Osseous Surgery

What to expect during surgery

Pocket reduction surgery, formally known as osseous surgery, takes about one hour to perform and reduces any pockets that have been created. Your gums will first be numbed using anesthetic making the procedure painless. Next, small incisions are made that allows the doctor to clean underneath the gums removing the bacteria that may be trapped. Lastly the gums are put back with any traces of bacteria now cleaned.

Recovery from pocket reduction

Recovery after osseous surgery is similar to the recovery process for other oral surgery procedures. For the first few days after surgery it is recommended that you stick to primarily soft foods that don’t require heavy chewing which can irritate the surgical site. Ice can be placed outside the mouth where the surgery was performed to help manage swelling that may occur. It is also important that you avoid heavy exertion activity in order to help prevent additional bleeding. Lastly, a saltwater rinse should be used in order to sanitize the mouth and keep it clean to avoid any infection.