Many people don’t know the difference between a periodontist and your primary dentist. Periodontists are specialists in the treatment of gum disease. Choosing a periodontist is an important decision when thinking about dental work. Your dental health can affect your overall health, so it’s vital that you find one who specializes in treating various oral health issues. The treatment you receive from a periodontist can have profound implications for your teeth and gums, not to mention the rest of your body. That’s why it’s so important that when choosing a periodontist, you do some research beforehand.

What is a periodontist?

A periodontist is an oral specialist who diagnoses, treats, and prevents gum disease. They are also called gum doctors or oral surgeons. Gum disease can lead to tooth loss if left untreated. A periodontist will address the root cause of your gum problems which may include plaque buildup, tartar accumulation, or any other number of factors contributing to your problem. They can identify areas in your mouth that are diseased or at risk for future damage and recommend treatment options if needed. 

They are different from your primary dentist in that they specialize in just one area of dentistry, whereas typically, a primary dentist generalizes in many aspects. They provide treatments to patients with severe gum disease, periodontal disease, and other related diseases. Periodontists can treat these problems when they are in their early stages before they become more serious. 

Benefits of Choosing a Periodontal Dental Practice

If you have been considering getting treatment from a periodontal dental office, it is important to know the benefits of choosing the right one. Seeing a periodontist has many benefits for your dental care. Choosing an expert who specializes in periodontal health, gum disease, and dental implants will set you up for success when it comes to your dental care.

Some benefits include:

• an accurate diagnosis
• personalized treatment
• improved healing rates
• less discomfort following procedures 
• increased success rates on surgical procedures

A periodontist is the best option when dealing with many oral health concerns.

Common Treatments Performed By Periodontists

Dental Implants

Dental implants are the most common treatment performed by periodontists. Dental implant surgery works best for patients who have lost teeth due to tooth decay, gum disease, or injury. Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth and improve your smile. These devices are surgically placed into the jawbone, where they fuse with bone tissue and function as a tooth root. Implants can be placed in your mouth to replace the lost tooth root and provide an anchor point for a new tooth. Dental implants are the most natural-looking tooth replacement option available today. 

Sinus Lift

This treatment can be used to treat patients with advanced gum disease and bone loss and those who may have had teeth extracted in the past. The procedure involves pulling up the lower jaw to create more space for the sinuses. It is typically done in conjunction with other treatments such as implant placement or tooth extraction. 

The benefits of this procedure include better breathing (due to improved air circulation) and increased ability to chew food (due to greater range of motion). Sinus lifts are generally not painful but do require general anesthesia for safety reasons during surgery.

Full Mouth Rehabilitation

Dental problems, such as missing teeth due to trauma or decay, can be hard to deal with. Fortunately, Dr. Christine Karapetian and her staff members at Washington Periodontics offer full-mouth restoration that helps you get back a healthy smile. This procedure involves rebuilding your upper and lower teeth. It may take some time, but eventually, results will make this worth every effort put forth by the patient during the treatment process.

Bone and Soft Tissue Grafting

Bone grafts utilize natural or artificial materials for replacing lost bone in the mouth due to injury or gum disease. Bone grafting is typically done when there has been no response to other periodontal therapy, such as scaling and root planing or placement of dental implants. Dr. Karapetian may also recommend this procedure if you have had an extraction that left your jawbone exposed or gum tissue that receded too far away from the teeth. 

Periodontal soft tissue grafting can help stimulate healing in areas where bone loss has occurred. This procedure involves taking healthy gum tissues from other parts of the mouth or body and transplanting them into areas that need repair. The transplanted gum tissues will then promote new growth of bone tissue in the treated areas and protect against bacteria that could lead to disease progression. 

Impacted Teeth

Have you ever heard of an impacted tooth? It’s not something that happens often, but it can be a significant problem when it does happen. Impacted teeth are teeth that have not broken through the gum-line to take their intended position in your mouth. Impacted teeth often jeopardize the health of bones, gums, nerves, and other teeth. Diagnosing these potentially problematic areas early on is key for a successful treatment plan. Periodontists use a variety of methods to treat impacted teeth.

Sometimes the procedure is simple and painless for a patient, but other times it can be quite painful due in part to the tooth’s location deep within your gums where there’s no room left for them to grow. In more complicated cases, you can feel confident that the professional staff at Dr. Karapetian’s office will do everything possible to provide personal attention and the highest quality care to make the process as painless as possible.

Take Care of Your Dental Health and Contact Washington Periodontics in Burke, VA

Many patients don’t realize that our oral health can affect our overall health. Finding a trusted periodontist can be beneficial for you and your smile. If you have a dental phobia or are worried about going under anesthesia, please know that our entire staff does an excellent job of monitoring all aspects of the surgical process, and patient comfort is a top priority. Dr. Karapetian and the helpful staff at Washington Periodontics will make sure to provide a relaxed atmosphere and great service through any procedure.

Washington Periodontics and our office staff are proud to offer the most professional service to our patients. No matter what you may require, your dental needs are our number one priority. Give us a call today at (703)-576-5002, and our highly skilled staff will set up your initial visit. Make an appointment to see why a periodontist is beneficial for your dental care.