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Gums are an important part of our body. They house the teeth which we employ to eat food, the energy currency of our body. Without healthy gums, we cannot expect to have healthy teeth. However, not all of us fully realize this and neglect their well being. This results in to different types of gum diseases which can be cured only through gum surgery.
Gum surgeries are of different types. They can be classified into the following categories:
* Gingivoplasty: This type of gum surgery is performed to restore the original shape of gums around a specific tooth. The surgery helps restore the contour of the gums as well. Deformations caused by gum diseases, genetic factors, or trauma can be corrected with the help of gingivoplasty.
* Gingivectomy: There are occasions when the excessive gum tissue around a tooth needs to be surgically removed. Gingivectomy is done at that time. Apart from trimming gum tissues, it is also used to reduce the space between teeth and gum. Removing this space minimizes the chances of food particles getting stuck there.
* Crown Lengthening: There are cases when the gums in a person's mouth cover far greater area of the teeth than they are supposed to cover. In such cases, gum surgery is performed in order to increase the exposed area of the teeth. The need to do so is specially felt when an individual opts for getting dentures or prosthetic crown to rectify some dental anomaly.
* Gingival flap surgery: On occasions a dentist needs to temporarily remove gum tissues to reach the underlying tooth problem. This is especially the case when it comes to treating plaque and tartar. With the help of gum surgery, the gum tissues covering the affected area can be temporarily set aside and the main problem reached. Once the disease is treated, the tissues are replaced back.
* Soft-tissue graft: This is the last type of gum surgery performed to provide more tissue cover to those teeth where gums have receded significantly. This is done by surgically removing tissue from the palate which is then grafted onto the affected teeth.
Is It Safe To Operate Upon Gums?
Gums are quite sensitive to excess pressure. In any case, they have a very delicate structure as there are blood vessels just underneath them. Hence, care has to be taken while performing gum surgery and afterwards.
There is no pain when the surgery is performed under the influence of a local anesthetic. Once the surgery is done a periodontal dressing is applied on the gum and left there for the length of recovery period. The time taken to fully recover from gum surgery can be a maximum of 2 weeks.
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