A periodontist is a dentist who has completed an 2-3 years additional study after becoming a Dentist. The training is done at accredited university graduate level specialty programs in periodontics and then the candidate must pass board exams to become a Registered Specialist in Periodontics.
Periodontics is the specialty of dentistry that deals with maintenance of support structures such as bone and gums around the teeth and dental implants.
In addition to the diagnosis and treatment of gum disease, periodontists are trained in occlusion as well as surgical procedures including bone grafts, soft tissue grafts and the placement of dental implants.
Many of the advanced techniques used in the field of dental implants such as guided bone regeneration, gum and bone grafting, “immediate” implants and sinus lift procedures were developed by Periodontists.