An artificial tooth root that’s placed into your jaw to hold a prosthetic tooth or bridge. However, when most people use the term “dental implants,” they’re talking about the combination of the implant (the artificial tooth root) and the prosthetic tooth. Dental implants may be an option for people who have lost one or more teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason and who prefer not to wear dentures.

Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck around your neck. When you have periodontal disease, this supporting tissue and bone is destroyed, forming “pockets” around the teeth. Over time, these pockets become deeper, providing a larger space for bacteria to live accumulate and advance under the gum tissue. These pockets can result in bone and tissue loss. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth will need to be extracted. During a periodontal pocket procedure, your periodontist folds back the gum tissue and removes the disease-causing bacteria before securing the tissue into place. In some cases, irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide. This allows the gum tissue to better reattach to healthy bone.

Your periodontist may recommend a regenerative procedure when the bone supporting your teeth has been destroyed due to periodontal disease. These procedures can reverse some of the damage by regenerating lost bone and tissue. During this procedure, your periodontist folds back the gum tissue and removes the disease-causing bacteria. Membranes (filters), bone grafts or tissue-stimulating proteins can be used to encourage your body’s natural ability to regenerate bone and tissue.

A soft tissue laser is used to reshape gum tissues, removing and reshaping bone and gum tissue during crown lengthening procedures, removing inflamed gum tissues, scaling and root planing (deep cleaning) and frenums. The benefits are less bleeding, reduced pain, faster healing period, less damage to the surrounding tissue and reduced chance of infection.

Surgical removal of teeth, perhaps due to severe damage or decay, severe traumatic injury to the tooth, or to reduce crowding. To prevent bone degeneration the site is debrided and bone graft material is placed to preserve the jawbone.

Exposed tooth roots are the result of gum recession. Gum graft surgery will cover the exposed root and help prevent additional recession, decay, sensitivity and bone loss. During gum graft surgery, your periodontist takes gum tissue from your palate or another donor source to cover the exposed root. Gum graft surgery can be performed on one tooth or multiple teeth, and may help reduce tooth sensitivity and improve the aesthetics of your smile.

A key to implant success is the quantity and quality of the bone where the implant is to be placed. The upper back jaw has traditionally been one of the most difficult areas to successfully place dental implants due to insufficient bone quantity and quality and the close proximity to the sinus. If you’ve lost bone in that area due to reasons such as periodontal disease or tooth loss, you may be left without enough bone to place implants.

Sinus lift surgery — also known as sinus augmentation — can help correct this problem by raising the sinus floor and developing bone for the placement of dental implants. Several techniques can be used to raise the sinus and allow for new bone to form. Deformities in the upper or lower jaw can leave you with inadequate bone in which to place dental implants. This defect may have been caused by periodontal disease, wearing dentures, developmental defects, injury or trauma. Not only do deformities cause problems when placing the implant, they can also cause an unattractive indentation in the jaw line near the missing teeth that may be difficult for you to clean and maintain. To avoid this problem, the gum is lifted away from the ridge to expose the void where the bone is missing. This void is then filled with bone or bone substitute to build up the ridge. Your periodontist can tell you about your options for bone graft materials, which can help to regenerate lost bone and tissue.

During the dental crown lengthening procedure, excess gum and bone tissue is reshaped to expose more of the natural tooth. This can be done to one tooth, to even your gum line, or to several teeth to expose a natural, broad smile. Your dentist or periodontist may also recommend dental crown lengthening to make a restorative or cosmetic dental procedure possible. Crown lengthening adjusts the gum and bone level to expose more of the tooth so it can be restored.

An impacted tooth simply means that it is “stuck” and cannot erupt into function. A surgical procedure where the gum on top of the impacted tooth will be lifted up to expose the hidden tooth underneath. If there is a baby tooth present it will be removed at the same time. Once the tooth is exposed, the surgeon will bond an orthodontic bracket to the exposed tooth.

Peri-implant diseases are inflammatory conditions affecting the soft and hard gum tissues around dental implants. Similar to a natural tooth, bacteria can build up on the base of the implant, below the gum line. Over time, the bacteria irritate the gum tissue, causing it to become inflamed, damaging the tissue and if not caught early, causing the bone structure below the implant to deteriorate. Peri-implant diseases are classified into two categories.

In peri-implant mucositis, gum inflammation is found only around the soft tissues of the dental implant, with no signs of bone loss. Generally peri-implant mucositis is a precursor to peri-implantitis. Evidence suggests that peri-implant mucositis may be successfully treated and is reversible if caught early.

In peri-implantitis, gum inflammation is found around the soft tissue and there is deterioration in the bone supporting the dental implant. Peri-implantitis usually requires surgical treatment. Signs of peri-implant diseases are similar to symptoms of gum disease: red or tender gums around the implants, or bleeding when brushing. And just like your natural teeth, implants require regular tooth brushing and flossing and regular check-ups from a dental professional. Other risks factors for developing peri-implant disease include previous periodontal disease diagnosis, poor plaque control, smoking, and diabetes. It is essential to routinely monitor dental implants as part of a comprehensive periodontal evaluation.

Removing an area of soft tissue inside the mouth in order to help diagnose a lesion that has no obvious cause.

A simple procedure designed to eliminate the presence of a frenum in a patient’s mouth. Depending on where the frenum is located, it can result in a gap between the two upper front teeth, recession of the gums or limited movement of the tongue.

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, provides a quick, simple form of sedation. You’ll inhale a mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen through a face mask, with the balance of these two gases controlled by the dentist to ensure both safety and optimal results. This mild sedation wears off quickly once you stop inhaling it.

Oral sedative drugs can provide moderate levels of sedation that can last for hours, with no need for you to breathe through a face mask. You’ll receive these oral drugs in advance, taking them about one hour before the actual procedure. Under oral sedation, you will feel deeply relaxed and either mildly or extremely groggy, depending on the dosage administered. However, you should still manage to understand and respond to your dentist’s questions and instructions. This level of sedation sometimes goes by the name of twilight dentistry.

IV sedation employs the same kinds of drugs as oral sedation. The main difference involves the speed with which the drugs work. With an intravenous drip sending the sedative directly to your bloodstream, you will experience moderate to deep sedation and will be generally unable to perceive all but the most aggressive stimuli. Dentists use great care when administering IV sedation. Rest assured that your dentist will monitor your vital signs and adjust the sedation level as needed to keep you safe.