Periodental treatment - NHS or private?

OlivierMarshal

Good afternoon,

After an orthodontic treatment in my 20s, I started to have a number of recessions on my teeth and went to see a Periodontist in London for a gum graft on one tooth. The periodontist assessed a mild periodontal disease and told me that no surgery could be done before a 6-month long periodontal treatment, involving five appointments for 'supportive periodontal therapy' with a hygienist, at a cost of £850. I was also told that I had some significant bone loss. Being new to London, I registered to an NHS dentist which told me that the cost seemed excessive and that he could treat me on the NHS band within two sessions and regular check-ups on a 3-month basis.

Given that, if needed, I could afford a private periodontist, which option would be better suited in the long term? I would trust as much a dentist than a hygienist to treat gum disease, especially if the treatment cost is less, but there seems to be a lot of shortcomings in periodontal treatments on the NHS. I am also unsure if the periodontist would accept to perform a graft after I have seen another practice for the periodontal treatment.

Thank you for your help.

Olivier

brook2jack

The majority of controlling periodontal disease is done not by the dentist but by the patient themselves. Your best ,first move is to become meticulous in cleaning your teeth and gums.

That means flossing or using tepe brushes every day, giving up smoking, if you smoke, and controlling diabetes , if you have diabetes.

seeing a dentist or hygienist to remove calculus (tartar) and to have them check your cleaning regime is also a part of this initial stage.

A dentist should be able to monitor how well your health improves with x rays and measurements of gum health after these simple steps and refer you to a periodontist , if necessary, after this. However referral to a periodontist will be private as it is virtually impossible to get perio treatment such as grafts on the NHS. Any periodontist will happily see you after NHS treatment.