Patient Information

Choosing an Excellent Dental Surgeon Oak Brook IL

What Is A Periodontist?

A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal (gum) conditions and in the placement and maintenance of dental implants. Periodontists receive extensive training in these areas, including three additional years of education beyond dental school.

By choosing a specialist, you will benefit from the latest procedures for treating periodontal disease and for placing dental implants tailored to your needs. In addition, we perform cosmetic periodontal procedures to help you achieve the smile you desire.

Choosing an Excellent Dental Surgeon

Choosing a dental surgeon is the most important decisions you'll make after deciding to undergo treatment. The surgeon's skill, experience, personality, and other issues should be taken into account before committing to any procedure.

Surgical procedures are not "one size fits all" solutions and having the right surgeon can mean the difference between a successful or failed treatment. Aside from listening to your own intuition about the dental surgeon you are considering, you will also want to consider the following three qualities.

Level of Care

You should be completely comfortable with your surgeon so that you can proceed with your procedure with confidence. You should have the opportunity to have a face-to-face meeting with the surgeon, have the opportunity to express your concerns, and then have the procedure explained to you thoroughly. Most importantly, you should never proceed with a surgical procedure until you have all of your questions answered.
A surgeon who rushes in and out of the room during a consultation conveys a different message about patient care than the surgeon who spends time talking to the patient about his or her condition and concerns. After meeting with a prospective dental surgeon you should feel that the surgeon ultimately has your best interest at heart.

Ask yourself this question. How can quality patient care be given if the dental surgeon is not sincerely interested in you and your overall goals?

Qualifications

There are two very different ways dentists learn advanced surgical procedures:

  1. Two to four years of post-graduate surgical training in periodontology and implantology, or oral surgery; or
  2. A weekend course or two.

Who would you rather have on your side?

Post-graduate training is much more extensive than a weekend course and the residency involves photographing and professional scrutiny of complex patient cases as well as daily seminars for intensive educational benefit. This not only gives dental surgeons the experience and expertise they'll need to prevent common mistakes, but it also helps them perform surgical procedures with a higher degree of efficiency. If complications arise, would you rather have an experienced and educated dental surgeon or someone who has limited surgical training?

A skillful surgeon who is dedicated to his or her craft will have also completed many hours of continuing education each year to keep abreast of all the latest advances.

Instrumentation

The most skilled surgeons use the most advanced instrumentation available to improve patient care and the overall outcome of the treatment. The key to successful dental surgery goes far beyond technology, however. After all, merely having state-of-the-art equipment does not necessarily mean that the dental surgeon will be a talented user of that equipment. In short, the surgical equipment is only as good as the surgeon who uses it.