Associates in Periodontics
Periodontics- Dental Implants
Dr. Rick Lindeberg & Dr. Dave Johnson

Hours: Monday-Friday 8-5
1120 East Elizabeth, G5
Fort Collins, CO 80524
(970) 221-5050, (800) 999-4867

1. How much will this hurt?
2. How can I pay for this?
3. Do you accept insurance benefits?
4. Is Gum Disease Inherited?
5. Where do you get the bone for bone grafts?
6. What about synthetic bone materials?
7. Are bone grafts safe?
8. What's the best tooth paste to use?
9. Should I get an electric or sonic tooth brush?
10. What is Emdo gain?
11. What is Perio stat?
     

How much will this hurt?

Every effort will be make to make your visit here as comfortable and pain free as possible. Most procedures are accomplished under a local anesthetic (except maintenance) to ease any discomfort. We offer traditional injections, the new Dentsply Oraqix® needle-free local anesthetic, intravenous sedation, nitrous oxide, and oral pre-medications. Post-operatively we prescribe pain medications and antibiotics to promote a fast, comfortable healing period.

Needle Free Local Anesthetic
Our office has the new Dentsply Oraqix® local anesthetic system that allows us to place an anesthetic gel into the gel pockets to numb them before scaling and root planing without having to administer shots first. It works quickly and painlessly 90% of the time. So if your fear of needles is keeping you from coming in, ask us about this new system.

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How can I pay for this?

We are happy to make payment arrangements available to make these procedures more affordable. With an appropriate down payment, the balance can be paid off over three months. We do not charge interest, as long as monthly payments are kept current. We will integrate any insurance payments along with your payments. Please talk to our financial arranger to set up a payment schedule. We also offer CareCredit which allows an extended payment program of 6-12 months with no interest. It takes only a few minutes to get you qualified.

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Do you accept insurance benefits?

Yes. We are happy to allow you to let the insurance company pay their portion directly to us, releasing you of the responsibility of paying the entire bill yourself. Bring your insurance card, any forms which are necessary with you to the office when you come for your appointment.

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Is Gum Disease Inherited?

Recent studies have demonstrated the fact that we've knows for a long time; gum disease is genetic. These studies have identified a gene present in about 30% of the population that is significantly correlated to the presence of periodontal disease. That doesn't mean that just because your parents or grandparents lost their teeth to periodontal disease that you will too, but it does mean you need to be increasing vigilant to make sure you take extra special care of your teeth and gums and have them checked and cleaned frequently to stay ahead of any potential problems.

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Where do you get the bone for bone grafts?

There are a number of sources of bone material available today. While bone can be harvested from your chin, hip or previous extraction site, it does require a second surgical site and therefore, most people choose to have bone that come in a bottle used for bone grafts.

Puros® is a freeze-dried bone allograft material procured from donors in a surgically sterile environment and then processed using a patented solvent dehydration technique. It is terminally sterilized to assure no transmission of any bacterial or viral components.

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What about synthetic bone materials?

There are other types of bone materials that can be used to treat the osseous defects including PepGen P-15™ (a bovine achilles tendon material), Capset® (a calcium phosphate material), and Perio-glass (a bio-active glass of calcium phosphate and various hydroxyapatites). Except for PepGen P-15™,  these materials provide a filler for the defect and have not demonstrated a regeneration.

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Are bone grafts safe?

In one word, Yes! As long as the bone is procured from tissue banks that are accredited by the American Association of Quality Assurance.  They check to assure the quality and safety of the material. All donors are screened for medical, social, and family histories. Blood samples are tested using some of the most complicated and technically advanced tests available today.  Acceptable tissue is recovered by trained medical personnel under strict and sterile conditions. The actual processing of the tissue has been shown to inactivate several viruses including HIV. So you can be assured of a surgical sterile product that has never been shown to transmit an infection or cause an immunologic response. 

For additional information on bone grafts visit www.tissue.redcross.org

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What's the best tooth paste to use?

There is no magic bullet out there that's going to cure gum infections by just brushing your teeth with toothpaste or rinsing with mouthwash. Probably, the most important thing to remember is to make sure that the toothpaste has fluoride in it. Beyond that, it is a matter of personal choice. I do like Colgate's Total, as it has an antiseptic Triclosan in it, as well as anticalculus agents. For those who have sensitive teeth, Crest Sensitive Teeth formula or Sensodyne will help.

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Should I get an electric or sonic toothbrush?

There are many advertisements out there toting this toothbrush being better than that one, both manual and electric. You do not need to use electric toothbrush if you do not want to. You can do just as thorough, if not better, with a soft bristled manual toothbrush, but if you want to invest in an electric one I would suggest sonic brushes, (Sonicare from Phillips Oral Health or Sensonic by Teledyne Waterpik). In fact, for those of you close to Fort Collins, the outlet mall has a Teledyne shop there and you can purchase the brush wholesale. If you are interested, be sure to check these out, they may make taking care of your teeth easier.

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What is Emdogain?

Emdogain represents a new biological approach to the regeneration of all the periodontal supporting structures including cemetum, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Emdogain is a protein matrix made by recombinant DNA technology that is the same protein (enamel protein matrix) that forms the teeth and supporting structures in infants. After a periodontal defect has been cleaned out, the material is injected into the defect and the area is closed with sutures. Over time this material has been shown to promote regeneration of the entire periodontal attachment apparatus.

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What is Periostat?

Periostat is an altered form of the antibiotic doxycycline that is used to help control the breakdown of the gum and bone tissue by capitalizing on the anti-collegase activity of the antibiotic. Collegase is an enzyme produced in the presence of inflammation that breaks down connective tissue. Connective tissue is what hold your teeth in your jaw, so if we can interfere with that breakdown event, we can slow up the progress of periodontal disease. The material is a prescription drug that is taken every day. A generic is also now available.

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