Periodontal Surgery

What to Expect from Periodontal Surgery

What is periodontal surgery?

It’s a surgery to improve the aesthetics and function of a smile damaged by gum disease. This can include periodontal disease surgery to correct the gums, teeth, or bone.

A severe infection below the gum line, called periodontitis, can lead to:

Gum recession
Gum damage
Bleeding gums
Painful gums
Loose teeth
Tooth loss
Bone loss
Other health problems like heart disease and stroke

If you have signs of gum disease or haven’t maintained great oral hygiene (this includes skipping dental check-ups), then it’s important to get your teeth and gums examined by a dentist. A gum infection is a progressive disease that shouldn’t be ignored.

Believe it or not…

Some signs go unnoticed for years, so it’s especially important to maintain regular dental visits so a dentist can spot signs of periodontitis or risk factors early on.

Periodontal surgery options include:

Dental crown lengthening to remove excess gum or bone tissue on a tooth
Soft tissue graft to reduce gum recession and protect the tooth root from damage
Bone graft and tissue graft to prepare for a dental implant or restabilize an existing tooth
Gum grafting to place healthy tissue around a tooth experiencing severe gum recession
Bone morphogenic protein (BMP) to help stimulate the body to create new bone
Gum flap surgery or pocket reduction surgery to separate teeth from gums temporarily to clean the infected root

Is periodontal surgery necessary?

When gum disease is at an advanced stage, the damage cannot be reversed, and periodontal surgery is necessary.

Yes, you read that right.

Periodontal disease is not reversible. The good news is, it can be controlled, treated, and your smile can be restored.

As you know, gum damage and bone loss can’t regenerate on their own.

So the sooner gum disease is diagnosed and treated, the faster and less expensive the treatment options are.

This all depends on the extent of damage, and with the most severe cases of periodontitis, dental implants may be required to replace a missing tooth. And based on bone loss, there may be prep work needed for the jawbone to properly support the implant.