Harlem Center or Aesthetic Dentistry

If you are a patient with moderate-to-severe periodontal disease, the optimal treatment for your disease may involve periodontal surgery.

To help you understand your disease and feel comfortable with the prescribed treatment, we have outlined some of the procedures below.

Pocket Reduction Therapy-Osseous Surgery

Pocket reduction therapy may be required if:

You have periodontal pockets greater than 4 mm in depth. These pockets contain bacterial plaque which places your gum tissue at risk for chronic infection.

You have uncontrolled accumulation of plaque below the surface of the gum which has resulted in bone destruction and deepening of pockets.

Pocket reduction therapy, which includes scaling and root planning for mild periodontitis and osseous surgery for more severe disease, will reduce the risk of your periodontal disease progressing by:

Allowing Dr. Robertson to fold back the gum tissue and remove the disease-causing bacteria before securing the tissue into place. In some cases he may smooth irregular surfaces of the damaged bone to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide and allow the gum tissue to better reattach to healthy bone.

Reducing the depth of your periodontal pockets.

Your oral health will benefit from pocket reduction therapy for the following reasons:

When pocket depths are reduced, you and your hygienist will have better access to the tooth and root surfaces and they can be cleaned more easily.

As your periodontal health improves; any loose teeth will become more firmly anchored in your gums.

Your teeth may appear to be longer than they have in the past

If you decide not to have treatment, you risk the following:

Inability to keep your tooth and root surfaces clean.

Increased risk for additional bone loss (a "vicious" circle - deepening of the pockets produces more space for bacterial plaque accumulation).

Your teeth will become looser.

You face an increased risk of developing a gum abcess.

Increased risk of tooth loss.

Bone regeneration is a surgical procedure that may be necessary when:

The treatment for bone loss resulting from chronic periodontal disease:

Bone regeneration surgery is beneficial because:

The depth of periodontal pockets around affected teeth will be reduced so that further infection can be controlled.

Increased bone can support formerly loose teeth.

If you allow the problem to persist, you face the following risks:

Continued infection because of bacterial growth in periodontal pockets.

Additional bone destruction around the teeth.

Further loosening of the teeth.

Increased risk of gum abscesses and tooth loss.

Periodontal procedures are available to lay the groundwork for restorative and cosmetic dentistry and/or to improve the aesthetics of your gum line. Do you feel your teeth look too short and your smile is too gummy or your gums cover too much of some teeth, while leaving the others the right length? Your teeth may actually be the proper lengths, but they're covered with too much gum tissue. To correct this, your periodontist performs crown lengthening. This can be done to one tooth, to even your gum line, or to several teeth to expose a natural, broad smile.

Your dentist or periodontist may also recommend crown lengthening to make a restorative or cosmetic dental procedure possible. Perhaps your tooth is decayed, broken below the gum line, or has insufficient tooth structure for a restoration, such as a crown or bridge.

What are the benefits of crown lengthening?

Whether you have crown lengthening to improve function or aesthetics, patients often receive the benefits of both: a beautiful new smile and improved periodontal health - your keys to smiling, eating and speaking with comfort and confidence.

This patient required a crown to protect a cracked tooth. However, the tooth was too short for the crown to fit. A crown lengthening allowed more tooth structure to be made available for the crown:

Decay was inaccessible on the back of these front teeth. Crown lengthening provided room for new restorations:


before	after

A "gummy" smile happens when your teeth appear short. Your teeth may actually be the proper lengths, but they're covered with too much gum tissue. To correct this, Dr. Robertson performs crown lengthening.