How to Choose a Periodontist
Ask your family dentist for a referral., Ask your friends and family for referrals., Read reviews., Ask about pricing., Read over additional patient education information., Check out their degree(s)., Ask about their additional education on the...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Ask your family dentist for a referral.
If you’ve been instructed to see a periodontist by your dentist, they will usually provide you with a referral.
Dental professionals often work hand in hand, enabling you to receive comprehensive care.
Speak to your dentist about periodontists that they work with and/or recommend., Talk to people you know to see if they have visited periodontists in your area.
Find out if there are any practitioners they recommend, as well as any you should avoid., Numerous websites--such as healthgrades.com, checkbook.org, and even yelp.com--provide ratings, reviews, and comments about medical practitioners.
Read over these comments and reviews.
Additionally, you can ask potential periodontists for referrals from their existing patients., Just like traditional dentists, periodontists will vary in terms of cost and flexibility of payment.
Talk to each potential periodontist about general pricing, payment plans, and what might be covered through your insurance.
You may also want to call your insurance company to find out which services (and which practitioners) may or may not be covered.For example, your periodontal treatment plan might include:
Deep cleaning and/or root planing.
Dental implant placement.
Surgical procedures (like regeneration) or plastic surgery (like soft tissue grafting). , Read over each practitioner’s website and available pamphlets to get an even greater sense of their practice.
Find out if they put out a newsletter or provide information on their website to help you prevent future gum and/ or bone issues., The basic dental degree is a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).
In order to become a dentist, each practitioner must have earned one of these degrees.
Look online or inquire directly about the presence of such qualifications., A periodontist needs to have completed an additional three-year program that focuses on the biology and procedures regarding gum disease and gum disease treatment.
Make sure that each periodontist has done so.You’ll want to make sure this program was ADA-accredited. , Periodontists may earn national board certification by the American Board of Periodontology (ABP).
In order to do this, they must pass comprehensive written and oral examinations regarding phases of periodontal disease and its treatment.
Additionally, they must present reports on a range of treatments.
Periodontists must be recertified every six years., Finally, you will probably want a periodontist with some experience in the field.
Ask each practitioner how long they have been working as a periodontist, and how long their office has been in practice., In order to get a sense of your compatibility with a given periodontist, you should make an appointment for an evaluation.
A periodontist will examine you and often perform X-rays.
Specifically, the periodontist will look at:
Your head, neck, and jaw joints.
Your mouth and throat.
Your teeth and gums. , Different periodontists have different philosophies of care, and may recommend different treatments.
After your evaluation, ask the periodontist for their diagnosis and treatment plan.
Ask about your options, the specific costs of various treatments, and the pros and cons of each.
Ask about medication and/or pain relief options.Some periodontal procedures include:
Non-surgical periodontal treatment (such as deep cleanings, scaling and root planing).
Dental implant placement.
Periodontal surgical procedures (such as regeneration, pocket reduction, and gingivectomy).
Periodontal plastic surgery (such as gingival sculpting, soft tissue grafting, and ridge augmentation.) , Aside from just the scientific side of periodontal treatment, there is also a personal one.
You will want to choose a practitioner who presents a professional, caring attitude, and makes you feel comfortable.
You will want to make sure that the office staff is friendly and accommodating, as well.Examples of good chairside manner include:
Making direct eye contact.
Explaining diagnoses, treatments, and procedures in a clear way that you can understand.
Answering all questions patiently and effectively.
Having a generally warm disposition. -
Step 2: Ask your friends and family for referrals.
-
Step 3: Read reviews.
-
Step 4: Ask about pricing.
-
Step 5: Read over additional patient education information.
-
Step 6: Check out their degree(s).
-
Step 7: Ask about their additional education on the treatment of gum disease.
-
Step 8: Ensure they have been board certified.
-
Step 9: Find out how long they have been in practice.
-
Step 10: Seek an evaluation.
-
Step 11: Learn about their proposed treatment plan.
-
Step 12: Evaluate their “chairside” manner.
Detailed Guide
If you’ve been instructed to see a periodontist by your dentist, they will usually provide you with a referral.
Dental professionals often work hand in hand, enabling you to receive comprehensive care.
Speak to your dentist about periodontists that they work with and/or recommend., Talk to people you know to see if they have visited periodontists in your area.
Find out if there are any practitioners they recommend, as well as any you should avoid., Numerous websites--such as healthgrades.com, checkbook.org, and even yelp.com--provide ratings, reviews, and comments about medical practitioners.
Read over these comments and reviews.
Additionally, you can ask potential periodontists for referrals from their existing patients., Just like traditional dentists, periodontists will vary in terms of cost and flexibility of payment.
Talk to each potential periodontist about general pricing, payment plans, and what might be covered through your insurance.
You may also want to call your insurance company to find out which services (and which practitioners) may or may not be covered.For example, your periodontal treatment plan might include:
Deep cleaning and/or root planing.
Dental implant placement.
Surgical procedures (like regeneration) or plastic surgery (like soft tissue grafting). , Read over each practitioner’s website and available pamphlets to get an even greater sense of their practice.
Find out if they put out a newsletter or provide information on their website to help you prevent future gum and/ or bone issues., The basic dental degree is a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).
In order to become a dentist, each practitioner must have earned one of these degrees.
Look online or inquire directly about the presence of such qualifications., A periodontist needs to have completed an additional three-year program that focuses on the biology and procedures regarding gum disease and gum disease treatment.
Make sure that each periodontist has done so.You’ll want to make sure this program was ADA-accredited. , Periodontists may earn national board certification by the American Board of Periodontology (ABP).
In order to do this, they must pass comprehensive written and oral examinations regarding phases of periodontal disease and its treatment.
Additionally, they must present reports on a range of treatments.
Periodontists must be recertified every six years., Finally, you will probably want a periodontist with some experience in the field.
Ask each practitioner how long they have been working as a periodontist, and how long their office has been in practice., In order to get a sense of your compatibility with a given periodontist, you should make an appointment for an evaluation.
A periodontist will examine you and often perform X-rays.
Specifically, the periodontist will look at:
Your head, neck, and jaw joints.
Your mouth and throat.
Your teeth and gums. , Different periodontists have different philosophies of care, and may recommend different treatments.
After your evaluation, ask the periodontist for their diagnosis and treatment plan.
Ask about your options, the specific costs of various treatments, and the pros and cons of each.
Ask about medication and/or pain relief options.Some periodontal procedures include:
Non-surgical periodontal treatment (such as deep cleanings, scaling and root planing).
Dental implant placement.
Periodontal surgical procedures (such as regeneration, pocket reduction, and gingivectomy).
Periodontal plastic surgery (such as gingival sculpting, soft tissue grafting, and ridge augmentation.) , Aside from just the scientific side of periodontal treatment, there is also a personal one.
You will want to choose a practitioner who presents a professional, caring attitude, and makes you feel comfortable.
You will want to make sure that the office staff is friendly and accommodating, as well.Examples of good chairside manner include:
Making direct eye contact.
Explaining diagnoses, treatments, and procedures in a clear way that you can understand.
Answering all questions patiently and effectively.
Having a generally warm disposition.
About the Author
Debra Burns
Brings years of experience writing about cooking and related subjects.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: