If you have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, one of the treatments that our periodontist may recommend to improve your oral health is a gingivectomy. Also known as pocket reduction or flap surgery, this periodontal treatment works to remove bacteria and calculus from the roots of your teeth and reduce inflammation in order to save your gums and teeth from the more damaging effects of gum disease.

When you receive a gingivectomy, our periodontist will first administer a local or general anesthetic to help ensure your comfort during the procedure. Your gums will then be gently pulled back from the teeth and the harmful bacteria, and calculus will be removed from them. This is usually done through a scaling and root planing procedure. After this removal process is complete, our periodontist will provide an antimicrobial agent to kill any remaining bacteria and encourage healing. Finally, we will suture your gums back into place to prevent them from shifting while you heal.

You may experience some sensitivity in your gums and teeth following treatment. You should also see an improvement in the health of your teeth and gums within a few weeks, as well as a reduction in the depth of any periodontal pockets.

If you have any questions about gingivectomy treatment or would like to set up an appointment with our periodontist, give us a call today!