Encouraging a Healthier Environment
When looking at your teeth in the mirror, take note of how your gums wrap around your teeth. If they appear snug, this means you are unlikely to be suffering from advanced stages of periodontal disease. However, if your gums appear loose, this means gum pockets have formed and are serving as an ideal location for bad bacteria and food particles to become trapped, wreaking further havoc on your oral health. At Periodontics and Implant Dentistry of Tallahassee, Dr. Rasmussen and his team can address this common problem with the help of osseous surgery, which is a safe solution to removing infected gum tissue that can ultimately result in permanent bone and tooth loss. If you want to know more about osseous surgery and how it can help you, contact us today.
What is Osseous Surgery?
When gum pockets develop and non-surgical methods are not enough to effectively clean these areas, you will likely be recommended for osseous surgery. Also known as pocket reduction surgery, it involves removing infected gum tissue and damaged bone that can cause more serious oral and overall health problems. By trimming away these pockets, it reduces the likeliness that the infection will spread and further implicate the rest of your smile.
Why Would Someone Need Osseous Surgery?
In most situations, osseous surgery is recommended only for those individuals who have undergone non-surgical treatment like scaling and root planing and achieved no success. Sometimes, when the gum pockets are too deep, professional and at-home cleanings are not enough. This is why osseous surgery is the recommended treatment because of its ability to remove the tissue and reshape the bone to encourage the tissue to adhere to your teeth.
What Are the Benefits of Osseous Surgery?
Apart from the most obvious reason for improving your gum and oral health, osseous surgery also provides additional benefits, including:
It reduces the potential spread of infection, especially if you treat multiple areas of your mouth at one time instead of spacing out your treatments
It prevents additional bone loss, which is crucial to avoiding more tooth loss and changes in your facial appearance
The recovery process is fairly simple with most patients requiring a pain reliever to minimize discomfort and swelling
It enables you to maintain a more thorough oral hygiene routine because of your ability to clean between teeth and remove bad bacteria and food particles
What if Osseous Surgery is Recommended and I Don’t Do It?
If you choose to forgo osseous surgery, you can expect your oral health to worsen significantly. When periodontitis is left untreated, you may not only experience additional bone and tooth loss, but the infection can spread throughout your bloodstream and result in problems occurring throughout your body, such as:
- Diabetes
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Respiratory disease
- Kidney disease
- Neurological disorders (i.e. Alzheimer’s, Dementia)
Things to Know About Osseous Surgery
It is possible that you might experience tooth sensitivity after your procedure. If so, we can recommend a sensitivity toothpaste to minimize the effects.
After your procedure, your teeth may appear longer with more visible gaps. Should you wish to fix this aesthetic issue, your periodontist can discuss treatment options with you at a later time.
It is necessary to commit to a lifelong oral hygiene routine after having osseous surgery. Why? Because the bacteria that initially started the problem will remain in your mouth and is not cured by this type of procedure. This is why it is imperative that you maintain regular visits to see us as well as practice good oral habits at home.