Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck around your neck. When you have periodontal disease, this supporting tissue and bone is destroyed, forming pockets around the teeth.
Over time, these pockets become deeper, providing a larger space for bacteria to live. As bacteria develop around the teeth, they can accumulate and advance under the gum tissue. These deep pockets collect even more bacteria, resulting in further bone and tissue loss. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth may become loose and need to be removed.
Dr. Dastoor may recommend a pocket reduction procedure in order to effectively clean and treat deep pockets. During this procedure, the gums are gently pushed back and the disease-causing plaque, tartar, and bacteria are removed. Dissolvable sutures are used to hold the gum tissue back against the teeth. In some cases, irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide. This allows the gum tissue to better reattach to healthy bone.
Reducing pocket depth and eliminating existing bacteria are important to prevent damage caused by the progression of periodontal disease and to help you maintain a healthy smile. Reduced pockets, excellent daily oral hygiene practices, and professional maintenance care increase your chances of keeping your natural teeth.
Dr. Sarosh Dastoor works very closely with your referring doctor in coordinating and communicating about your pocket reduction surgery appointments.