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Surgery for Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is a gum disorder that can affect the health of your teath as well as your overall body. It can be prevented and treated in a variety of ways, from practicing proper dental hygiene at home to going in for regular professional cleanings. When standard treatment is not effective, there are more aggressive options. This includes three different surgical techniques that can be very effective in treated advanced periodontal disease and reversing its damaging effects.

  1. Definition

    • Surgery for periodontal disease refers to one of three procedures that can be done to treat advanced periodontal disease. Initially this disease can often be treated by non-surgical methods such as professional dental cleanings and a home routine of brushing, flossing, and mouthwash. When the periodontal disease is advanced, those methods might not be effective, so surgery is the next step.

    Necessity

    • Advanced periodontal disease must be treated because if it is not, it can have permanent health consequences. It can trigger tooth loss and other health problems, such as coronary artery disease and stroke. This is caused by bacteria traveling through a person's blood stream. If non-surgical techniques cannot treat this, surgery is the next step.

    Flap Surgery

    • Flap surgery is also referred to as pocket reduction surgery. It is typically performed by a periodontist, and it can be done under local anesthetic. The periodontist makes surgical incisions in the gum. He lifts back sections of tissue and exposes the roots of the teeth. This allows them to be planed and scaled more thoroughly than they can be in a regular dental cleaning. If there has been bone loss, he may recontour the underlying bone before suturing the cut gum tissue back in its proper place. According to the Mayo Clinic, this surgery usually lasts between one and three hours.

    Soft Tissue Grafts

    • A soft tissue graft involves taking tissue from the roof of the mouth and moving it to the gums. It is done under local anesthetic. Soft tissue grafts are often done when periodontal disease has caused so much tissue loss that the patient's teeth look longer than normal. It keeps the gums from receding any further, covers any exposed roots, and restores a pleasing cosmetic pleasing appearance.

    Bone Grafts

    • Bone grafts use some of the patient's own bone or donated or synthetic bone to prevent tooth loss. Advanced periodontal disease can destroy the bone around a person's dental roots, allowing them to loosen and potentially fall out. Grafts hold the teeth in their proper place and act as a platform on which natural bone can begin to regrow. They can be performed under local anesthetic. According to the Mayo Clinic, bone grafts are often combined with guided tissue regeneration. In the regeneration process, biocompatible fabric is placed between teeth and bones to keep out unwanted tissue and allow bone to regrow itself in the area. There is also a special gel that can be applied to the roots to stimulate bone and tissue growth.

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