Gum Surgery

What is gum surgery?

• Gum surgery or periodontal surgery are terms used to refer to procedures that change the contour of the soft tissue and sometimes the bone underneath.
  • Pocket reduction surgery
  • Crown lengthening surgery
  • Guided bone regeneration surgery
  • Open flap curettage
  • Gum grafting (see separate discussion on this website)

Why would l need gum surgery?

• Pocket reduction surgery is completed in order to create an environment around the teeth that can be more easily cleaned and maintained by the patient and hygienist.
• Crown lengthening procedures are completed in order to intentionally uncover more of the natural tooth.
  • Esthetic crown lengthening can unveil more of the natural tooth that is sometimes hidden by the gum tissue.
  • Crown lengthening can also be beneficial for improving the structural stability of crowns
• Guided bone regeneration is undertaken to encourage the regrowth of natural bone in areas where there has been bone loss around teeth creating deep narrow defects in the bone.

Will it hurt?

• Most of our patients manage their discomfort after surgery with Ibuprofen and Tylenol.
• Stronger medications are rarely needed.

 

Gum Grafting Surgery

Why would I need gum grafting?

• Gum grafting is recommended when there is not enough stable gum tissue around the teeth or when procedures are planned where strong stable gum tissue is required.

What is gum grafting surgery?

• There are two types of gum grafting surgery:
  1. Free gingival grafts:
     • Stabilize the gum tissue where it is.
  2. Pouch techniques:
     • Used to gain root coverage

• There are two sources of tissue for gum grafting:
  1. Tissue from the patient’s own mouth, usually the palate
  2. Donor tissue from a tissue bank

How badly does it hurt?

• When the tissue is taken from the palate, the surgery site is much like a “pizza burn” on the roof of the mouth which heals completely within a couple of weeks.
• There is no second surgical site when using donor tissue.
• Most of our patients manage their discomfort after surgery with Ibuprofen and Tylenol.
• Stronger medications are rarely needed.

Will it last forever?

• There are many contributing factors that lead to the need for gum grafting surgery.
• Some factors can be controlled well with one surgical procedure.
• The long term prognosis differs for each site and each patient.
• Generally the more natural “tough” gum remaining and the better the bone support around the teeth, the better the long term results.
• This means, don’t leave the surgery until the situation is really, really bad!