Surgical Services

Osseous Surgery

There are instances where elimination of pockets is necessary for tooth maintenance or to allow the optimum in restorative dentistry to follow. In such cases a well established technique known as osseous surgery is employed.

Following small incisions in the gum line, the teeth and roots are thoroughly scaled and root planed as in all other procedures. Additionally, gum lines and any irregularities in the jaw are carefully contoured so that following healing pocket depths are very small. Generally, this method is used mostly in the back (“posterior”) areas due to the additional tooth length that may show following these procedures.

Following this particular procedure a protective material called “periodontal dressing” may be placed for up to one week in addition to any sutures used as in other procedures. There may be more tenderness afterwards than with some other procedures. It may be used in some instances for select teeth while simultaneously other procedures are done for adjacent teeth.