Surgical Treatment

“Motrin” or “Tylenol” is more than enough to keep you comfortable after a surgical procedure.

Osseous surgery - Pocket Elimination – Smooth the bone where it is rough and pitted from the infection (periodontitis). Reposition gum to the bone level to reduce the depth of the space between the tooth and gum, providing a shallow space between the tooth and gum that you can clean daily with a toothbrush, interdental brush, or floss.

Osseous Surgery - Gum is Moved Close to Bone, If Bone Is Rough and Pitted It Is Smoothed

If you have any questions about pocket reduction surgery or treatment for periodontal disease, call us at (401) 273-6161 and schedule an appointment with our dentist at our office in Providence, RI.

Regenerative Procedures - Regrowth of lost bone from periodontal disease is possible. Where there is a hole in the bone, the more contained the defect, the more new bone cells will be available. That said, the more predictable the regeneration. This is often done in conjunction with reshaping the bone with osseous surgery leaving a predictable regenerative defect. Many bone grafting materials and growth factors are available in performing this procedure.

Guided Tissue Regeneration and Bone Graft

If you have any questions about regenerative procedures or periodontal disease, call us at (401) 273-6161 and schedule an appointment with our dentist at our office in Providence, RI.

Crown Lengthening- two types:

1. Crown Lengthening- reposition bone and gum around a tooth that has decayed or fractured below the gum line so it can be restored. Orthodontic extrusion of the tooth can precede crown lengthening and eliminate black spaces between the teeth and gum when it is restored.

Procedure by Dr. Peter Payne

1 a)

Orthodontic Extrusion before Crown Lengthening to Avoid Spaces Between Teeth

2. Esthetic Crown lengthening– reposition or remove gum (“gummy smile”) that covers the natural crown of teeth to establish natural length and esthetics.

Before

After

Before

After

If you have any questions about crown lengthening, call us at (401) 273-6161 and schedule an appointment with our dentist at our office in Providence, RI.

Gum Grafting

This procedure is done to establish a dense pink gum seal around the neck of the tooth to protect the supporting bone around your teeth from the disease-causing bacteria that you clean away daily. If you do an efficient job cleaning your teeth, it takes 24 hours before the bacterial start to cause infection in the gum (gingivitis).

1. Submarginal graft – dense connective tissue is added at the existing gum line

        a) Autograft - use your own tissue

Procedure by Dr. Peter Payne

b) Allograft– donor tissue from another human with all live elements removed to prevent rejection reactions

2. Root Coverage graft – Cover exposed root surfaces and establish a dense connective tissue seal as above. Autografts or allografts are available.

Procedure by Dr. Peter Payne

Procedure by Dr. Peter Payne

There is no increase of the dense pink tissue around the neck of the tooth with Allograft. The new dense tissue is under the loose, thin red tissue. 100% root coverage is less predictable with Allograft.. 

If you have any questions about gum grafting, call us at (401) 273-6161 and schedule an appointment with our dentist at our office in Providence, RI.