| ✅ Reviewed by Dr. Tom McCawley | 🕒 Reading time: three minutes |
A periodontist is a dental specialist who focuses on the health of the gums and the bone that supports your teeth. While general dentists provide routine dental care, we diagnose and treat conditions that affect the supporting structures around the teeth, including gum disease, gum recession, and bone loss.
What Conditions Does a Periodontist Treat?
Periodontists diagnose and treat diseases that affect the gums and the bone that supports the teeth. These conditions often develop when bacteria accumulate below the gumline and trigger inflammation and tissue damage.
Common conditions we treat include:
- Gum disease
- Gum recession
- Bone loss around teeth
- Peri-implantitis (infection around dental implants)
- Chronic bad breath related to oral bacteria
When gum disease progresses, the supporting tissues around the teeth can become damaged. Our role is to remove infection, reduce inflammation, and stabilize the structures that hold the teeth in place.
Other Procedures Periodontists Perform
In addition to treating gum disease and related conditions, periodontists are trained to perform procedures that rebuild bone and replace missing teeth when necessary. These procedures focus on restoring the structures that support long-term oral function.
Examples include:
- Bone grafting, which rebuilds areas of bone that have been lost due to periodontal disease or tooth loss.
- Sinus grafting, a procedure that adds bone to the upper jaw when additional support is needed for dental implants.
- Tooth extractions, when a tooth cannot be saved due to severe infection or structural damage.
- Dental implant placement, used to replace missing teeth and restore stability to the bite.
These procedures help restore the foundation that supports the teeth and surrounding structures.
Periodontist vs Dentist: What Is the Difference?
General dentists and periodontists both play important roles in oral health, but their training and focus are different.
A general dentist provides preventive and restorative dental care. This includes services such as:
- Dental exams
- Professional cleanings
- Fillings and crowns
- Monitoring gum health
A periodontist completes several additional years of specialized training after dental school. This training focuses on diagnosing and treating diseases of the gums and supporting bone.
When Should You See a Periodontist?
Many patients are referred to us by their general dentist when signs of gum disease or bone loss are detected. We work closely with general dentists to treat advanced periodontal disease, restore damaged gum and bone tissue, and place dental implants when teeth cannot be saved.
Specialized Procedures We Perform
We have received specialized training in several advanced periodontal procedures that are not performed in every periodontal practice.
Specialized treatments we provide include:
- LANAP® laser periodontal therapy, a minimally invasive treatment used to remove diseased tissue and treat advanced gum disease.
- LAPIP® laser therapy, a procedure used to treat peri-implantitis and control infection around dental implants.
- The Pinhole Surgical Technique, a minimally invasive approach used to correct gum recession without traditional gum graft surgery.
- Bad breath treatment, which uses specialized diagnostic testing and patented tongue and throat instruments to identify and treat the bacterial causes of chronic halitosis.
Our focus is always on saving natural teeth whenever possible. If a tooth cannot be preserved due to severe damage or bone loss, dental implants may be recommended to restore function.
Periodontist in Fort Lauderdale, FL
To book an appointment with Dr. Tom McCawley or Dr. Mark McCawley, call (954) 807-4829 or visit 800 East Broward Blvd #706 Fort Lauderdale, FL.
FAQs
Many patients are referred by their dentist. However, you can schedule directly if you have symptoms of gum disease or concerns about your gums or dental implants.
In many cases, yes. By treating infection and stabilizing the bone and gum tissue around the teeth, periodontal treatment can help preserve teeth that might otherwise be lost.
If you are searching for a periodontist near you, McCawley Center for Laser Periodontics provides specialized periodontal care in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Our office welcomes patients from Fort Lauderdale as well as surrounding communities such as Wilton Manors, Plantation, Sunrise, Hollywood, Weston, Dania, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Davie and most of South Florida.
