Pocket Elimination

Treatment Methods

The infections that enter the jawbones beneath the gum line consist of bacteria, various forms of fungus and assorted viruses. When the infection develops, it forms a unique mixture in each location where it settles. We call this film that infects our body ‘plaque’. Once this bacterial plaque penetrates beyond the soft gum tissues, it infects the jawbones. And, it does this for good reason.

The deeper the infection travels, the better the environment for maintaining and expanding bacterial growth. The infections dig deep into the jawbones. By doing so, it makes room for more bacterial to grow. The bacteria also find a desirable food source, you and the bones that support your teeth. We’ve named these spaces that develop between the tooth and the supporting jaw bone, ‘periodontal pockets’.

When pockets deepen, the teeth become loose and the infection continues to expand. It is difficult for even highly skilled clinicians to thoroughly clean the bacterial plaque out of these areas. And the patient has little chance of keeping these defects clean, further promoting more disease breakdown. In these situations, the doctor may rely on various in-office surgical methods to clear up the infection and repair the jaw bone destruction. By doing so the risk of re-infection is minimized or controlled.

Some techniques are designed to reshape small defects in the jawbone where the bacteria are beginning to colonize.

If deeper destruction has occurred, more sophisticated techniques exist to regenerate the lost bone, growing back the support that was destroyed by the periodontal infection. The earlier these problems are addressed, the easier it is to correct the damages left behind by the infections.

Many patients experience recession or stripping of the soft gum tissue, exposing the root surfaces of the teeth. This can often be the result of periodontal infection.

This patient is suffering from advanced gum recession . Untreated, this problem will result in tooth loss.

Bacteria destroy both the gum tissue and the supporting bone. This leads to recession and eventual tooth loss.

With a simple in office procedure, the problem is corrected. Most patients are impressed by the ease and comfort of these procedures.

Gum recession knows no age limit. Both young and old can begin to notice the visible results of these infections. Often, soft tissue grafting will repair these unsightly root exposures. Left untreated, the recession can continue until the teeth are eventually lost due to a lack of bone support or tooth decay.