Does it matter if my dentist or a Periodontist treats me? Is it the same treatment?

All dentists and dental hygienists are qualified to provide treatment for gum disease. But just as in every field, some dental teams are more up to date than others.

All will graduate with foundation knowledge and some undertake hundreds of hours of extra professional training afterwards.

Some use high magnification (essential for vision towards the back of the mouth and below the gum line).

Beyond this, Periodontists do extra post-graduate qualification(s), sometimes 3+ years of further training in gum health and further research to advance the field. This means they are specialists with more experience as they only take care of patients with gum conditions.

We recommend you communicate openly with your dental team. Ask them who is best placed to help you and why.

In more aggressive or unique forms of the condition, it may be that your general dentist and their team will refer you to a specialist Periodontist depending on the nature of your condition (and the unique factors affecting you) regardless.