If non-surgical treatments such as tooth scaling and root planning fail to stop gum disease; Dr.Jenkins will recommend gum surgery in order to stop the progress of the disease and prevent further destruction of periodontal tissues. Gum surgery is required when the depth of periodontal pockets remains over 4 mm after the initial treatments. Osseous Surgery is used to correct deformities of the bone around teeth that could provide areas where bacteria could accumulate and grow, by smoothing shallow craters and irregular surfaces of damaged bone due to bone loss – caused by periodontal disease.
During this procedure, your gum tissue is folded back, so that disease-causing bacteria may be removed from the pockets, and then the tissue is secured back into place. Before your surgery, you need to have basic periodontal treatment called scaling and root planing. You also must take good care of your teeth. You should brush twice a day and floss daily.
A local anesthetic is used to numb the area for surgery.