Forms of Surgical Treatment for Gum Disease
There are various forms of treatments for gum disease, and surgery is one of them. Below are some of the various forms of surgery the dentist might prescribe for your gum disease.
1. Flap Surgery
If you are suffering from gum disease, you probably have some spaces between your teeth and your gums. These gum 'pockets', as they are known, contain various forms of organic materials including bacteria that contribute to the gum disease.
In flap surgery, the dentist will peel away the gums, clean the pockets thoroughly, smooth any rough surfaces, and place the gums snugly against your teeth. This way, the dentist will reduce the volume of the spaces that bacteria can occupy. The dentist may also place some antibacterial drugs in the gum pockets during the treatment. The drugs will help reduce the number of bacteria under your gums.
2. Tissue Regeneration
In extreme cases, the gum disease will damage not just your gum tissues, but also your bone tissues. In such cases, treatment of the gum disease requires the regeneration of both the damaged gum and bone tissues; this calls for guided tissue regeneration.
For this surgery, the dentist will insert a small fabric mesh between your gums and bone. The mesh keeps the two different tissues separate so that they can regenerate independently. Otherwise, the gum tissue might even grow where the bone tissues are supposed to grow.
3. Soft Tissue Graft
Advanced gum disease can cause serious damage to your gum tissues. The bacteria can eat into the gum tissues and reduce its thickness. The bacteria can also pull your gum tissues away from your teeth. Both of these effects are dangerous because they expose the roots of your teeth to further damage (the roots don't have the protective enamel).
Soft tissue grafting is a way of dealing with this problem. For the surgery, the dentist will harvest some soft tissue (for example, from the roof of your mouth) and stitch it onto your gums to build up the damaged tissue.
4. Bone Surgery
You may also need some work on your bones if the bacteria have seriously affected the bone tissues. For example, the bacteria can erode your bones and leave you with craters on the surface of the bone. The craters provide the bacteria with hiding places, and they can lead to further damage left unchecked. Reshaping the affected bones will get rid of the craters and deny the bacteria their hiding places.
For more information about treating gum disease, contact services like Naas Family Dentistry.
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