Study Periodontics

What is Periodontics?

The periodontium is the specialized tissues that both surround and support the teeth, holding them in the maxillary and mandibular bone. As such, periodontics is the dental specialty that involves the study of the periodontium. A periodontist is a qualified dentist who specializes in both diagnosing and treating conditions affecting the gums and periodontium.  

Patients referred to a periodontist may have problems caused by tartar, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Usually, the only treatment needed will be deep cleaning and medication. Periodontists also administer anesthetics in affected areas, extract teeth, interpret oral exams and X-rays, and perform bone and tissue grafts. A large part of a periodontist’s everyday job is performing cosmetic dentistry and placing implants.

Careers in Periodontics

Periodontists definitely like school as it takes eight years to become a dentist and a further three years to become a periodontist! The journey begins by completing a bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology or a related topic. Then there’s the DAT exam to pass to get into dental school. Four years of dental school will earn graduates either a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). A periodontist then studies for a further three years to receive a Ph.d.

Periodontal assistants and hygienists also make up part of a great dental team. Dental assistants need to study for a one-year diploma and hygienists study for three years. Periodontists are big earners in the US especially if they become practice owners in which case they may earn in excess of $200,000. Periodontal assistants earn around $40,000 and hygienists earn around $70,000 per year.

If you’d like to learn more about periodontics then both the American Academy of Periodontology and the American Board of Periodontology have loads of helpful information. You can also take a few moments to watch this video which features Dr. Sandra explaining what a periodontist does.

Learning Periodontics

Becoming a periodontist is a whole lot of school and you'll need to learn a huge amount of medical terminology and scientific concepts. You’ll concentrate on learning by problem-solving and research answers across a number of disciplines to find the best possible solution, as you would for patients in clinical practice.

Brainscape is THE ideal supplementary tool for periodontist students. Using the smart Brainscape tool you’ll efficiently memorize large quantities of medical concepts and terminology, easily. Once you’ve built a strong foundation of medical knowledge; you can concentrate on delivering excellence in clinical practice.

Periodontics in Brainscape

There are thousands of Brainscape flashcards prepared by top dentistry professors and students available to use now, for free. You’ll also find other Brainscape pages useful too such as anatomy, physiology, anesthesia, microbiology, pathology, clinical medicine, radiography, pharmacology, biomedical science, histology, and surgery.

Dentistry is super competitive and you should have high scores in science subjects as well as math. To make sure you have the edge you can use the AP Math, AP Biology and AP Chemistry study guides prepared in partnership with Next Step Test Preparation.

You can also use the Brainscape software to make flashcards with your own coursework. There’s the option of sharing your flashcards the Brainscape community or you can keep them for your personal use.

Learn faster with Brainscape

Brainscape’s unrivaled learning engine is revolutionizing the way people learn. When you study with Brainscape you learn twice as fast and remember longer. As a result, learners are achieving their professional goals and can better manage their study schedules and free time.

The Brainscape system is known as Confidence-Based Repetition or CBR. Three scientifically proven learning methods make up the CBR learning system: active recall, spaced repetition, and metacognition. This combination makes CBR the most powerful education tool on the market. Brainscape is also unique in applying this tool to highly academic content.  

The first learning method in the CBR system is active recall. This is the process whereby information is retrieved rather than simply recognized. During this process the neurons and memory trace are strengthened. Consequently, the next time you attempt to recall the same piece of information it’s easier to retrieve because of the strong neural pathways.

Additionally, CBR incorporates spaced repetition in its learning tool. Hundreds of studies have proven the effectiveness of learning by this method of taking in bite-sized pieces of information at spaced intervals. The flashcard format of Brainscape perfectly mimics this learning method.

What makes Brainscape different is the third learning method of metacognition used in the CBR system. Unlike other computer-aided learning tools, the CBR system is powered by the individual learner’s metacognitive responses. The cognitive science behind Brainscape is complex but the system is seamless for the user.

You might be studying a topic in Systemic Antibiotics and you feel you know the content totally. After reviewing each flashcard in Brainscape, you leave a record from 1-5 to reflect how well you know the subject. In this example, you rate your understanding of the flashcard as a “5”. The algorithm will now place that card back in the pack and won’t repeat that card apart from to recap. That will give you the time you need to focus on your weaker areas--the flashcards you rated lower. You’ll improve quickly and you won’t waste a second, with other computer-aided learning tools and traditional learning you always waste time.

Studying dentistry can push many students to their limits which is why Brainscape is proving to be an invaluable tool for thousands of dental students.

How to get started

Ready to get started making Brainscape your personal learning tool?

Most learners prefer to use the ready prepared flashcards from top contributors. Simply browse through and choose a deck from below such as Acute Perio Disease, Radiographic Interpretation, Localized Antibiotics, and Microbiology.

If you want to use your own content and create your own interactive learning catalog using the Brainscape software then it’s easy and also free. Get started now by clicking on “make flashcards” at the top of the page.

Brainscape is excited about giving students the best educational tools to achieve their professional goals. The Brainscape team wishes you all the best in your Periodontics studies and career.