Patient Information

Dentists treat a range of general oral health conditions while a periodontist is a registered dentist with a higher level dental specialist registration who treats moderate to severe oral health conditions relating to gum disease (periodontal disease) or perform cosmetic and reconstructive procedures that at times are beyond the scope of practice for general dentists.

Some dentists are experienced enough to manage and perform mild treatment for gum disease and may also perform dental implant surgeries. Whereas a periodontist is a surgeon who has additional years of study, is specialised in their specific field and provides a higher level of care and skill acknowledged by the AHPRA registration.

Think of your general dentist similar to that of your GP or regular doctor who would diagnose a heart condition, for example. While a periodontist is like a specialist your GP would refer you to, like a heart surgeon or cardiologist, who would perform heart surgery and provide a specialist level of care for your heart.

In gum disease (periodontal disease) treatment, they are cleaning the gum blindly when it is all infected and swollen. Periodontal specialists have highly trained tactile sensation to debride and clean under the gum rather than relying on vision alone. When indicated, surgeries may be performed. These are the skillsets that set them apart to provide high success rate in treating patients suffering from gum diseases.

A periodontist performs such surgical tasks as gum grafting, bone grafting, flap surgery (cleaning below the surface of the gums), dental implant surgery, gum reshaping, lip repositioning, periodontal debridement and scaling and root planing (removing tartar and bacteria).

A periodontist is highly skilled and specialises in diagnosing and treating gum disease (periodontal disease).

There are several signs that indicate you need to book an appointment with a periodontist. If you experience any of the following symptoms, please book an appointment with our friendly team:

• You have noticed a change in your bite. Often when chewing or talking your teeth can feel as if they have shifted and are off-centre.
• You have red, swollen or bleeding gums. This may occur consistently during the day or night or become present or worse when brushing or flossing. It is commonly described by patients where the toothpaste they spit out is pink or red rather than white. This is one of the more obvious signs that you have some form of gum disease (periodontal disease).
• Your teeth feel loose. Your teeth may feel loose generally or you may notice when chewing or clenching. This may be a sign that you have thinning of the bone in your jaw and serious infection.
• Your gums have receded. If you think your teeth look extra long in general or you have gaps between your teeth along the gum-line, you may have gum recession.
• You have oral pain or discomfort. If your pain or discomfort cannot be specifically traced to a particular tooth, and is more of a general feeling, this could be a sign of a more serious issue and a need to see our team at Kiama Dental Specialists.
• You have bad breath.

Important to note: Severe gum disease is not usually painful and unfortunately when identified the condition can be quite severe already. Just like no one go to the GP claiming they can feel pain or a mass/ lump is growing in their liver or intestine and unfortunately when identified they are Stage 4 or terminal. Bleeding gum is your first sign of gum disease even if you don’t find pain or discomfort.