Frequently asked Questions
Referred Patients
Some aspects of dentistry may require specialist input. This is because it may be more complex to treat or that it is beyond the scope of practice or skillset of a general dentist. Your dentist, hygienist or therapist may refer you for a second opinion or for treatment if they feel that they need some support from a specialist in periodontics who has had further training in the field.
Your dentist, hygienist or therapist may have some additional experience, training and skills to carry out some aspects of treatment, and where possible we will work with your dentist to carry out any routine care that needs to be carried out alongside specialist treatment. Specialist Periodontists have had a further 4 years of training n the field, which means they can treat more complex problems or more severe disease. This may include non-surgical and surgical treatments.
Whilst gum disease commonly shows early signs like bleeding and sore gums, it can be a ‘silent disease’ and cause bone loss and slowly loosen the teeth without causing many symptoms at all. This is why it is important to have regular check ups of your oral health.
No, this will not cover your specialist treatment. Your monthly plans cover will continue to cover your routine care and hygiene appointments and specialist treatment can still be provided alongside this but would be payable separately. There are various options for payments including finance options or in house plans.
Your own hygienist can treat you if the problem is fairly simple. Often when patients are referred to us, their hygienist or therapist has done their best and there may be some aspects that need further attention by a specialist because they are not responding as well as other areas. Localised or generalised severe disease can be complex to treat and it is not always possible for your hygienist to treat this. We like to work with your hygienist so that simple aspects of your treatment or regular maintenance visits can be with your hygienist too.
If we recommend that part of your treatment plan is carried out with our hygienists it is because our hygienists work regularly to treat patients with more severe gum disease. As a specialist periodontal practice, we treat lots of patients with gum problems and our hygienists have had further training and are usually more experienced having worked closely with a periodontist. They can also work under our prescription and treatment plan so that the specific aspects of treatment can be carried out as required.
No, you would continue to see your regular dentist for your routine care. We are specialist periodontists and do not carry out routine general dentistry. We would recommend that you continue to see your dentist to have regular check ups during specialist treatment, so that they can still keep a check on your teeth. We will be focusing on your gum health or any aspects your dentist has asked for our help.
If you have gum problems, you would not be suitable to have cosmetic work, including teeth straightening or replacing missing teeth with dental implants, until your gum health is stable. Carrying treatments out whilst you have active gum disease could make the gum problems worse and may lead to a worse outcome.
Depending on the gum problem, the treatment time may vary. If you have been diagnosed with gum disease,on average it takes approximately 12 months before you are in a stable position. This is because there would be periods of time (usually 3 months) whilst the gums are left after treatment, before measurements can be taken again. As we are dealing with biology, it takes time and it varies between individuals.
The best thing that you can do to improve your outcome is to follow the personalised brushing routines that have been recommended as well as work on improving lifestyle factors that may be influencing your gum health (improving diet, reducing stress and exercising regularly).
