Treating Periodontal Disease with Gum Surgery
Periodontal diseases are often progressive in nature; that is to say the longer they are allowed to remain untreated, the more severe they become. If gum disease is ignored for too long, sometimes gum surgery is required to treat the periodontal disease.
In addition to the surgical procedures used for the treatment of periodontal disease, there are also purely cosmetic applications for gum surgery; such as gum contouring and reshaping, often used to correct so-called ‘gummy’ smiles.
Let’s take a look at the three most common types of cosmetic gum surgery, and the conditions they were developed to address:
Gum Lifts
Also known as crown lengthening, this procedure is designed to expose more of the tooth area for those who feel their teeth look overly short or stubby, or that they have a ‘gummy’ smile.
Gum Grafts
The opposite of a gum lift, this procedure is often used to even out and correct crooked smiles or assist those who have had gum disease cause their gum line to recede, creating an overly toothy appearance.
Pocket Reductions
Gum disease can leave a person with brown or discolored gingiva, visible indentations along their gum ridge, and a variety of other unappealing visual cues. Pocket reduction surgery cleans the tooth right at the root, restoring health and a more natural appearance to the gums, bone, and teeth.
Gum surgery is also commonly employed for medical purposes. Plaque and bacteria accumulate in your mouth and will often migrate below the gum line where it cannot easily be reached. Over time, this can cause periodontal disease to develop. Left untreated, these infections can progress rapidly, and gum surgery may need to be employed to correct the problem.
Periodontic procedures, such as gum surgery, may also be a necessary prerequisite treatment if a patient is going to receive a dental implant or other type of dental restoration. Dental implants, bridges, crowns, and even tooth fillings depend on having a solid underlying structure in place to support them, and periodontal disease can compromises this, meaning a preexisting dental health condition may require treatment before any additional procedures can be performed.
