A severe gum disease (periodontitis) that cannot be cured with antibiotics or root planning and scaling, calls for a surgery. This surgery is a flap procedure that cleans the roots of a tooth and repairs bone damage caused by gum disease.
An oral surgeon or a gum specialist (periodontist) usually performs the procedure. He will give you a local anaesthetic to numb the area where the doctor operates on your gums. He will pull back a section of your gums to clean the roots of your teeth and repair damaged bone. Then the gum flap will be sewn back into place and covered with gauze to stop the bleeding.
Through the surgery, the doctor may smooth and reshape your bone so that plaque has fewer places to grow. He may also repair it with bone from another part of the body or with man-made materials.
You might take only a few days to recover from flap procedure if you will follow all the home care instructions given to you by your dentist. He will probably tell you to:
A few days after the procedure, your dentist will remove the stitches. Maintaining a good dental care after flap procedure helps in stopping your gum disease. Your gums will return to being pink and healthy again.
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