Periodontal Surgeries - Research Paper Example

 Periodontal surgery is a surgery done to a patient who is suffering from periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a scientific term used to describe gum disease and mostly involves bone loss, pockets and recession of the gums. The word “periodontal" basically means around the tooth. Periodontal disease is also known by the name “gum disease," is a chronic bacterial infection that detoriates the gums and bone supporting the teeth. Basically there are two types of periodontal disease. The first type is called gingivitis, which is mild inflammation of gums .The other, more critical, type of gum disease is called periodontitis, in which the patient suffers more severe inflammation of the gums, and the bone that holds the teeth get spoiled. One of the major negativity of this disease is the loss of teeth. Periodontal disease can also cause disease like cardiac problems and diabetes, if left unnoticed. Individuals have periodontal disease when there is excessive amount of tartar and plaque deposited around their teeth .The main symptoms of the disease are redness of gums, bad breath, swelling of gums, mobility of teeth etc. Generally people think that periodontal disease is reversible, but unfortunately it can’t be reversed as the bone is not able to grow back. However, there are steps to minimize the condition such as deep cleaning routinely every three to six months. “Periodontal gum disease can go on for months and years with no pain. Specific examination procedures must be performed in order to detect it. In many cases, simple visual examination will not catch it until in advanced stages. Much of the damage that is done cannot be reversed” (Potts). In advance cases, the teeth are even lost. In such cases a periodontist is the one who come to rescue the patient from this critical condition. A periodontist has good expertise in diagnosing and treating periodontal disease. A Peridontist is well educated in these areas, and has three year additional education beyond dental studies. They are well versed with the new technologies for treating the disease. They have keen expertise in working up to the demands of the patients and provide them with latest treatment to cure their specific dental problem. When the patient is encountered with periodontal disease the periodontist recommends periodontal surgery. Once the periodontist finds out that the tissue surrounding the tooth is detoriated and is difficult to be repaired by surgery, he recommends non –surgical treatment to the patients. “Certain conditions may make periodontal surgery inadvisable for some patients when the conditions or situations are severe or extreme” (Nield-Gehrig,Willmann 317). The different forms of surgical treatments prescribed to patients are : Pocket Reduction Procedures Regenerative Procedures Crown Lengthening Soft Tissue Grafts. Pocket Reduction Procedures When a person suffers from periodontal disease, the supporting tissue and bone of the teeth is destroyed. This creates “pockets” in the vicinity surrounding teeth which become worse over time. This pocket becomes a hiding place for bacteria to multiply. As these bacteria’s increase around the teeth, they make the gum disease critical. As the pockets are deep, accumulation of harmful bacteria becomes easy, which makes the situation worsen. So in this situation, the periodontist recommends a pocket reduction. This method is suggested because the deep nature of the pockets makes the cleaning process difficult. While performing pocket reduction method, the periodontist folds back the gum tissue and remove the disease causing bacteria .After this step, he places back the tissue in the same spot. In few rare cases, the surfaces which are not regular of the decorated bone are smoothened .This is done to cover areas where harmful bacteria can hide and cause problems in future. “Infection control is an important requirement during the early stages of periodontal healing”(Gamal 1759)). This procedure helps in eliminate existing bacteria, and prevent damage causing to a great extent in future. By reducing the pocket depth, the cleaning process becomes easier and the hygiene of the area also can be maintained well. Regenerative Procedure A regenerative procedure is highly suggested, if the bone that is supporting the patient’s tooth has been badly detoriated. This method allows repairing some of the damage done to the bone by regenerating the lost bone and tissue. In this process also the periodontist remove the harmful bacteria around the gums by folding the gum tissue. In this treatment the body’s natural ability to regenerate bone and tissue is boosted with the help of membranes(filters), bone grafts or tissue stimulating proteins. This method eliminates the existing bacteria and regenerate bone and tissue which help to reduce pocket depth and repair damage caused by progression of periodontal disease. However, there are numerous ways to upgrade support for the teeth and increase the health level of the bone .But these can be done with further discussion with the periodontist. There exist various regenerative dental procedures available to restore health to the gums, teeth and bone.  Thedifferent regenerative procedures available are as follows : Bone Regeneration : Bone regeneration is the most efficient means by which the growth of the jawbone can be promoted. Once periodontal disease occur,the jawbone become too thin to successful support an implant. As dental implants and other restorative procedures depend on strong jaw bone, this procedure is very helpful for a successful implant. Gum Tissue Regeneration: This treatment is done usually by the method of gum grafting. When the gum tissue is destroyed as result of periodontal disease, the smile may appear unpleasant, discolored or toothy. A gum graft has the objective of symmetrically contouring the gum line, restore health to the gums and cover any exposed tooth roots. The pocket reduction surgery is done to reduce the depth of the gum pockets and make it much harder to invade the gum tissue. It is very effective for stopping tissue loss and promoting the natural healing process of the gums. Scaling and Root Planning: In this treatment “scaling” refers to the removal of plaque from the supra gingival region above the gum line. This treatment is usually conducted on a routine cleaning under local anesthetic. Root planning usually accompanies scaling and is performed in the same region as scaling. Crown Lengthening Crown lengthening is a treatment performed when your teeth becomes short as they are covered too much with gum tissue. The periodontist suggests crown lengthening to improve the aesthetic appeal of the smile of a particular individual. . In this process, the distorted gum and bone tissue is brought back to shape and more of the natural tooth is exposed. This treatment can be applied when there is need to bring back the natural smile of the patient. This treatment can also be prescribed by the periodontist to make a restorative or cosmetic dental procedure possible. Crown lengthening restructures the gum and bone level to expose more of the tooth so it can be restored. Soft Tissue Grafts It is a periodontal procedures performed to stop further dental problems and gum recessions. It also is done to improve the aesthetics of the gum line. Gum recession is the result of exposed tooth roots. So in case people with gum recession want to enhance the smile by covering one or more of these roots, this treatment is very effective. Recession of gums can happen due to various reasons, including aggressive tooth brushing or periodontal disease. Many a times, it is hard to control what causes the recession, but prior to treatment priodontist can assist in identifying the factor contributing to this problem. On the controlling of these contributing factors, a soft tissue graft treatment can repair the defective condition and prevent additional recession and bone loss. Work Cited Gamal, A.Y.. "Effects of EDTA Gel Preconditioning of Periodontally Affected Human Root Surfaces on Chlorhexidine Substantivity – An SEM Study" Journal of periodontology (2007): 1759. Nield-Gehrig, J.S., and D.E. Willmann. Foundations of Periodontics for the Dental Hygienist . Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2008. Potts, M.L. 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