Surgical periodontitis treatment
Written by Dentist Rune Skou, 2008-21-12Last update: 2010-01-01
Surgical periodontitis treatment finishes a periodontitis treatment.
What is it?
Surgical periodontitis treatment is a scaling procedure where the gingival tissues are moved aside to expose the entire tooth – from the jawbone to the crown.
The root surfaces are then cleaned and the gingival tissues stitched together.
Alternatively, the operation can be performed with a laser to eliminate the need to move the gingival tissues.
Why is it used?
If deep pockets in the gingival tissues around a tooth form, it becomes impossible to clean inside the pockets due to insufficient toothbrush bristle length.
If you have good dental hygiene but still have deep pockets in your gingival tissues following a normal treatment of periodontitis, a surgical periodontitis treatment will be performed to clean your roots completely and to reduce the depths of the remaining pockets.
What are the risks?
The surgery will make your teeth seem longer because of the reduction in the gingival tissues.
The procedure will also leave your teeth more sensitive and may inadvertently damage the surrounding tissues.