Periodontics (Gum Disease)
Deep Pocket Cleaning
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 will need to be extracted.
Your dentist will measure the depth of your pockets. Certain procedure may have been recommended because you have pockets that are too deep to clean with daily at-home oral hygiene and a professional care routine.
Depending on the depths of the pockets, scaling and root planing may be recommended. In situations of particularly deep pockets, a pocket elimination procedure may be appropriate. During this procedure, your periodontist folds back the gum tissue and removes the disease-causing bacteria before securing the tissue into place. This allows the gum tissue to better reattach to healthy bone.
Reduced pockets and a combination of daily oral hygiene and professional maintenance care increase your chances of keeping your natural teeth – and decrease the chance of serious health problems associated with periodontal disease.