Periodontal Treatment in Northeast Philadelphia and Lower Gwynedd

When Your Dentist Says "See a Periodontist"

Most people who call us were sent here. Their dentist measured deep pockets, saw bone loss on an X-ray, or noticed the gums pulling back. Many of them already had a deep cleaning, and the problem came back.

Others call on their own. Their gums bleed when they brush. One area keeps swelling. A tooth feels loose, or their gums look shorter than they used to.

Either way, most of them have been working around the problem for a while. They chew on the other side, skip the floss in the spot that bleeds, or wait to see if it settles down. Dr. Fava calls it a background filter: you're always compensating for something, even when you're thinking about something else. It doesn't have to stay that way.

We Treat the Cause, Not Just the Gums

Dr. Fava compares the mouth to the Grand Canyon: rock carved away by water that never stopped flowing. Gum disease works the same way. If a treatment cleans the damage but leaves the cause in place, the water keeps running, and the same problem returns further down the line.

So before we recommend anything, we figure out what's driving it and what it will do over time if nothing changes. Then we build a plan that ends in a mouth you can keep healthy with regular maintenance, not a cycle of repairs.

"We try to get people off the treadmill of always needing quick fixes." Dr. Philip Fava

Your First Visit Takes an Hour, on Purpose

Ask most business consultants and they'll tell a practice to shorten the first visit. Dr. Fava keeps it at a full hour, because that's the time we use to get to know you and gather everything your plan depends on.

1. Meet your periodontist. Your first visit is about an hour, one on one with the doctor. Before anyone talks treatment, they'll ask what's been bothering you, what you've already tried and what you want out of your care.
2. Get the full picture. We read your X-rays before your exam starts. They show the bone and infection no one can see by looking, so your periodontist goes in already knowing what to check. If your dentist took X-rays recently, we'll request them so we start with what you already have.
3. Leave with a plan. Your periodontist walks you through what's going on and what we recommend. Our treatment coordinator then goes over the steps, timing and fees with you.

Those first records also become your baseline. If something changes years from now, we can compare against the old images and often get you treated sooner.

What to expect at your first visit

One Plan, With Your Dentist on the Team

We don't replace your general dentist. We plan alongside them, and when your case calls for it, we bring in an endodontist or orthodontist too. Every specialist works from one shared plan, so each step builds on the last instead of working against it.

After we see you, we send a report to your dentist so they know exactly what we found and what we did. You keep seeing them for cleanings, fillings and crowns.

Dentists can send patients through our referral form.

Your Periodontists

Northeast Philadelphia: Dr. Philip Fava, Dr. Eric Schoenebeck and Dr. Regina Vayner.

Lower Gwynedd: Dr. Philip Fava, Dr. Eric Schoenebeck and Dr. Richard Cutler.

Dr. Fava, the practice's owner, is a board-certified periodontist who teaches more continuing education each year than he's required to take. Our clinical team attends his lectures and study clubs too. In Lower Gwynedd, we built an education center to host them.

Meet our dentists

Periodontal Treatment FAQs