Minimally Invasive Periodontal Therapy: Clinical Techniques and Visualization Technology

The long-term success of periodontal therapy is dependent on proper diagnosis and removal of subgingival tooth-borne accretions in the form of calculus and bacteria. From a clinical perspective, better visualization during the diagnostic and therapeutic phases has been shown to yield better results compared to traditional approaches.Minimally Invasive Periodontal Therapy evaluates the advantages of using minimal invasive techniques, the technologies available for enhancing visualization during minimally invasive therapy, and step-by-step illustrates the clinical use of each technique. Each chapter addresses the advantages and disadvantages of minimally invasive therapies, rationale for the approach, and the advantages and limitations of each of the current methods of improving visualization. The chapters then provide an evidence-based review of the technologies and procedures, and end with case studies for each visualization procedure, featuring clinical photographs.

About the Author

Stephen K. Harrel, DDS , is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and maintained a private practice limited to periodontics in Dallas, Texas for over thirty years. He is also President of Texas Medical and Dental Designs LLC, and an adjunct professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Harrel's research has been in minimally invasive periodontal therapy, occlusion and periodontal disease, periodontal treatment outcomes, and infection control. He has contributed chapters to textbooks and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Harrel lectures throughout the U.S. Thomas G. Wilson, Jr., DDS , is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and has a private practice limited to periodontics in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Wilson has lectured extensively on a national and international level and is the author of numerous professional publications and books on periodontics and implant dentistry. He is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio Dental School and Baylor University College of Dentistry and has served as editor-in-chief of an international dental journal and associate editor of the Journal of Periodontology.