Pocket Reduction Surgery

Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck around your neck. When you have periodontal disease, this supporting tissue and bone is destroyed, forming "pockets" around the teeth.

Over time, these pockets become deeper, providing a larger space for bacteria to live. As bacteria develop around the teeth, they can accumulate and advance under the gum tissue. These deep pockets collect even more bacteria, resulting in further bone and tissue loss. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth will need to be extracted.

Generally pocket reduction surgery is recommended to reduce pockets that are pockets that are too deep to clean with daily at-home oral hygiene and a professional care routine.

During a pocket reduction surgery procedure, the gum tissue is gently moved away from your teeth and  the disease-causing bacteria are removed and cleaned before securing the tissue into place with small micro-sutures. In some cases, irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide. This allows the gum tissue to better reattach to healthy bone.

What are the benefits of pocket reduction surgery?
Reducing pocket depth and eliminating existing bacteria are important to prevent damage caused by the progression of periodontal disease and to maintain a healthy smile. Eliminating bacteria alone may not be sufficient to prevent disease recurrence.

Deeper pockets are more difficult for you and your dental care professional to clean, so it's important for you to reduce them. Reduced pockets and a combination of daily oral hygiene and professional maintenance care increases your chances of keeping your natural teeth - and decreases the chance of serious health problems associated with periodontal disease.

See Also:
Microtherapy
Regenerative Procedures
Crown Lengthening
Soft Tissue Grafts
Dental Implants (if you've already lost a tooth due to periodontal disease)

At Beverly Hills Periodontics, we offer the most advanced pocket reduction surgery techniques available for safe and effective management of periodontal issues. 

For more information on pocket reduction surgery or to set up an appointment to discuss options, please contact us for a consultation.