Periodontal disease is caused by bacteria present in dental plaque. Plaque is the sticky substance that forms on the teeth. Sometimes, plaque builds up, affecting the teeth and the surrounding tissues. If left untreated, periodontal disease may spread to the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. These structures support your teeth.

In prolonged or untreated gum disease, gums separate from teeth and form pockets for bacteria and other debris to accumulate. This causes decay which can cause further deterioration.

So, the heart of all periodontal therapy is removal of calculus and plaque from the tooth surfaces. In most cases of periodontal therapy, non-invasive methods like scaling and root planning are done to remove the plaque and calculus. To successfully treat periodontal disease it is also necessary to adequately debride the periodontal pocket. This is generally accomplished using curettes or ultrasonic scalers and sometimes rotary instruments may be useful.

Removing debris from the crown of the tooth is referred to as scaling, while root planing or debridment refers to cleaning the root below the gum. But in some cases, scaling and root planning are unsuccessful in removing the underlying plaque and calculus.

In such cases of calculus accumulation, methods like Flap surgery is done. This is a minor surgery procedure. Flap surgery is described as the loosening of the gum from bone to expose and clean underlying tooth structures. This is done under local anesthesia. Small incisions are made in the gum, so that it can be lifted back to expose the tooth and bone. The entire area is carefully cleaned, all the debris and infected tissue are removed and the bone is examined. This is because periodontal disease causes bone loss, the bone is re-contoured in order to allow the gum to heal properly.

In some people, the gums don't fit snugly around the gum. In such cases also, Flap surgery is performed.

Welcome to Discover Europe Talk, Cole25. I just removed the hidden links. Please read the forum rules. Anyway thank you for posting the interesting article about flap surgery.