Periodental Surgery

I mentioned various ways to help fight gum disease if a scaling (deep cleaning) is not sufficient in my last post. Here, I will be explaining those procedures more in depth, so if you are ever faced with having to make a decision of which to do, you may do it knowledgeably. Before I start however, I want to emphasize that these procedures should only be done if recommended by your dentist, and the non-surgical procedures did not work.

Pocket Reduction occurs when the gum tissue around your teeth begins to deteriorate and forms a gap or "pocket" between your teeth and gum. This space provides bacteria with a place to live which is hard to clean without professional help. As the bacteria grow, more tissue will be lost and eventually will lead to bone loss. If not corrected, these pockets of bacteria can lead to extraction of the tooth. During the actual procedure your dentist will pull back the gum line and remove the disease-causing bacteria. They may also smooth any rough tooth surfaces to help prevent bacteria from getting into these nooks. The tissue will be reattached to the bone, decreasing the pocket space. This is an important step because only removing the bacteria does nothing to prevent it from reoccurring. Reducing the pockets along with daily oral care will help to prevent future problems.

Regeneration is similar to pocket reduction. It is recommended when the bone supporting your teeth has been lost. Through this treatment, the bone and tissue can be built back up. The procedure is just like that of pocket reduction; the disease-causing bacteria are removed. Membranes, bone grafts or tissue stimulating proteins can be taken to increase your body's natural production of these.

Crown Lengthening is a procedure that exposes more of your natural tooth. If your smile shows lots of your gum and your teeth look rather small, they can easily be repaired. Your teeth are probably a normal size, but the gum line is lower than most peoples. This procedure can be done to one tooth or several. It provides better esthetics of the gum line, and your confidence in your smile. Your dentist may recommend this procedure for reasons other than esthetics. If a tooth is decayed, broken below the gum line, or there is not enough bone structure to do a restoration (a crown or bridge), this procedure may be done to remove the excess tissue to show more of the tooth to work with.

Soft Tissue Grafts is almost like a reversal of crown lengthening. Soft tissue grafts are recommended to patients who have gum recession, leading to exposed roots which make the tooth look longer and increased sensitivity to hot and cold. The recession can occur from several sources, namely periodontal disease and rough brushing. The procedure includes your periodontist inserting tissue grafts from either your own palate or from a donor, into your gum line. This can be done on one tooth, several, or the entire gum line. The surgery will lead to covered roots, decreased sensitivity, and better esthetics.

Information for this post provided by American Academy of Periodontology