Gum surgery, sometimes referred to as pocket reduction or osseous surgery, refers to a number of different surgeries aimed at gaining access to the tooth roots to remove tartar and disease-causing bacteria and stop bone loss.

Osseous surgery is used to reshape deformities and remove pockets in the alveolar bone surrounding the teeth. It is a common necessity in effective treatment of more advanced periodontal diseases. The ultimate goal of osseous surgery is to reduce or eliminate the periodontal pockets that cause periodontal disease. Despite the word “surgery” the procedure is reported to feel more like a thorough cleaning. The specific goals of surgery include:

• Reducing Bacterial Spread:
  Bacteria from the mouth can spread throughout the body and cause other life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and respiratory disease. Removing deep tartar and thereby bacteria can help reduce the risk of bacteria spreading.
• Preventing Bone Loss:
  The immune system’s inflammatory response prompted by periodontal bacteria can lead to bone loss in the jaw region, and cause teeth to fall out. Osseous surgery seeks to stop periodontal disease before it progresses to this level.
•  Eliminating Bleeding Gums:
  Mouths plagued with periodontal disease often have bleeding gums, a sign of infection and inflammation.  Fortunately, osseous surgery can help reduce bacterial load and remove tartar sticking to root surfaces providing a healthy attachment of the gums to teeth, thereby eliminating bleeding gums. 
• Facilitating Home Care:
  As the gum pocket deepens, it can become nearly impossible to brush and floss adequately. Osseous surgery reduces pocket size, making it easier to brush and floss, and thereby prevent further periodontal disease.

A local anesthetic will be used to numb the area prior to surgery. First, Drs. Vasanthan, Yanni or Yi will make an incision around each tooth of the affected area to release the gum tissue from the bone. This allows access to the bone and roots of the teeth. After the roots have been thoroughly cleaned through scaling, a drill and hand tools will be used to reshape the bone around the teeth.

Bone is removed in some areas to restore the normal rise and fall of the bone, but at a lower level. Bone grafting may also be necessary to fill in large defects. If bone grafting is done, a barrier membrane will be used to protect the bone grafts healing with your jaw bone.

Next, the gums will be placed back as before and sutured in place. Pain medication and mouth rinses containing chlorhexidine are generally prescribed following the surgery.