Periodontal Specialists of Montana P.C.
Periodontics
50 27th Street West Suite D, Billings, MT 59102
406-655-7970
Please assist us at the time of your initial visit to the office by providing the following information:
We encourage our referring offices to utilize electronic transfer to provide us a copy of your information and x-rays. Further, we encourage you to fill out your patient registration and medical history form on this web page to expedite your appointment.
It is very important that you provide us a complete list of medications and supplements you are currently taking as well as allergies or adverse reaction you may have had to medications in the past.
Please notify the office if you have a medical condition or concern prior to surgery (e.g. artificial heart valves or joints, heart murmurs requiring pre-medication, severe diabetes, or hypertension.)
If your dentist has paper copies of this information, please arrange for your referral documents and x-rays be sent from your dentist's office or you can bring them with you to the appointment.
If you have dental insurance, please bring any forms or insurance cards with you to the appointment.
Please Note: Any patients who are under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the consultation appointment.
During your first visit Dr Manhart and his staff will complete an in depth medical and dental health history and a thorough examination to measure for bone loss, loose teeth, bite, oral cancer screening, TMJ and other signs of periodontal and dental disease.
You will have a consultation with Dr Manhart after the examination to provide you the opportunity for any questions to be answered. During this time your condition and therapy options will be discussed and a final treatment plan arrived at. Some cases require further consultation with other specialists as well as with your family dentist prior to setting a treatment plan. In these cases, a separate consultation time will be arranged for you at no additional cost.
We will be as gentle as possible. Discomfort during the examination is directly related to the degree of infection present in the tissue. Most periodontal exams can be completed with little or no discomfort.
We will need current periodontal x-rays in order to see disease not otherwise visible. If your referring dentist has taken x-rays, you may request that they be forwarded to us electronically or by mail. Depending on the specific situation, we may need to take additional x-rays to see all areas affected by gum disease.
Since all patients are different, Dr Manhart must complete an examination before establishing your treatment plan and the fee for care. The fee for periodontal treatment can vary considerably depending on the type of problems and the complexity and length of treatment. An approximate fee can usually be determined at the initial visit; but on occasion, some initial treatment or further diagnostics must be completed before the final treatment plan can be established. Our philosophy of practice is to treat as conservatively as possible to attain treatment goals.
Dental insurance policies often cover a portion of periodontal treatment. Please bring all medical and dental benefit information and cards to your examination appointment. Upon request, we will submit a claim to predetermine your insurance benefits; however, this is not required by most plans.
Not everyone needs periodontal surgery. If treated early, gum disease can be controlled without surgery. We will make recommendations based on your individual situation. Our philosophy of practice is to treat as conservatively as possible to attain treatment goals.
The recent advances in periodontal treatment allow us to successfully treat most teeth. Unfortunately some teeth can be difficult to maintain due to the degree of one loss or other concurrent dental problems. Fortunately, advancing technology in tooth replacement, allow very natural replacement of teeth that may be too severe to treat successfully.
Our office and your Dentist will work closely together. If crowns and fillings are needed your Dentist will provide them. Regular visits to your Dentist are an important part of periodontal maintenance. Our ultimate goal is to shift as much of your care back to you home office while still keeping your condition healthy and stable.
Periodontal disease is a progressive, painless infection. Delay will result in further bone loss necessitating more involved treatment and more expense. If your teeth are lost, it is important to remember that conventional dentures replace only 20% of the chewing capacity of the missing natural teeth. Consequently it is important to maintain all the natural teeth you can.