If you have a serious gum infection, known as periodontal disease (periodontitis), you will need treatment. This procedure can:
- Remove bacteria from beneath your gums
- Make it easier to clean your teeth
- Reshape the bones that support your teeth
- Prevent future gum damage
- Regrowing damaged bones and tissues
- Prevent tooth loss
- Reduce gum gaps between teeth
- Eliminating bacteria, calculus and inflamed and infected tissue
People with severe or advanced disease around their gums and the tissues that support their teeth are usually candidates for periodontal surgery.
If you have gum disease, your symptoms might include:
- Gums that are swollen, red, or bleeding
- Deep pockets that form between your gums and teeth
- Loose teeth
- Pain when chewing
- Bad breath
- Gums that recede or pull away from your teeth
- Change in tooth position
Nonsurgical Treatments
If periodontitis isn’t advanced, treatment may involve less invasive procedures, including:
- Scaling. Scaling removes tartar and bacteria from your tooth surfaces and beneath your gums.
- Root planing. Root planing smooths the root surfaces, removing further build-up of tartar and bacteria, and removes bacterial by-products that contribute to inflammation and delay healing or reattachment of the gum to the tooth surfaces.
- Antibiotics. Topical or oral antibiotics can help control bacterial infection.
- Tissue-stimulating proteins. Another technique involves applying a special gel to a diseased tooth root to promote tissue reinsertion.
Periodontal surgery procedure
There are different types of surgical options. We will determine what type of surgery or surgeries are appropriate for your specific condition.
Flap surgery
With this common procedure, the periodontist will make small cuts in your gum and lift a section of tissue back. Then, he will remove tartar and bacteria from your tooth and from under your gums. The gums are sutured back, so the tissue fits firmly around your teeth. Once you heal, it will be easier to clean areas on your teeth and gums.
Bone Grafting
When the bone that surrounds the root of the tooth is damaged or destroyed, a person may need a bone graft. This procedure involves replacing the damaged bone with new bone. This bone may be the person’s bone, a manufactured bone, or donated bone.
Guided Tissue Regeneration
During this procedure, our periodontist will place a small piece of mesh-like material between a person’s bone and gum tissue.
The material prevents the gum from growing into space where bone should be, allowing the bone and connective tissue to regrow.
Tissue Grafting
During this procedure, the periodontist normally removes tissue and places it in an area where there are gum defects such as gingival retractions around the teeth or atrophic endentulous ridges, that is, where the gum is deficient in width and height due to tooth loss. The tissue generally comes from the palate.
Cirugia Periodontal Recovery
Typically, you can have a little discomfort afterwards like any type of dental surgery, for which you will be prescribed pain relievers so that the discomfort is mild.. You should be able to resume many normal activities about a day after your procedure.
Smoking can interfere with how your body heals after surgery.
We may suggest that you use a special mouth rinse or take an antibiotic after your surgery. You might not be able to brush or floss in certain areas of your mouth until they’ve healed.
Typically, people will require pain relief medications in the days after gum surgery.
The dentist will schedule an appointment to return to the office for 1–2 weeks time. During this appointment, the surgeon will check how the gums are healing and, if required, remove any stitches.
A person’s gums will look and feel different after surgery. The gums and teeth will heal, tighten, and become firmer and stronger. Some people may have tooth sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures and may find relief by using desensitizing toothpaste this is generally temporary.
For more information on periodontal surgery, please request an appointment now for a prior evaluation.