Examination and Consultation

Your first appointment in our office will be an examination and consultation.  This appointment will last approximately one hour.    We will provide you with a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices for your review and signature at that time.  Please bring a list of all medications you are currently taking including nonprescription.  If you require an antibiotic pre-med one hour prior to dental visit, you MUST take your prescription for this appointment.  Following a review of your history with our Dental Assistant, Dr. Fortman will perform a thorough periodontal examination.  He will then review his findings with you and discuss treatment options.

Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing

If necessary, periodontal scaling and root planning to remove the plaque and calculus will be recommended.  Your dentist’s dental hygienist may have done this already.  It will not be repeated.  If you require an antibiotic pre-med, you MUST take your prescription for this appointment. The hygienist will begin the appointment with oral hygiene instructions.  She will then begin to remove plaque and calculus under the gum tissue that harbors bacteria.

Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures

The following lists describe the surgical procedures that Dr. Fortman performs.  All surgeries are minimally invasive.  Because these procedures are minimally invasive, our patients recover faster, have less discomfort, and have a very low risk of infection.

Supportive Periodontal Therapy

You will begin periodontal therapy appointments once your treatment has been completed. Research tells us the harmful bacteria that are responsible for periodontal disease become active after 90 days.  We recommend periodontal therapy appointments every three months. These appointments will alternate between our office and your dental office.  This allows us to work as a team with you, your dentist and your hygienist in monitoring your periodontal health.   Along with removing the bacteria, our hygienist and the hygienist at your dental office will continue to look for signs and symptoms that the disease is active again.

It is common and perfectly normal to have some degree of apprehension prior to your periodontal treatment. We provide conscious sedation to make your treatment more pleasant and comfortable.  Conscious sedation is a safe, drug induced state in which you are conscious and pleasantly relaxed, yet free of fear, anxiety and apprehension.

Conscious sedation is different than general anesthesia and does not carry the inherent risks associated with general anesthesia.  Dr. Fortman is trained in the safe and effective use of conscious sedation.  He is an active member of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.  After reviewing your health history, Dr. Fortman will prescribe a sedative to be given to you orally in our office.  Our surgical assistant and Dr. Fortman will monitor you during your entire treatment.

We will be happy to submit your dental benefit claim and do our best to maximize your benefits. Please be aware that due to plan choices, we do not know what your coverage will be.  Dental Benefits are not comparable to Medical Insurance.   Dental Benefits are intended for the healthy patient to simply assist in their dental care.  If you do not carry Dental Benefits, we would be happy to submit your Medical Insurance for your surgical procedure. If you have been diagnosed with any systemic conditions, for example, diabetes, cardiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis, we will submit both your Dental Benefits and your Medical Insurance.  There is no guarantee that Medical Insurance will benefit you.

Dr. Fortman’s recommendation for treatment is dependent on what he finds in his comprehensive examination and what the best treatment for each of his patients is.  It is not dependent on your insurance benefit.  Therefore, we are not members of any dental plans.