Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck around your neck. 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.

If you have gum pockets that haven’t responded to other treatments, then we may recommend osseous surgery for treating your swollen gums.

This is necessary in order to create an environment that will be easier to keep clean, reducing the risk of infection and further destruction of the tissues surrounding your teeth. This surgical procedure is used to smooth and reshape the bone affected by gum disease, creating a shallower pocket that is harder for bacteria to colonies.

During this gum disease surgery, we will thoroughly clean the exposed root surfaces, smoothing them so it is harder for bacteria to grow and multiply. This procedure also makes it easier for the body to begin fighting the infection and repairing damaged tissues.

When you visit our dental office, we will identify the teeth that require treatment. This is generally done by gently probing the area in between the gum and the tooth and measuring the depth to which the probe can be inserted.

After measurement of your periodontal pockets, a periodontal pocket reduction procedure may be recommended because the pockets you have are too deep to clean with daily at-home oral hygiene and a professional care routine.

The specific goals of surgery include:

REDUCING BACTERIAL SPREAD:

Bacteria from the mouth can spread throughout the body and cause other life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and respiratory disease. Removing deep tartar and thereby bacteria can help reduce the risk of bacteria spreading.

PREVENTING BONE LOSS:

The immune system’s inflammatory response prompted by periodontal bacteria can lead to bone loss in the jaw region, and cause teeth to fall out. Osseous surgery seeks to stop periodontal disease before it progresses to this level.

ENHANCING THE SMILE:

Mouths plagued with periodontal disease are often unsightly. Brown gums, rotting teeth, and ridge indentations can leave a person feeling depressed and too self-conscious to smile. Fortunately, osseous surgery can help reduce bacteria and disease and thereby restore your mouth to its former radiance, while restoring confidence at the same time.

FACILITATING HOME CARE:

As the gum pocket deepens, it can become nearly impossible to brush and floss adequately. Osseous surgery reduces pocket size, making it easier to brush and floss, and thereby prevent further periodontal disease.

OSSEOUS SURGERY IF SCALING AND ROOT PLANING HAVE FAILED

In addition, the gum tissue may also look red and inflamed and is more likely to bleed quite easily during brushing or even when very gently probed. We will suggest osseous surgery if other treatments such as scaling and root planing have failed to reduce the depth of your gum pockets and where the pockets are beginning to worsen or deepen.

During this procedure, Dr. Kaeley 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.

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.

SMALL GUM TISSUE INCISION UNDER LOCAL ANESTHESIA

Osseous surgery can normally be carried out under local anesthetic and involves making a small incision into the gum tissue. This creates a flap which can be lifted away from the tooth and underlying bone allowing our periodontist to see the extent of the infection.

CLEAN THE ROOT SURFACE

The next step is to thoroughly clean the root surface. Once all the infection has been removed, the exposed bone is smoothed as it will have been roughened by the infection. A smooth surface aids healing and makes it much easier for the gum tissue to re-attach itself.

REMOVE UNHEALTHY TISSUE

Once the area has been cleaned and smoothed, the gum tissue is trimmed so all the unhealthy tissue is removed, and this will create a nicer effect once the area heals. Finally, the flap of gum tissue is stitched back in place.

After the procedure you may be prescribed a pain medication. Stitches will be removed in 6-10 days unless dissolving stitches are used. About a month after surgery, an appointment should be scheduled to check on the healing of the area. Because some gum tissue is trimmed during the procedure, the tooth may appear longer in the mouth. This may cause increased sensitivity to hot or cold.

Dr. Kaeley, located in Turlock, CA, is a periodontist who serves patients from Dublin, Pleasanton, Danville, Blackhawk, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Castro Valley and Pleasant Hill. We are looking forward to welcoming you to our office and encourage you to schedule your appointment today!

For more information about gum or bone graft procedures, talk to our top periodontist, Dr. Kaeley or contact our Turlock, CA office at 209-632-5744.