Periodontics Treats Bad Breath, Swollen &/or Bleeding Gums

     Periodontics (Gum Therapy) treats bad breath, swollen and/or bleeding gums and a bad taste in the mouth that is caused by bacterial infection.  A Periodontist is the dental specialist who treats gum disease.

     Many patients are mistaken in their belief that dental cleanings are trivial and high volume managed care insurance offices are sufficient for this kind of work.  The truth is the skills of individual hygienists vary as greatly as those of dentists and high volume offices will typically schedule patients in 15 – 30 minute time slots whereas premium practices will typically schedule patients for one hour.  (Who has time to sterilize the room between patients??)  If bacteria is left behind after a poorly performed cleaning then the ravages of tooth decay and gum disease may progress unnoticed by the naked eye.  Patients may only begin to notice years after the damage has occurred.  A Periodontist should be available to diagnose these problems early especially since most dentists fail to diagnose gum disease.

     A combination of early gum disease diagnosis, early preventive therapy and bacterial cultures with species-specific antibiotic regimens should dramatically reduce the need for gum surgery in a premium, conservative periodontal practice.  Our practice sends cultures to the Oral Microbiology Testing Lab at Temple University School of Dentistry.  Our office is relatively rare in providing this service but the reader will agree after a review of the literature on the National Institute of Health's U.S. Government website (www.NIH.gov).  The results we obtain are quite significant.

     If a patient still needs gum surgery then all the initial preventive care described above should dramatically reduce the amount of teeth involved. 

     There has been a lot of recent press regarding the relationship between periodontal and cardiovascular (heart) and other diseases.  There is a lot of truth to this and is one reason why we have been obtaining periodontal bacterial cultures of our patients for 23 years.  It is logical that the presence of chronic bacterial infection anywhere in your body is unhealthy; why leave it in your mouth?  Again, refer to the NIH website to review  'periodontal and cardiovascular disease' for an unbiased, scientific opinion.  Most patients in our office who demonstrate significant periodontal infection are referred to an internist and cardiologist for examination.

--Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman, Director
The Center for Special Dentistry
NYC