The main cause of periodontal disease are bacteria in the form of a sticky colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth. However, many factors can cause periodontal disease and influence its progression.

Gum tissue and bone must fit tight around your teeth, like a turtle-neck shirt around the neck. When you have periodontal disease, this support tissue and bone are destroyed, and "pockets" form around your teeth.

In time, these pockets get deeper and provide a bigger space for bacteria. As bacteria multiply around teeth, they can accumulate and advance under the gum tissues. These deeper pockets accumulate even more bacteria, which results in bone and tissue loss. Eventually, too much bone is lost and the teeth must be extracted.

Your periodontist has measured the pocket depth and has recommended a procedure for pocket reduction because you have pockets too deep to be able to keep clean with daily oral care and routine professional care.

During this procedure, the periodontist retracts the gums from the teeth, removes the bacteria causing the disease before adjusting and repositioning the tissue. In some cases, the irregular bone surfaces are leveled to minimize areas where bacteria could hide. This permits the gum tissues to adhere better to healthy bone.

What are the benefits of this procedure?

It is important to reduce pocket depth and eliminate bacteria to prevent the damage caused by periodontal disease progression and keep a healthy smile.

Deeper pockets are harder to clean either by yourself as for the oral health professional, so it important for you to reduce them. Reduced pockets and a combination of daily oral hygiene and professional maintenance increase the chances of keeping your teeth - and decrease the chances of having serious health problems.