Difference between a Dentist and Periodontic Office

If you are looking for a dentist or periodontic office to treat your gums, we recommend that you give our office a call. We offer periodontal care in our Chamblee dental office and can help to prevent gum disease and treat the condition if it develops. While many people are not aware of gum disease, this is a serious condition that must be dealt with because it can not only irritate your gums but also lead to eventual tooth loss if left untreated. Given the severity of the condition, it is important to find the right dental office in which to receive treatment. With that in mind, here is what you should know when looking for the right provider.

Dentist vs. periodontic office

A general dentist provides a large variety of services such as preventative dental care, restorative dentistry, and cosmetic services. All dentists start out receiving the same education and are able to provide these services. After graduating from dental school, certain dentists either continue on to receive additional training or decide to specialize in various aspects of dentistry by focusing their practice on specific health concerns. Thus, a periodontic office specializes in the care and treatment of the gums.

A periodontic office is more likely to identify the early signs of gum disease and take measures to prevent the condition from worsening while reversing its course. By providing regular and ongoing gum care, a periodontic office may have more experience in recognizing these issues than the standard general dentist.

Specialist care

When it comes to providing treatment for gum disease, patients also need to evaluate whether they want to receive care from a dentist or periodontic office. While a general dentist is certainly equipped to treat the gums, they do not deal with gum disease as a mainstay of their daily practice. As such, their experience level is significantly less than that of a periodontic office.

The gums are incredibly sensitive and the experience level of a provider can significantly impact the length of time a procedure takes. The experience level can even impact what treatment options are available. For patients who want to have the least invasive solutions available, the most comfortable procedure possible, and a faster recovery time, then they need to see a periodontic office for treatment.

In the world of dentistry, we recommend that you spend time and effort preventing problems like gum disease so that you do not need to worry about treatment later on. This is beneficial for you time-wise, financially, and for your comfort. When it comes to gum disease, the best way to prevent it is to have your teeth professionally cleaned twice per year and to brush and floss throughout the day.

If one can prevent plaque from building up on the teeth and under the gums, they will be in better condition and the patient may not suffer from issues like gum recession. We also suggest that you eliminate habits like smoking since it can increase your risk of developing this condition.

For help with prevention or treatment, call our office today at (770) 238-4316.