Dental Implants: Using a Periodontist vs. General Dentist to Restore Your Smile

General dentistry and periodontics both focus on the overall health of the mouth, but periodontics is more specialized, offering expertise in gum disease, dental implants and other advanced diseases of the teeth and mouth. As one of the prominent clinics offering periodontal services and treatment for advanced oral health issues in Los Angeles, Southland Dental Care provides the right solutions to meet your smile needs.

Services provided by our clinic vary from what you might receive from a general dentist. While your regular dentist focuses on proper care of your teeth and fixing any trouble spots associated with them, our team focuses on more advanced dental care. We specialize in identifying and treating issues impacting any part of your mouth, including your teeth, gums, and bones.

What Services Does a Periodontist Provide that a General Dentist Does Not?

Services and care provided by a general dentist are typically limited to the actual teeth. They often include routine cleaning of the teeth, tooth fillings and root canals. Most do not provide additional services related to the overall health of your gums and mouth.

Due to the extensive training around bones and soft tissue in the mouth, a periodontist has the knowledge and experience to treat more advanced oral healthcare issues. Gum disease treatment, dental implants and bone grafting are just a few of the services provided by the periodontists at Southland Dental Care. Other services we provide include:

  • Gum Disease Stage Identification
  • Gum Recession Treatment
  • Gum Bleaching
  • Ridge Augmentation and Preservation
  • Crown Lengthening
  • Gingivectomy
  • Tissue Regeneration
  • Scaling and Root Planning
  • Periodontal Maintenance
  • Full Mouth Reconstruction
  • Dentures
  • Invisalign
  • TMJ Treatment

Why Should You Choose a Periodontist for Dental Implants?

As mentioned previously, inserting dental implants requires advanced training that most general dentists don’t have. General dentists are trained in matters of the teeth. Knowing how to clean and examine teeth for any trouble spots is their specialty. Should a patient have a cavity or more serious issue with their tooth, the general dentist has the training necessary to provide a tooth filling or root canal to remove the bad part of the tooth and stop additional damage from occurring.

A periodontist on the other hand has extensive training and experience about teeth as well as the gums and bones within the mouth. This extensive knowledge is necessary in order to provide patients with dental implants. Installing dental implants in your mouth is a surgical procedure as the implants are attached to your bone. You want an experienced professional with the proper training to manage this significant of a procedure, so a general dentist just won’t do. A skilled periodontist, like Dr. Delaram Hanookai in Los Angeles, has the right knowledge and experience needed to ensure that your dental implants are a success.

What is an Implantologist?

An implantologist is a dentist that specializes in implanting dental implants in your mouth. Like periodontists, these professionals have extensive education and experience in adding dental implants to a patient’s mouth. A general dentist can obtain a specialty in implantology, which provides them with the training necessary to install dental implants. However, they often lack additional training about the gums and bones. Having experience in the soft tissue and bones of the mouth is critical when getting dental implants as any signs or issues of disease could be an early indicator for potential implant failure. This is why choosing a periodontist rather than an implantologist is a better option if you are