Periodontist

Typically where disease is advanced, where non-surgical treatment has not achieved the improvement expected at reassessment, where the pattern of bone loss is unusual for your age, or where surgery, grafting or regenerative treatment is being considered. Many cases are managed perfectly well in general practice. Asking why you are or are not being referred, and what the reassessment numbers show, is a reasonable question either way.

Many do, and implant placement sits within periodontal practice alongside management of the tissues around implants. Oral surgeons, prosthodontists and general dentists also place implants. The relevant question is not the title but the training and experience of the individual clinician with cases like yours, who restores the implant if someone else places it, how the two coordinate, and who is responsible if a complication arises.

Often yes, to some degree. Surgery removes inflamed tissue and reshapes bone so the area can be cleaned, and the gum then sits at its true level instead of the swollen one, so recession that was already present becomes visible, and spaces between teeth may open. This should be explained before surgery, not discovered afterwards, particularly for front teeth. Root sensitivity afterwards is also common and usually improves.

For gingivitis, yes: inflammation confined to the gum resolves fully with effective cleaning. For periodontitis, no: bone and attachment already lost do not return, and treatment stabilizes the disease instead of curing it. Maintenance at an interval set by how your disease behaves is then indefinite. Framing it as a managed condition is what makes the ongoing maintenance make sense instead of feeling like an endless upsell.

It varies, and it should be agreed explicitly, not left ambiguous. Some patients alternate between the periodontist and the general dentist; others return to general practice entirely once stable. What matters is that the interval is set by disease behavior instead of convention, that someone is charting and comparing your numbers over time, and that both practices know what the other is doing.

A periodontist is a dentist who completed an additional accredited postgraduate program specifically in the tissues supporting the teeth, and handles the surgical and advanced end of gum disease, access surgery, regenerative procedures, grafting, that general practice and hygiene care do not perform. Routine periodontal maintenance and non-surgical treatment are frequently handled well within general practice, with referral reserved for advanced or non-responding disease.

It uses grafts and biological materials to attempt to regain some lost bone and attachment in specific defect shapes: it is not a general treatment for gum disease but a targeted option for particular anatomical patterns. Results vary by defect shape, patient factors like smoking, and the specific technique. Ask whether your specific defect is one where regeneration has a reasonable evidence base before committing.

It can, which is exactly why maintenance is indefinite instead of a fixed course. Periodontitis is managed, not cured: the disease process can reactivate if plaque control lapses or risk factors like smoking or uncontrolled diabetes are not addressed, which is why ongoing charting and a maintenance interval matched to your risk matter as much as the initial treatment.

Generally no: lost bone and attachment do not regenerate on their own. Specific regenerative procedures can achieve partial regain in selected defect shapes. This is why the emphasis in periodontics is on stopping disease progression and maintaining what remains instead of expecting a full reversal, and why earlier intervention produces a better long-term result than treatment after extensive loss.

Initial healing of the gum tissue typically takes one to two weeks. Full maturation of the tissue and stabilization of any recession takes longer. Recovery specifics depend on the extent of surgery and the individual. Ask what to expect for your specific procedure, including any dietary restrictions and how soon you can resume normal brushing in the treated area.

Often partially, as a major service, and it is subject to the same annual maximum, waiting periods and alternate-benefit considerations as other major dental treatment. Because periodontal surgery can be a substantial expense and ongoing maintenance afterward is frequent, a written pretreatment estimate covering both the surgery and the anticipated maintenance interval is worth obtaining before committing.

Yes: smoking is one of the strongest modifiable risk factors for both the progression of periodontal disease and the success of its treatment, including healing after surgery and grafting. A periodontist will typically discuss this directly, since treatment planned around continued heavy smoking may have a different realistic prognosis than the same treatment with smoking addressed.