Periodontal health is the foundation on which every other aspect of oral health depends — and at Metro West Dental and Implant Institute in Creve Coeur, MO, it receives the specialist-level attention it genuinely deserves.
Dr. Khaled Y. Shabany completed three years of post-graduate periodontic training at Northwestern University Dental School and has spent more than 30 years in clinical practice applying that specialty expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of periodontal disease and its consequences. Periodontics at Metro West Dental and Implant Institute is not an ancillary service offered alongside general dentistry — it is a core clinical specialty that defines the whole-patient approach at our practice and informs every restorative, cosmetic, and implant treatment decision made on every patient’s behalf.
The Link Between Periodontal Health & Overall Health
One of the most important clinical realities Dr. Shabany wants every patient to genuinely understand is that periodontal disease does not stay confined to the gums and bone surrounding the teeth. The chronic bacterial infection and inflammation of active periodontal disease allow bacteria and inflammatory mediators to enter the bloodstream, contributing to the systemic inflammatory burden associated with cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes complications, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and respiratory conditions. You cannot address one aspect of your health while ignoring another and expect good long-term results — and for patients managing systemic conditions that both influence and are influenced by periodontal health, the proactive treatment approach at Metro West Dental and Implant Institute is not simply dentally important. It is medically significant.
What Is Periodontal Disease & Its Stages?
Periodontal disease develops when bacterial biofilm accumulates along and beneath the gumline and triggers an inflammatory response that progressively destroys the gum tissue and bone supporting the teeth. The condition advances through recognizable stages that determine both the urgency and the nature of the intervention required:
- Gingivitis — The earliest and only fully reversible stage, characterized by red, swollen, bleeding gums without bone loss, responding well to professional cleaning and improved home care when identified and treated promptly
- Mild to moderate periodontitis — Bacteria have penetrated beneath the gumline, forming periodontal pockets and initiating bone loss that requires more intensive professional treatment to manage and stabilize
- Advanced periodontitis — Significant bone loss has occurred, teeth may be mobile, and the risk of tooth loss without aggressive specialist intervention is genuinely elevated
Common symptoms that warrant prompt professional evaluation include bleeding gums during brushing or flossing, persistent bad breath, gum recession, tooth sensitivity, increasing tooth mobility, and any pain or swelling in the gum tissue.
Our Periodontic Services
Scaling & Root Planing
The foundational non-surgical treatment for active periodontal disease — a thorough deep cleaning that removes bacterial deposits from beneath the gumline and smooths the root surfaces to discourage future bacterial reattachment. Performed under local anesthesia for complete comfort, with oral sedation available when needed.
Antibiotics
Localized or systemic antibiotic therapy is incorporated when bacterial levels and clinical response indicate that additional antimicrobial support will meaningfully improve treatment outcomes — always based on specific clinical findings rather than applied routinely.
Gum Surgery
When non-surgical treatment does not adequately reduce pocket depths or when anatomy makes thorough subgingival cleaning impossible without surgical access, periodontal surgery provides the direct visualization needed to address disease at a level that scaling alone cannot reach.
Gum Grafting
Soft tissue grafting procedures rebuild lost gum tissue volume — protecting exposed root surfaces from sensitivity and decay, restoring the natural gum contour, and strengthening the zone of attached tissue that protects against further recession and periodontal breakdown.
Bone Grafting
When periodontal disease or tooth loss has caused significant bone destruction, bone grafting procedures rebuild the lost volume — restoring the structural support surrounding affected teeth and creating the foundation that implant placement depends on for long-term stability.
Crown Lengthening
Surgical reshaping of the gum tissue and supporting bone to expose additional tooth structure — supporting restorative treatment when insufficient tooth structure is available above the gumline, or improving smile aesthetics when excessive gum display affects the visual harmony of the smile at Metro West Dental and Implant Institute in Creve Coeur, MO.
Call our office or book your periodontal consultation online today.