Question to periodontists

[cleorkwk]

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I heard traditional periodontics (I guess they are talking about sinus life, crown lengthening) is dying, well mainly from OMFS residents, and periodontists are shifting to dental implants. Does this mean there are not enough procedures to do, or does it mean periodontists are shifting to dental implants b/c it's just more lucrative? What if majority of GPs start to place implants in near future, then is periodontists truly out of job? I'm curious. Thank you for you reply.

 

[djeffreyt]

It is likely that the pool of periodontists needed will shrink as more GPs do things like place implants and do their own crown lengthening, graft placements, but it's not a dead specialty. There are lots of GPs both young and old who don't want to deal with the headaches of placing implants, doing sinus lifts, crown lengthenings, etc.

I have had three periodontists I referred to now and previously, all three place implants.

I don't refer too often, I can count only five referrals in the last month or so. One for progressive severe bone loss without normal etiologic factors, two for implants, one for two crown lengthenings, and one for NUP.

 

[cleorkwk]

Thank you for your reply. Anyone else's opinion?

 

[charlestweed]

It's how you market your practice. Going from door to door to drop the referral cards at numerous GP offices is not enough. You must spend time communicating with the GPs. This applies not only to perio but to ortho, OMFS, endo as well.

The reason perio disease has been largely ignored by both the patients and many general dentists is that it is a painless disease. Patients won't brush/floss their teeth the way they supposed to no matter how much you tell them. By the time the patients come to see the periodontists, it is too late.... too much bone loss and teeth can't be saved. This is why periodontists are doing more implants than they did in the past.

 

[DrJeff]

IMHO, there will always be a significant percentage of GP's who won't want to do any of the forementioned procedures that periodontists commonly perform, but also who if it was up to them, the ONLY time they'd pick up a scaler is to remove any excess temporary or permanent cement from a crown!

Just like there will always be a significant number of GP's who won't take out any teeth other than a "just hanging on by a single PDL fiber" deciduous tooth or do any endo.

If a periodontist can find an area where there's even a few GP's who do essentially no perio work, BUT REALIZE it's needs for their patients, then she/he will be all set

 

[TheToothsayer]

Has anyone else been involved with a wilckodontics case? An ortho I worked with sent my patient to a perio to take care of an impaction.

I don't know if the role pf the perio is necessarily shrinking. We still need perios. As everyone else has said, the GPs do a lot more now.

Personally, I'm against the GPs doing ortho or perio work. Even if they've taken extensive courses - people take on loans and go to school for an additional 2-3 years for their perio/ortho/endo work.

Aren't there people who still go to the butcher or Farmer's market as opposed to Publix or Kroger?

 

[bigstix808]

i think the typical "perio surgery" that has been done for decades is fading a bit, but with that said, there is a periodontist in a small town near where i live and has placed a single implant. he strictly does perio-esque procedures.

another point pro perio is that, yes, many GPs are placing implants, but when all these implants that are being placed go south, who is going to manage them? this is very new to dentistry (not failing implants, but trying to manage periimplantitis) and there is growing research as to why the implants fail and what appropriate therapy is needed to fix it, if it can be fixed. perio guys just simply keep up with that more than GP's.

 

[badabigboom]

i think the typical "perio surgery" that has been done for decades is fading a bit, but with that said, there is a periodontist in a small town near where i live and has placed a single implant. he strictly does perio-esque procedures.

another point pro perio is that, yes, many GPs are placing implants, but when all these implants that are being placed go south, who is going to manage them? this is very new to dentistry (not failing implants, but trying to manage periimplantitis) and there is growing research as to why the implants fail and what appropriate therapy is needed to fix it, if it can be fixed. perio guys just simply keep up with that more than GP's.

whoever claims they're the specialists of implants --when real crap happens, they all call OMFS