Diagnosis

Periodontal disease is diagnosed by your dentist or dental hygienist during a periodontal examination.  This type of exam should always be part of your regular dental check-up.

A periodontal probe (small dental instrument) is gently used to measure the sulcus (pocket or space) between the tooth and the gums.  The depth of a healthy sulcus measures three millimeters or less and does not bleed.  The periodontal probe helps indicate if pockets are deeper than three millimeters.  As periodontal disease progresses, the pockets usually get deeper.

Your dentist or hygienist will use pocket depths, amount of bleeding, inflammation, tooth mobility, etc., to make a diagnosis that will fall into a category below:

Gingivitis

Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease.  Plaque and its toxin by-products irritate the gums, making them tender, inflamed, and likely to bleed.

Periodontitis

Plaque hardens into calculus (tartar).  As calculus and plaque continue to build up, the gums begin to recede from the teeth.  Deeper pockets form between the gums and teeth and become filled with bacteria and pus.  The gums become very irritated, inflamed, and bleed easily.  Slight to moderate bone loss may be present.

Advanced Periodontitis

The teeth lose more support as the gums, bone, and periodontal ligament continue to be destroyed.  Unless treated, the affected teeth will become very loose and may be lost.  Generalized moderate to severe bone loss may be present.

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Testimonials

Dr. Bhagwat and Her staffs are tremendously kind and compassionate group of professionals. Being new to California has seem to hindered the "home feeling" I am use to, but not with Dr.Bhagwat! As soon as I walked in I felt very welcomed, and at ease (as I have never liked dentist visits).Dr. Bhagwat is extremely genuine and gave me honest, straight forward recommendations of how my teeth should be taken care of. I can trust her and highly recommend her to all my friends. The best dentist I've ever had!! Thank you Dr. Bhagwat!

Ian S.

I took my children to see Dr. Bhagwat for a routine dental check up. Prior to this, they had been seeing another dentist, and dental visits used to be quite trying with the kids crying and screaming. However with Dr. Bhagwat they were at ease right away, even smiling and giggling through the visit. She is amazing with children and adults alike, very patient and thorough, and takes the trouble to explain things with great care. She also genuinely cares!

Aditi N.

Had a great experience taking my three year old daughter to see Dr. Bhagwat for a cleaning. She was professional and thorough, while at the same time making my daughter feel very comfortable and at ease. I had worried about how my daughter would handle a dental visit, but I needn't have -- she seemed to have a great time and I don't foresee any issues in getting her to come back for followup visits. Separately, I have also seen Dr.Bhagwat about an issue I was having, and was struck by the depth of her knowledge and willingness to do background research to determine the cause of my problem and resolve it. Overall, highly recommend Dr.Bhagwat for adults and children alike.

Bhaskara M.

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