How is periodontitis treated?

Patients with pocket depth between 4 and 6mm usually receive excellent results when a non-surgical gum disease treatment called sealing and root planning or deep cleaning is performed.

Using local anesthetic, the hygienist goes below the tissue using an instrument which scrapes the tooth surface as well as the pocket lining. Once this occurs, the healthy tissue will reattach and shrink to the clean tooth, reducing the pocket depth.

Periodontitis is a gum disease marked by inflammation around the teeth. Your dentist, oral surgeon or periodontist will treat the inflammation or infection by using a deep-cleaning method to scrape out the tartar (calculus) from below the gums. This procedure also removes harmful germs or bacteria that triggers periodontitis. Laser treatments are sometimes also necessary to remove the tartar and manage the disease.

If you need surgery for periodontitis, the dentist will perform a procedure called "flap surgery," whereby deposits of tartar are cleaned out from the deep pockets or infected spaces. Using a few stitches, the gums will fit tighter around the tooth. If bone or gum tissue has been destroyed by the periodontitis, you may have "guided regeneration." Using a type of mesh-like fabric, your dentist will place the fabric in the space between the gum tissue and the bone, allowing the connective tissue and bone to grow properly around the fabric.