred to a periodontist.

We note that are several factors that can influence the actual health of your gums. While there is always the possibility of the presence of gum disease including the formation of pus in deep pockets under the gums, this is typically caused when the gum tissue has been separated from the teeth. These deep pockets, where the gum has separated from the teeth, can have a harmful bacteria and will need to be treated as soon as possible. What you need to remember is that effective brushing and flossing has the most impact on the health of your gums.