Periodontal surgery is not always required to treat gum disease.

At times, good home care and non-surgical (scaling and root planing) is able to control the infection. However, surgery is utilized when root planing has been ineffective or where the attachment loss is so great that root planing could not reach the intended pocket depth.

Periodontal surgery is a specialized form of gum treatment that Drs. Hamrick, Voelkert, Bohlen and Jensen have been specifically trained to perform. Periodontal surgery is a broad term that describes a number of procedures that involve surgical reflection of the gum tissue in order to eliminate the bacteria and create an environment that is cleansable to allow for proper home care. If you have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, our expert periodontists may recommend periodontal surgery because the attachment around your teeth has been destroyed by bacteria.

Surgery may entail only reducing the pockets by cleaning the roots of the teeth below the gum line and above the bone. However, there are times in which bone may actually be grafted to the roots to allow for regeneration of the lost attachment the bacteria destroyed.

Please be encouraged to ask us about which procedure it is that we are recommending and the materials that they will use to regenerate lost bone and stimulate wound healing.