At the beginning of my activity as a dental surgeon I was interested in all dental disciplines that's why i
practised them for several years.
I practised surgical periodontology for about ten years following the technics I had been taught during my studies at the Garancière University and then my training in the United States (New York University and Philadelphy
University).
I was very unsatisfied with the results, observing that in spite of very sophisticated
interventions to repair the periodontium (sanitation flaps, bone fillers, grafts), the periodontal bags
did not always closed as well as the patient and I were hoping. And it was usually necessary to intervene again to treat what was then called refractory or recurrent periodontitis.
The treatment was painful and too invasive on already diseased gums and bone.
The healing process was subsequently leading to significant tissue loss, aggravating the decay process already
underway.
It was after a trip to Burma that my vision of periodontology changed.
Indeed, following insufficient hygienic conditions, my own periodontal health deteriorated very quickly
and my gums started to bleed abundantly, something that had never happened to me.
With my knowledge of periodontics, I considered different treatments.
There was no way to operate on tissues that had just become infected, without risking my teeth
becoming loose and thus accelerating the inevitable process of tooth loss.
It must be said that at that time, and not so long ago, the probability of losing one's teeth was still
very high.
Having studied biology for 3 years before my dental studies, I wondered about the pathogenicity of
dental plaque.
What could I have caught in those far-off lands to find myself in such an infectious situation?
So I looked for a competent person in the dental world who could enlighten me on this subject and
propose a coherent treatment.
It was then that I discovered a Canadian, Dr Mark Bonner, who, during a practical training session,
suggested that I look at my oral flora under the microscope.
What I saw that day determined my new approach to periodontal treatment.
Today I am convinced that with non-invasive treatment and well supervised prevention the loss of
teeth due to periodontal disease can be stopped.
Since then I have been practising a discipline called medical periodontology for the greater health of
my patients and myself.