Periodontal Surgery

If you are diagnosed with periodontal disease, Dr. Singletary, North Raleigh Periodontics, may recommend periodontal surgery. Periodontal surgery is necessary when the tissue around your teeth is unhealthy and cannot be repaired with non-surgical treatment. The most common types of surgical treatments are Regenerative Procedures and Pocket Reduction Procedures. In advanced cases of Periodontal Disease, the first course of treatment would be Root Planing & Scaling combined with excellent home care. This procedure is often assisted by our Erbium Chromium YSGG laser. Following the procedure, we will supply you with an oral hygiene kit for you to use at home.

WHEN IS PERIODONTAL SURGERY NECESSARY?

When you have periodontal problems, the inflammation has caused the gum to detach from the root, bone loss has occurred, and bone loss has become so severe that conventional hand instrumentation is no longer effective. Bone loss is measured in millimeters and ranges from 0-12 millimeters. Any number from 1-3 millimeters is excellent, with more than 4 millimeters signaling the beginning stages of advanced periodontal disease. Anything greater than 5 millimeters may be cause for more aggressive treatment if root planing is not successful in restoring the health of the gum tissue. If plaque and calculus is left on the root surface, you can have further bone destruction due to inflammation, which could lead to tooth loss. In these cases minimally invasive procedures are used to obtain access to the root so we can see it. Once the root is clearly visible, we can clean and detoxify the root surface so that the gum and bone will regenerate back to the root.