If you're diagnosed with periodontal disease, Dr. Wong and Dr. Ling may recommend
non-surgical treatment or periodontal surgery. Periodontal surgery is necessary when we
determine that the tissue around your teeth is unhealthy and cannot be repaired
with non-surgical treatment.
AAP treatment guidelines stress that periodontal health
should be achieved in the least invasive and most cost-effective
manner. This is often accomplished through non-surgical periodontal
treatment, including scaling and root planing (a careful cleaning of
the root surfaces to remove plaque and calculus [tartar] from deep
periodontal pockets and to smooth the tooth root to remove bacterial
toxins), followed by adjunctive therapy such as local delivery
antimicrobials and host modulation, as needed on a case-by-case basis. Most periodontists would agree that after scaling
and root planing, many patients do not require any further active
treatment, including surgical therapy. However, the majority of
patients will require ongoing maintenance therapy to sustain health.
Non-surgical therapy does have its limitations, however, and when it
does not achieve periodontal health, surgery may be indicated to
restore periodontal anatomy damaged by periodontal diseases and to
facilitate oral hygiene practices.
Following are the four types of surgical treatments most commonly prescribed:
If you've already lost a tooth to periodontal disease, you may be interested in
dental implants – the permanent tooth replacement option.