What are “Pockets”?
The supporting bone and gum tissue around your teeth should fit snugly like a turtleneck around your neck. When you have periodontal disease, your supporting tissues become loose and your bone is slowly destroyed, forming "pockets" around your teeth.
Over time, these pockets become deeper, providing a larger space for bacteria to live. As bacteria develop around the teeth, they can accumulate and advance underneath your gum tissue. As the inflammation continues within the pocket, different types of bacteria gather to increase the likelihood to lose one or multiple teeth. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth will need to be extracted.
Dr. Romano performs a simple procedure to help him visualized and eliminate the infected areas of your bone and soft tissue. The bone will be smoothed to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide therefore allowing the gum tissue to better reattach to your healthy bone. The final result is to aide in your daily home care and your routine Periodontal Therapy. Remember that reducing pocket depth and eliminating existing bacteria are important to prevent damage caused by the progression of periodontal disease and to help you maintain a healthy smile. Eliminating bacteria alone may not be sufficient to prevent disease recurrence. Deeper pockets are more difficult for you and us to clean, so it's important for you to reduce them.
Reduced pockets and a combination of daily oral hygiene and professional maintenance care increase your chances of keeping your natural teeth –and decrease the chance of serious health problems associated with periodontal disease.