After many years of neglecting my teeth due to having had a very traumatic childhood experience at a dentist, I had developed periodontal disease that was quite severe. At the insistence of my regular dentist, I agreed to see a periodontist for what I knew was going to involve painful gum surgery. I had heard many horror stories about periodontal gum surgery, and so when I learned about the possibility of having laser gum surgery I was thrilled. I researched for quite sometime the periodontists in my area and Dr. Scharf's name kept coming up as being one of the best. Dr. Scharf performed my laser surgery on 10/27/09 and 10/28/09, and the experience was absolutey painless. Dr. Scharf absolutely has magic hands. He is a highly skilled periodontist. Prior to my surgery, I had very deep pockets on many of my teeth, ranging from 5 to 8. Almost immediately after surgery, my pocket depths were reduced to 2s and 3s, with just one tooth having a 4. Since my surgery, I visit Dr. Scharf every three months for a perio cleaning. The hygienists there are GREAT, as are the rest of Dr. Scharf's staff. It's not hard to see that Dr. Scharf takes the selection of his staff very seriously. Everyone there is terrific! My last visit was just the other day, 6/13/13, and Jamie (she is wonderful!) did a charting of my gums. My pockets are still 2s and 3s, almost 4 years after my surgery. I couldn't be more thrilled. Part of my orignal laser surgery treatment involved occlusal adjustments. I had a total of six adjustments. This was very necessary in order to correct my bite. Having a correct bite is very important when you have bone loss. Teeth become weakened and any excess or inappropriate biting force can make matters worse. Reducing pockets is the first step in treatment, but making sure your bite is correct is also an important part of treatment. \r
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All of my experiences with Dr. Scharf and with all of his staff, since my very first contact with him back in October of 2009, has been nothing but positive. He runs a very orderly and professional practice. His staff has always been friendly and professional to me, and their genuine interest in a patient's comfort and well being is most obvious from the moment you walk into the office. Appointment times are honored almost to the minute, which is not very common today. I am completely pleased by the outcome of the laser surgery that Dr. Scharf performed on me, and I couldn't be more grateful. I find Dr. Scharf's knowledge of the current research in dental medicine to be one of his greatest strengths, in addition to his ability to relate to patients in a comforting and reassuring way. His friendly and relaxed manner is most refreshing. Going for periodontal surgery was an extremely difficult decision for me. I am so very glad that I chose Dr. Scharf.
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