As a full-service periodontal surgeon, dental implant specialist and laser dentist, Arcadia Perio, in Arcadia, California works to restructure and regenerate critical elements in your dental architecture such as the soft gingival tissue and the bone that anchors your teeth. Through regeneration therapy, Dr. Fuentes and Dr. Peterson reshape and redirect the growth at these sites to promote healing.
request an appointmentWhat does regeneration mean?
Technically, regeneration is a type of rebirth. When applied to periodontal services, it generally means the regrowth of stabilizing elements such as bone and gum tissue.
The uses for regeneration therapy include:
- Building up the bone around a tooth socket
- Preserving a tooth socket after extraction
- Filling in bone defect due to tooth extraction, oral tumor, or an impacted tooth
- Repairing bone defects due to disease or injury
The goal is to allow you to retain your natural tooth by creating a healthy and more stable environment for it.
How does this regeneration work?
It starts with identifying which teeth would benefit from the procedure. There are a number of ways to pinpoint at-risk teeth. The gum might be swollen and red around the tooth, for example. It might bleed easily when probed. Dr. Fuentes and Dr. Peterson also measure the pocket around the tooth to see how deep it is.
After applying a local anesthetic, an incision is made in the gum tissue surround the problem tooth to expose the underlying bone. After debriding the bone, which means cleaning it thoroughly, the gum is reshaped to better accommodate the tooth.
In some cases, the reshaping isn’t enough to save the tooth. With guided tissue regeneration, a membrane is placed over the bone to augment it. This is necessary is the bone density is too low to continue supporting the tooth. By using membrane fillers, bone grafts, and proteins that stimulate tissue growth, the regeneration processes calls upon the body’s own ability to grow bone as part of the healing process.
When is regeneration necessary?
The surgery itself is done when the bone supporting a tooth becomes destroyed by periodontal disease. Part of the procedure requires the removal of infected tissue, which stops the infection from progressing. By reshaping the bone, Dr. Fuentes and Dr. Peterson save the platform that supports the tooth. The use of the regenerative material isn’t necessary with every tooth, but when put in place, it strengthens weak bones, reduces the pocket depth, and helps prevent further damage. Combined with good oral hygiene, regeneration therapy can prevent further damage and disease.