FLAP SURGERY
Flap procedure for Gum disease
You may need surgery for periodontitis or severe gum disease. Flap surgery is performed if periodontitis cannot be cured with antibiotics or root planning and scaling. A flap procedure cleans the roots of a tooth and repairs bone damage caused by gum disease. Periodontist or an oral surgeon often performs the procedure.
What is periodontitis?
It is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue. If neglected or without treatment can destroy the bone that supports your teeth. Periodontitis can lead to loose teeth or even tooth loss. Periodontitis is common but largely preventable. It’s usually the result of poor oral hygiene. Brushing at least twice a day, flossing daily and getting regular dental check-ups can greatly improve your chances of successful treatment for periodontitis and can also reduce your chance of developing it.
What are the symptoms of periodontitis?
- Swollen, bleeding gums
- Bright red, dusky red gums
- Tenderness in teeth
- Bad breath
- Pus between your teeth and gums
- Loose teeth or teeth loss
- Difficulty or pain while chewing
What causes periodontitis?
- Plaque on your teeth – When starch and sugars in food interact with bacteria plaque forms on the tooth. Brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day removes plaque, but plaque re-forms quickly.
- Tartar on your teeth – Tartar is more difficult to remove and it’s filled with bacteria. The longer plaque and tartar remain on your teeth, the more damage they can do. You can’t get rid of tartar by brushing and flossing — you need professional dental cleaning to remove it.
- Gingivitis – This is the mildest form of gum disease. Gingivitis is irritation and inflammation of the part of your gum tissue.
How gum diseases are treated?
Treatments for gum disease that don’t involve surgery include
- Professional dental cleaning
- Scaling and root planing
Surgical treatments for gum disease
Many surgical treatments are available which are performed based on your condition and severity such as
- Flap surgery
- Bone grafts
- Soft tissue grafts
- Bone surgery
What is Flap surgery?
The flap procedure is necessary when severe gum disease (periodontitis) has damaged the bones that support your teeth. The doctor will pull back a section of your gums to clean the roots of your teeth and repair damaged bone if needed.
What is the flap surgery procedure?
Pre-procedure
Our periodontist will prepare your teeth first. This involves the removal of all plaque and tartar from around your teeth and makes sure your oral hygiene is good. Before surgery, we’ll also make sure that is your general health or current medications allow for a flap surgery to carry out.
Step 1: Numb the teeth
Step 1: Numb your teeth With the help of local anaesthesia our periodontist will numb your teeth and gums to avoid severe pain during the procedure.
Step 2: Separating gums
Our Periodontist will then use a scalpel to separate the gums from the teeth and then lift or fold them back in the form of a flap. This gives the periodontist direct access to the roots and bone supporting the teeth. The inflamed tissue is removed from between the teeth and from any holes (defects) in the bone.
Step 3: Root planing and scaling
The periodontist will then do a procedure called scaling and root planing to clean plaque and tartar. If you have bone defects, your periodontist may eliminate them with a procedure called osseous recontouring, which smoothens the edges of the bone using files or rotating burs.
Step 4:Placing gums back in position
After these procedures are completed, the gums will be placed back against the teeth and anchored in place using stitches. Stitches that dissolve on their own are used and also, stitches that have to be removed a week to 10 days after the surgery based on convenience. Our periodontist may also cover the surgical site with an intraoral bandage known as a periodontal pack or dressing.
How will you feel after flap surgery?
You will have mild to moderate discomfort after the procedure, but the periodontist can prescribe pain medication to control it. Many people are comfortable with just an over-the-counter pain reliever. It is important to relax after surgery, as the strenuous activity may cause the treated area to bleed. For the first 24 hours, you can rinse your mouth gently with warm salt water to relieve pain and reduce swelling.
What care should I take post flap surgery?
It is very important for you to keep your mouth as clean as possible while the surgical site is healing. This means you should brush and floss the rest of your mouth normally. If the surgical site is not covered by a periodontal pack, you can use a toothbrush to gently remove plaque from the teeth.
Antimicrobial mouth rinses containing chlorhexidine are commonly prescribed following periodontal surgery. Although these rinses do not remove plaque from the teeth, they kill bacteria and help your mouth to heal.
You may have some swelling, and this can be minimized by applying an ice pack to the outside of your face in the treated area. In some situations, antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent infection, and these should be taken as inst