What is gingival flap surgery?

Gingival flap surgery is a procedure in which the gums are separated from the teeth, and folded back temporally to allow a dentist to reach the root of the tooth and the bone.

Gingival flap surgery is used to treat gum disease. It may be recommended for people with moderate or advanced periodontitis. This procedure is recommended especially if the initial scaling and root planning did not eliminate the gum infection.

It also may be done in conjunction with another procedure known as osseous or bone surgery.
After numbing the area with a local anesthetic, the dentist or periodontist will use a scalpel to separate the gums from the teeth and then lift or folded back in a form of a flap.

This gives the periodontist direct access to the roots and the bone supporting the teeth.
Inflamed tissue is removed from between the teeth and from any defects on the bone.

The periodontist will then do scaling and root planning to clean plaque and tartar.

If you have bone defects, your periodontist may remove them with a procedure called osseous recontouring. This procedure smoothes the ages of the bone.
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fter these procedures are completed, the gums will be placed back against the teeth and anchored in place using stitches.