Perio Surgery

After the initial phase or the non-surgical treatment of the gum disease, the condition of the disease may require a more definitive treatment.  Periodontal surgeries are usually done after a re-evaluation of the non-surgical treatment.   Some patients will respond well enough to the non-surgical therapy, so that a regular maintenance cleaning a few times a year will be needed.  Others may not respond well enough and some type of periodontal surgery will need to be done to regain and maintain the periodontal health.  There several reasons for doing periodontal surgeries to control the disease.

1. To make it easier for the patient to clean the teeth and gums at home.

Sometimes, overgrown gum tissues make proper brushing and flossing almost impossible.  By removing some excess tissues and recontouring the gum tissue and the underlying bone, it will be easier to maintain the gum tissues and teeth healthy.

2. Deep cleaning is just not enough sometimes.

Deep cleaning or Scaling and Root Planing will remove dental calculus (tartar), but it is impossible to remove all the small pieces of tartar completely, especially when the cleaning is done by tactile sense alone (cleaning by feeling what is on the root surfaces under the gum tissues).  Therefore, it sometimes  is necessary to open the gums and clean the root surfaces under direct vision.

3.  Some cases benefit from bone grafting or bone contouring that can be performed during a periodontal surgery.

Some cases have what periodontists call vertical bone defect.  These defects of bone around the teeth may be eliminated or reduced in their severities by grafting or recontouring the adjacent bone.  By eliminating or reducing these certain defects, the prognosis of the involved teeth may be improved.

There may be several other reasons for doing a periodontal surgery.  Ask your dentist or periodontist, whether you would benefit from a periodontal surgery and the reason(s) for your periodontal surgery.