Normal healthy gum tissue fits snugly around the teeth keeping the tooth roots protected and the teeth securely anchored in the bone. Periodontitis, also referred to as periodontal disease, causes pockets to form between the tooth and the gum. These pockets become difficult to clean during the normal home care routine and often trap plaque and tartar which harbors harmful bacteria. If left untreated, inflammation and infection can damage the supporting bone and soft tissues around the teeth. While minor to moderate periodontal disease can be treated with the scaling and root planing procedure, more advanced stages of periodontal disease may require pocket depth reduction surgery.
What Is Osseous Surgery?
The goal of pocket depth reduction surgery, also known as osseous surgery, is to gain access to the tooth roots to remove the tartar and bacteria that cause pockets and gum disease. Osseous surgery involves reshaping and smoothing surface irregularities in bone and root to discourage the colonization and growth of bacteria. By using the most advanced surgical techniques, Dr. Turner has a very high success rate for treating periodontal disease through pocket depth reduction surgery.
What To Expect
You will be given a local anesthetic to ensure your comfort during the procedure. The procedure can be completed in one office visit.
Most people can resume normal daily activities after a few days of recovery from pocket depth reduction surgery. Our team at Venice Periodontics and Implant Dentistry will give you post treatment recovery recommendations to ensure that you heal as quickly as possible. Once healing has occurred the stitches will dissolve and/or are removed. The gum pocket depth will be shallower and the new gum line will be lower than before surgery; therefore, good oral hygiene home care and regular dental visits are vital to maintaining the health of the gum tissue.
Gingivectomy
Gingivectomy is similar to the crown lengthening procedure in that the goal of treatment is to contour the soft tissue around the teeth, the gums, to expose more of the visible part of the tooth or teeth. If teeth appear too short or if there is excess gum tissue present around the teeth, the gum tissue can be trimmed and reshaped to show more of the crown of the tooth. A gingivectomy targets the gum tissue or soft tissue around the teeth and does not include reshaping of the bone as in the crown lengthening procedure.
What To Expect
The gingivectomy procedure can be performed to alter the appearance of a gummy smile or to heal the effects of periodontal disease. Gingivectomy aims to remove or reshape loose, diseased gum tissue to get rid of pockets that have formed between the teeth and gums.
Before the procedure, you will be given local anesthetic to ensure your comfort throughout the process. Once the excess gum tissue is removed and reshaped, your periodontal specialist will place a periodontal packing which is a soft, putty like substance on the area to protect the gums while they are healing. The packing will be removed by your periodontist at your follow up visit.
If you would like to learn more about a gingivectomy procedure to cosmetically enhance your smile, or to help reduce the pockets around the teeth to prevent periodontal disease, call Venice Periodontics and Implant Dentistry today at (941) 497-5591.
Frenectomy
Frenums are naturally occurring soft bands of tissue that connect the tongue to the floor of the mouth (lingual frenum) and the lips to the gum tissue (labial frenum). The frenum acts to anchor the tongue and lips to the floor of the mouth and gum tissue for proper function. Frenums can be thick, wide, short or thin and are as unique as each person. If the lingual frenum is thick and short, it is known as a tongue-tie. It is present at birth and can be diagnosed by a pediatrician, lactation consultant or a dentist.
A tongue-tie limits the range of motion and proper function of the tongue and may impact many areas of development such as feeding, speech and mouth breathing during sleep. It is possible for a child to grow, adapt and compensate with a tongue-tie. The first indication of a tongue-tie is typically when a baby has difficulty latching during nursing. The tongue-tie is then identified by the pediatrician or lactation consultant and the baby can be referred to a specialist to perform a frenectomy.
If excessively thick or attached too low on the gum line, the labial frenum can cause issues with the front teeth coming together during orthodontic treatment.
What Is A Frenectomy
A frenectomy is recommended if the frenum is affecting the normal use and development of the tongue. A frenectomy is usually a quick procedure which involves reducing or removing the connective tissue between the tongue and the floor of the mouth, or the upper lip and gum tissue. The area will be numbed before the procedure to ensure the patient’s comfort. The recovery from a frenectomy is quick and usually entails only minimal discomfort.
Venice Periodontics and Implant Dentistry of Venice, FL offers frenectomy procedures to reduce or remove abnormal frenums. If you would like to learn more about frenectomies, call Venice Periodontics and Implant Dentistry today at (941) 497-5591.
Soft Tissue Grafting
Soft tissue grafting is a procedure performed to treat gum recession. As gums recede due to periodontal disease or bone loss, it exposes the roots of the teeth. This often leads to extreme sensitivity as the roots do not have enamel to protect them from cold foods or liquids. If gum recession is significant, the teeth may become loose; and therefore a soft tissue graft will help to create stability for the teeth. If recession has occurred on the front teeth (the smile zone), a soft tissue graft can restore the aesthetics of your smile.
Gum recession can occur for many reasons including: chronic inflammation from the bacteria in plaque along the gum line, grinding or clenching teeth during the night, overzealous brushing as well as hormonal changes as we age. After a thorough evaluation by board certified periodontist, Dr. Lisa Turner, the cause of your gum recession will be identified. Getting to the root cause of the problem is essential in managing and stopping the progression of gum disease. There are several treatment options available to address the root cause of periodontal disease, i.e if clenching or nighttime grinding is a factor in your gum recession, a customized night guard can help mitigate the excess forces placed on the bone and teeth.
The gums are a natural defense against bacterial penetration and trauma. When gum recession occurs, the body loses this natural barrier leaving the teeth and supporting bone vulnerable to chronic bacterial infection, decay and instability. Soft tissue grafting restores the function of the gum tissue and therefore the health of your teeth and mouth.
What To Expect
Soft tissue grafting is a common periodontal procedure that has improved with the onset of new techniques and materials. You can expect less pain and a faster recovery than even a decade ago. The soft tissue graft is a highly predictable procedure and produces highly effective results. The general steps of the soft tissue grafting procedure are:
- Administer local anesthetic to the grafting site to minimize discomfort throughout the procedure
- Loosen existing gum tissue to prepare a place for the tissue graft
- Thin tissue is usually removed from the palate or from surrounding areas using a flap procedure and placed at the grafting site
- New tissue is secured to the grafting site to provide a stable band of attached gingiva around the tooth to protect the exposed portion of the root
- Periodontal packing is placed to ensure that the site is protected during the healing process
Benefits of Soft Tissue Grafting
Gum recession is a slow, but progressive condition that can have significant impacts on your oral and overall health. Identifying the cause of gum recession, treating the cause and then repairing the damage has many benefits including:
Lessen the sensitivity of teeth when eating cold foods and fluids
Protect the tooth roots from potential decay by providing a barrier of protection
Restore the aesthetics of your smile by reshaping the gum line to gain more symmetry
Venice Periodontics and Implant Dentistry provides the highest quality periodontal treatment and care for patients with gum recession. Board certified periodontal specialist, Dr. Lisa Turner is committed to learning and practicing the latest and most advanced methods in dental implants as well as periodontal surgical techniques to ensure her patients have the best treatment and most successful outcomes possible. If you have been recommended to a periodontal specialist for gum recession and would like to learn more, call Venice Periodontics and Implant Dentistry today at (941) 497-5591.
