Flap Surgery

What is Flap Surgery?

When your mouth is healthy, your gum tissue and your bone fit together tightly so nothing can come between them. If periodontal disease attacks the supporting tissue and bone, pockets will form around your teeth and become infected with bacteria, eventually destroying the underlying tissue and bone.

Over time, the pockets will become deeper and deeper. When that happens, bacteria accumulates and progresses beneath the gum tissue in these deep pockets. The result is additional loss of both bone and tissue. Unfortunately, if this is not taken care of the increasing loss of bone will mean the teeth have to be extracted.

The only alternative to correct the issue is flap surgery. This is done to remove the tartar deposits that lie in deep pockets. This can also make it possible for the dentist to reduce the size of the periodontal pocket, therefore making it easier for your dentist keep the area clean. The process involves lifting back the gums and from there the tartar is removed from the teeth. Following the surgery, the gums are sutured back in place creating a snug fit for the tissue so it can heal.

There are times when irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed. This limits the areas where the disease-causing bacteria hide. This procedure will make it easier for the gums to reattach themselves to healthy bone.