Surgical periodontal treatment
Your periodontist has measured the depth of your periodontal pocket(s) and has recommended surgical periodontal treatment, specifically an access flap surgery, because the pockets are too deep to clean effectively without direct access to the root surfaces of your teeth.
During this procedure, your periodontist lifts the gum tissue and removes the disease-causing bacteria before stitching the gum tissue back into place. This allows the gum tissue to reattach, helping you keep your teeth. Your teeth may become more sensitive for a while after the procedure. The long-term success of this treatment will depend on your ability to maintain excellent home care and undergo regular periodontal maintenance with your periodontist and their team of specialist-trained oral hygienists at ‘The Periodontists’.
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What are the benefits of surgical periodontal treatment?
Reducing pocket depth and eliminating existing bacteria are important to prevent damage caused by the progression of periodontal disease and to maintain a healthy smile.
Deeper pockets are more difficult for you and your dental care professional to clean, so it’s important to reduce them. Reduced pockets, along with a combination of daily oral hygiene and professional maintenance care, increase your chances of keeping your natural teeth and decrease your chances of serious health problems (see main brochure) associated with periodontal disease.
Does gum maintenance hurt?
Periodontal maintenance isn’t usually painful. Some patients may experience mild discomfort during the cleaning process. Your dental hygienist can use numbing agents or adjust the cleaning technique to make you are more comfortable.
How often do I need periodontal maintenance?
Periodontal maintenance appointment frequency is different from one to one and depends on many factors, including your susceptibility to gum disease (periodontal disease), risk factors for gum disease progression, like smoking and diabetes, and your ability to perform good oral hygiene at home. The frequency of Periodontal maintenance appointments can vary between being provided every 3 months to being provided every 9 months, depending on the above-mentioned factors. At these appointments the gum health will be carefully checked to ensure that everything is ok and plaque and calculus that is difficult to remove daily at home will be removed from above and below the gum line.
Will I ever have healthy gums again?
Gum disease is incurable but manageable with the appropriate treatment. In concept, it is very similar to people who have high blood pressure or diabetes, where they have to take the medications regularly to stay on top of their health problem. With gum disease, we don’t have medications to control it, hence, regular periodontal maintenance is crucial to keep the gums as healthy as possible and prevent further periodontal disease progression.
Can I perform periodontal maintenance at home?
Daily home care, including good oral hygiene and some lifestyle changes, is crucial to keeping your gums healthy after periodontal treatment. These oral hygiene habits aim to disrupt the bacteria, allowing the gums to stay healthy around the teeth. Proper brushing and flossing should be part of these habits. However, some plaque and tartar (calculus) will always reform, and they are difficult to remove. Therefore, regular periodontal maintenance visits are essential to keep your gums healthy in the long term.
Is periodontal maintenance worth it?
In short yes. Periodontal maintenance aims at keeping the gum tissues healthy and prevents the progression of gum disease. By undergoing regular periodontal maintenance, you are keeping your gums and teeth in a very healthy shape and reducing the risk of gum disease progression. Untreated periodontal disease is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults.
