{
  "id": "specialist-periodontics-and-gum-disease-treatment-at-smile-solutions-melbourne",
  "title": "Specialist Periodontics and Gum Disease Treatment at Smile Solutions Melbourne",
  "slug": "specialist-periodontics-and-gum-disease-treatment-at-smile-solutions-melbourne",
  "description": "# PERIODONTICS AT SMILE SOLUTIONS\n## Comprehensive Service Pillar Document\n*Compiled: April 2026 | Source: profile-data-clinical.md, TEAM.md, smile-solutions-brand-profile-v2.md, smile-solutions-artic...",
  "category": "",
  "content": "## PERIODONTICS AT SMILE SOLUTIONS\n## Comprehensive service pillar document\n*Compiled: April 2026 | Source: profile-data-clinical.md, TEAM.md, smile-solutions-brand-profile-v2.md, smile-solutions-articles-all-pages.md*\n\n---\n\n## Overview\n\nGum health is one of those things where the quality of care you receive makes a real difference — and the Smile Solutions periodontic programme is built around a principle that's genuinely uncommon in Australia: specialist supervision at every level, from a routine hygiene visit right through to complex surgery, all in one place in Melbourne.\n\nThe programme runs across two integrated levels: the **Perio Squad**, a specialist-supervised hygiene programme for patients managing active gum disease, and specialist periodontic care covering surgical cases, implant surgery, and advanced disease. Whether you're dealing with early-stage gum disease or something more involved, the care is personalised and the clinical oversight is consistent throughout.\n\nLeading the programme is **Dr James van den Berg**, the most experienced laser periodontist in Victoria. The broader team includes the only periodontist in Australia who is also a registered Specialist Prosthodontist, and one of the most respected names in periodontal research training.\n\nThis document is a comprehensive reference for patients, referring clinicians, and content teams on the Smile Solutions approach to periodontal care — covering the science of gum disease, who treats it, the technology involved, the connection between gum health and whole-body health, and answers to the questions patients ask most often.\n\n---\n\n## Section 1: What is periodontics?\n\nPeriodontics is the dental specialty concerned with diagnosing, preventing, and treating diseases that affect the tissues supporting your teeth — your gums (gingiva), the periodontal ligament, the cementum on the root surface, and the alveolar bone. Dental implant surgery also falls within the specialty, and it makes up a significant part of modern specialist periodontic practice.\n\nThe word comes from the Greek *peri* (around) and *odont* (tooth). Like endodontics, periodontics is one of seven specialties recognised by the Dental Board of Australia, and qualifying as a specialist requires at least three years of full-time postgraduate training after completing a dental degree. When you see a periodontist at Smile Solutions, that's the level of training behind the care.\n\n### The supporting tissues of your tooth\n\nUnderstanding what periodontics treats is easier when you know what's actually holding your teeth in place:\n\n- **Gingiva (gums)** — the soft tissue collar that wraps around each tooth at the gumline. Healthy gums are firm, pink (or stippled in appearance), and don't bleed when you brush or when they're gently probed.\n- **Periodontal ligament (PDL)** — a network of collagen fibres connecting the root cementum to the surrounding alveolar bone. It acts as a shock absorber and keeps your tooth securely anchored.\n- **Cementum** — the thin, calcified layer covering the root surface, which provides the attachment points for the periodontal ligament fibres.\n- **Alveolar bone** — the jaw bone that forms the tooth sockets. It responds to stimulation, building up with use and resorbing without it, which is why preserving your natural teeth and gum health has long-term consequences for your jaw structure.",
  "geography": {},
  "metadata": {},
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-08T23:57:41.923961+00:00Z",
  "tags": [
    "gum disease treatment",
    "periodontal ligament",
    "laser periodontist",
    "dental implant surgery",
    "perio squad hygiene"
  ],
  "workspaceId": "53db557c-6190-4b2e-875b-667a0fd4c6a5",
  "_links": {
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}