Periodontics

What is Periodontics?

Periodontics is the dental speciality which involves surgical and non-surgical periodontal management of the hard and soft (gum) tissues that support the teeth. This includes the reconstruction of soft tissue and bone deficits (tissue recession), often referred to as 'plastic surgery for the gums'.

What is gum disease?

This occurs in many adults, where teeth lose their soft tissue and bone support, leading to tooth sensitivity, unsightly gaps between teeth, root decay and even loss of teeth. Routine gum (periodontal) treatments, eg tooth and root scaling, are performed by general dentists and hygienists. However, there are very few specialists in periodontics – these are dentists with additional training and qualifications in the provision of advanced gum treatments and dental implants.

What’s does specialist periodontal treatment do?

Non-surgical treatments include deep cleaning of infected gum tissues. Surgical work, the ‘plastic surgery of dentistry’, involves tissue grafts to reconstruct lost soft tissues (for severe gum recession), cosmetic sculpting of the gum and bone tissues, plus all aspects of dental implantology.

Examples of our Periodontics

Gum reconstruction and augmentation of the teeth: This patient had widespread gum recession causing an elongated appearance of the teeth, and gaps ('black triangles') where the inter-dental gum tissue was absent. Treatment involved gum reconstruction and augmentation of the teeth using tooth-coloured materials.

Recontoured gum: Periodontal surgery has recontoured the gum and underlying bone height of these incisor teeth, to create a much more proportionate and aesthetic appearance (complimented by dental veneers).

Gum tissue graft: This patient had suffered severe localised loss of gum tissue, and was suffering chronic tooth sensitivity. Treatment involved a gum tissue graft to reconstruct the lost tissue and cover the exposed tooth root surface.

Gum tissue graft:
‍These lower incisors teeth have suffered from gum infection & recession, resulting in tooth sensitivity & mobility.
Our specialist has cleared the infection & grafted gum tissue to provide an optimal (natural looking) aesthetic and functional result.

Our specialist Periodontists

Emiliano Zanaboni

Dr Emiliano is a member of several implant and periodontal academies, and is a mentor for the Implant Dental Association.

He works in several prestigious London clinics and has taught for many years on the Masters Postgraduate Periodontology (University of London) course at both the Eastman Dental Institute and Guy’s Hospital.

Dr Zanaboni undertakes both surgical and non-surgical aspects of specialist periodontal (gum) treatment. He has a particular interest in the management and reconstruction of soft tissue deficits, eg tissue recession.

Find out more

Tilemachos Makropoulos

Dr Makropoulos graduated from the University of Thessaloniki, Greece in 2014. He subsequently spent a year in the Greek Military (Special Forces Unit) working as a dentist and gained further experience for a year in general dentistry in a private practice in Greece. Tilemachos then relocated to the UK where he practised general dentistry for three more years.

Since 2020 Tilemachos has also been working in private practice limited to periodontics and he now limits his practise to Periodontics and Implant Dentistry.