While not as common as routine dental visits, periodontal care plays a significant role in your oral health. Many individuals may not even know about the special treatments provided by a periodontist. For this guide, we answer the question: how often should you see a periodontist? We break down what typical visit timelines look like according to the severity of symptoms.
What Treatments a Periodontist Provides
A periodontist treats periodontal disease, which is a chronic condition of the gums and tissues that support your teeth. If left untreated, periodontal disease can eat away at tooth support, eventually leading to tooth loss.
A periodontist helps slow (and then stop) the progression of gum disease. Thus, their treatments center around alleviating this inflammation and restoring oral health.
Treatments Include:
- Dental Cleaning: Keeping plaque and tartar off your teeth plays a central role in stopping gum disease.
- Scaling and Root Planing: Part of what makes gum disease such an issue is how it hides under the gums. This deep cleaning treatment gets under the gums to eliminate hard-to-reach bacteria and buildup.
- Gum or Bone Grafting: Helps restore tissue or bone eaten away by gum disease.
- Dental Implants: If gum disease has caused tooth loss, a periodontist can help restore them with implants.
- Gum Treatments: Various treatments that bolster or restore gum health. Not all patients will need these supplemental treatments.
How Often Should You See a Periodontist?
The ideal situation for a patient would be to never need a periodontist visit. Peak oral health means you have no issues with your gums. However, the reality is different for millions of Americans. Knowing how often you should see a periodontist will depend on a few factors.
Each patient will have their individual treatment plan. So, these are only general outlines of typical time frames.
Every 4 to 6 Months: Mild Cases
During the early stages of gum disease, you will need only the occasional visit. You still have time to stop the disease from progressing without much risk. However, you still need to maintain vigilant care.
These visits typically will include a deep cleaning once, followed by routine cleanings at each visit. Once your gum inflammation subsides, you can resume with only the occasional check-up.
Every 3 to 4 Months: Moderate Cases
A moderate case of gum disease may begin to show some notable wear on your gums. While your teeth might not feel loose, the support for them may be permanently weakened.
The goal with treating this stage is to stop the progression and restore gum health ASAP. This is a critical time, requiring frequent visits. You may also need to supplement at-home hygiene with special periodontal products.
If you notice an increase in your symptoms, you may need to schedule a visit sooner. With gum disease, the best path forward is to stay on top of it.
Every 1 to 3 Months: Severe Cases
In the later stages of gum disease, your smile is at risk. The support structures for teeth may be so weakened that your teeth can move in your gums. Eventually, you may lose your teeth (without treatment).
See your periodontist frequently, and follow all at-home instructions. Sometimes, the visits may be nothing more than simple check-ups. But these are also vital. Close monitoring of gum disease can allow for timely responses to any additional issues that arise.
Contact your periodontist for any worsening symptoms, especially tooth loss.
Variable According to Treatment
If you are in the middle of a treatment, you may have a variable visitation schedule. For example, while receiving dental implants, you may need more frequent visits. It all depends on your current treatment plan.
What If I Have Not Been Diagnosed With Gum Disease?
Just because someone does not have a diagnosis does not mean they do not have gum disease. Many patients may put off visiting a dentist because they do not notice any symptoms.
Indeed, the early stages of gum disease may not be noticeable to the average patient. By the time you begin noticing signs like bleeding gums, you may already be in the early stages.
We recommend attending routine dental visits twice a year. This interval gives you two opportunities per year for your dentist to spot any abnormalities and plan according treatment.
Visit the Best for Your Next Appointment
David Kao, DDS, has served as a leading periodontist in Los Angeles for years. He brings the same high standard of care to every treatment for every patient.
