Periodontal “Pocket” Surgery

Not everyone needs periodontal surgery. If treated in the earlier stages, gum disease can be controlled without surgery. We will make recommendations based on your individual situation.  Surgery is a specialized form of treatment that periodontists are trained to perform to save teeth, regenerate lost tissues, and eliminate infection in the gums that cannot be managed by routine non-surgical scaling procedures.  Contemporary surgical procedures are routinely used to regenerate bone and gum tissues lost by past infection.  Our philosophy of practice is to treat as conservatively as possible to attain treatment goals and help you keep your teeth.

Gum disease is often treated by eliminating the gum pockets where bad bacteria thrive. The infected gum tissue is removed and uneven supporting tissue re-contoured to reduce or eliminate the pockets and remaining infection around selected teeth.  This procedure is primarily performed after scaling and root planing procedures to correct the defects that the gum disease left behind.  This will ensure that you can keep your teeth in a healthy state for years to come.  In some cases, more sophisticated procedures can be used to regenerate lost supporting tissues.