Surgical Treatments

Surgical treatments

If gum disease is caught in the early stages, non-surgical procedures can be performed to remove plaque and calculus from below the gum line and disrupt the bacteria causing infection. If the disease has advanced to the point where periodontal pockets are deep and the supporting bone is lost, as in more advanced cases of periodontal disease, surgical treatment will probably be necessary.The goal of treatment is to remove calculus from deep pockets around the teeth, shrink the pockets so that these areas can be managed with regular home care and smooth the root surfaces to allow the gum tissues to heal properly.

Pocket depth reduction (osseous surgery)

Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like the cuticle on your nail. When you have periodontal disease, this supporting tissue and bone is destroyed, forming "Pockets" around the teeth.

Over time, these pockets become deeper, providing a larger space for bacteria to live. As bacteria develop around the teeth, they can accumulate and advance under the gum tissue. These deep pockets collect even more bacteria, resulting in further bone and tissue loss. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth will need to be extracted.

Dr. Vravick has measured the depth of your pocket(s). A pocket reduction procedure has been recommended because you have pockets that are too deep to clean with daily at-home oral hygiene and a professional care routine. During this procedure, dr. Vravick folds back the gum tissue and removes the disease-causing bacteria before securing the tissue into place. In some cases, irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide. This allows the gum tissue to better reattach to healthy bone.

What are the benefits of this procedure?

Reducing pocket depth and eliminating existing bacteria are important to prevent damage caused by the progression of periodontal disease and to help you maintain a healthy smile. Eliminating bacteria alone may not be sufficient to prevent disease recurrence. Deeper pockets are more difficult for you and your dental care professional to clean, so it`s important for you to reduce them. Reduced pockets and a combination of daily oral hygiene and professional maintenance care increase your chances of keeping your natural teeth – and decrease the chance of serious health problems associated with periodontal disease.

Osseous surgery (flap surgery):

This procedure is performed to further clean and reduce periodontal pockets following scaling and root planing. You cannot predictably keep deep pockets clean and free of plaque just by brushing and flossing. The pockets may still be or have become too deep even for your dentist or hygienist to clean. Dr. Vravick may decide that surgery is necessary to remove plaque and calculus below the gumline. He will reduce the pockets and position the gum tissues on the bone, where they naturally should be, to eliminate areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide.

Regenerate or "Regrow" tissue:

Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth. If the disease is not resolved, gum and bone attachment to the teeth continues to be destroyed. Plaque moves down the roots of the teeth, resulting in infection which may cause more serious damage to the bone that supports the teeth. Those teeth affected may become loose and eventually may need to be extracted. Dr. Vravick may recommend surgery to attempt to regenerate or "Regrow" gum and bone tissue that has been destroyed, so that you can keep your natural teeth. These procedures can reverse some of the damage by regenerating lost bone and tissue.

During this procedure, dr. Vravick folds back the gum tissue and removes the disease-causing bacteria. Membranes (filters), bone grafts or tissue- stimulating proteins can be used to encourage your body`s natural ability to regenerate bone and tissue.

There are many options to enhance support for your teeth and to restore your bone to a healthy level. Dr. Vravick will discuss your best options with you.

What are the benefits of this procedure?

Eliminating existing bacteria and regenerating bone and tissue helps to reduce pocket depth and repair damage caused by the progression of periodontal disease. With a combination of daily oral hygiene and professional maintenance care, you`ll increase the chances of keeping your natural teeth – and decrease the chances of serious health problems associated with periodontal dis

Gingivectomy (laser surgery):

This is a surgical procedure used to reduce pocket depth by recontouring the gum tissues, without the need to reduce or recontour the underlying bone. Remember the gum tissues follow the contour of the bone. If there are bone defects as a result of the periodontal infection, osseous surgery will be necessary. The gingivectomy procedure is usually performed by dr. Vravick using a carbon dioxide (co2) laser

Expose more tooth structure for dental repair (crown lengthening): there are many times that a tooth is decayed or broken below the gumline. This tooth can only be restored improperly or extracted. With the aid of periodontal surgery, we can adjust the gum level and expose more of the tooth so the dentist can now repair the tooth damage properly by getting the proper marginal seal.