Periodontitis Surgery in Novi Sad

Periodontitis is a chronic bacterial infection of the tooth’s supporting tissues, jawbone, and tooth root. After cavities, it’s the most widespread disease, and it’s estimated that 90% of the population has some form of periodontitis.

The disease begins with inflammation of the gums, which bleed, are swollen, and painful. Unpleasant breath is also present. If gum inflammation isn’t treated, the disease spreads and affects the supporting structures of the teeth and jawbone, leading to the formation of characteristic periodontal pockets, loss of bone around the teeth, loosening, and eventual tooth loss.

Periodontitis therapy is long-term and complex. Treatment is determined and carried out depending on the stage of the disease. It’s necessary to perform a detailed examination, analyze an X-ray, and determine the prognosis for each tooth. Teeth with a poor prognosis must be extracted, while teeth with a good prognosis should be treated so they can perform their function in the oral cavity for as long as possible. The therapy can be conservative, surgical, prosthetic, and most often, a combination of these.

Periodontal surgery includes specialized surgical procedures aimed at treating advanced forms of periodontal diseases, regenerating damaged tissues, and improving the aesthetic appearance of the gums. These procedures are most often performed when non-surgical methods, such as professional teeth cleaning and deep scaling (treatment of periodontal pockets), are not enough to control the infection and preserve the supporting structures of the teeth.

Periodontal surgery may include procedures like surgical cleaning of deep pockets, guided tissue regeneration, connective tissue grafting to improve the appearance and function of the gums, as well as procedures for correcting an irregular gum line for aesthetic purposes. The goal of these interventions is to preserve natural teeth, improve oral health, and enhance the appearance of a smile.

Inflammation of the gums occurs due to the buildup of plaque on teeth, gums, crowns, bridges, and dentures. Over time, bacteria inhabit the plaque, causing inflammation of the gums. We treat gingivitis by removing hard and soft deposits and training the patient on how to maintain oral hygiene properly. Dental calculus and soft deposits should be removed twice a year. For more persistent forms of the disease, we use laser treatments as an addition to the basic therapy.

If gum inflammation is not treated, bacteria from the gums spread to the jawbone and the supporting structures of the teeth, causing them to deteriorate. In this phase, characteristic periodontal pockets are formed.

In addition to removing hard and soft deposits from the teeth, the causal phase of periodontitis treatment must also be performed. This includes the treatment of periodontal pockets. Under local anesthesia, we use special instruments—periodontal curettes—to clean the infected contents of the pockets and remove concretions from the tooth roots.

If periodontitis is not stopped in its initial stages, the disease advances, leading to extensive destruction of the bone and supporting tooth structures. In the final stage, the pockets reach the depth of the tooth root tip, teeth become loose, shift their position, and fall out.

In addition to conservative treatments, advanced periodontitis also requires surgical treatment. The surgical procedure is performed under local anesthesia and is a completely painless operation. The goal of the procedure is to provide direct access to the periodontal pockets and to enable the removal of infected tissue from the pockets and from the surface of the tooth root, thereby eliminating the pockets or reducing their depth. In some cases, it is possible to compensate for lost bone by adding bone substitutes – “artificial bone.” More effective cleaning of the pockets, elimination of infected tissue, and better healing are achieved by using a laser during the surgical procedure.

Gingiva or gum recession is a mucogingival anomaly that occurs due to incorrect, overly aggressive brushing when cleaning teeth, improper tooth position in the jawbone, or teeth grinding – bruxism. Surgical procedures can prevent further progression of gum recession or return the gums to their original position.

In the lower jaw, we most often use the SMAT operation. With this technique, using soft tissue transplants, we stop further gum recession, create a wider zone of attached gingiva, and achieve a greater depth of the oral vestibule, which allows for more effective oral hygiene.

In the upper jaw, the therapy of choice is the coronally advanced flap in combination with a connective tissue transplant. In this way, we achieve a return of the gums to their original position, prevent their further recession, and achieve significant aesthetic results.

These interventions are performed under local anesthesia and are completely painless.

In cases where the gums above the teeth are not symmetrical or are excessively visible—a “gummy smile”—we apply the method of surgical crown lengthening. Most often, this procedure is performed as part of pre-prosthetic patient preparation, before grinding teeth for fixed prosthetic restorations (crowns or veneers), but it can also be done on natural teeth. The procedure, depending on the case, can be performed with a laser or classical surgery, and in both cases, it is done under local anesthesia and is entirely painless.