Technological advances applied to medicine have brought great advantages for professionals, but also for patients. One of the most revolutionary techniques in recent years has been that of periodontal cosmetic microsurgery, in which microscopes are used to work with greater precision in the mouth area.

How many times have you tried to thread a needle and couldn’t? Can you imagine doing it with a microscope that increases your vision 20 times? It would be much easier, right? Well, the same thing happens with periodontal cosmetic microsurgery . Through this system, the dentist places two microscopes in the eyes (as if they were glasses) and achieves a much more precise vision of the area to be treated. To increase the visibility of the mouth, the microscope is accompanied by an optical light much more powerful than a conventional light (sometimes the microscope already incorporates the light itself).

Gengivitis and periodontitis

To this day, we use the term periodontal surgery to those surgical techniques that aim to improve the state and condition of the tissues that support the teeth . In the past, the terms therapy or surgery were used interchangeably, but in 1957, Friedman introduced the term surgery to specifically refer to the corrective techniques used for the alveolar mucosa and the gums.

Periodontal microsurgery is aimed at correcting gum imperfections, derived from periodontitis, a type of disease caused by inflammation of the gums known as gngivitis, which is manifested in most cases by the appearance of bleeding gums when they receive external stimuli such as brushing and sometimes spontaneously.

If we do not act to eliminate gingivitis in time, it can lead to greater severity such as periodontitis, with the consequent destruction of the supporting periodontal tissues, the alveolar-shaped bone that surrounds the tooth.

The most common treatments are additive (include grafts in the gum to make it larger) or resective (removing gum tissues to make it smaller). Ideally, the gum covers the root of the tooth and leaves only the crown of the tooth visible.

Risk factors for periodontal disease

Knowing for sure that the vast majority of diseases are caused by more than one reason, in the case of periodontics there is a fairly close relationship between problems and genetics, causing a certain group of people to accumulate the greatest loss of bone and teeth. for being more vulnerable to plaque.

Another very important factor is oral hygiene. since the people with a greater care of her have a smaller incidence in serious dental problems. In addition, there are other risk factors such as tobacco, HIV infection or diabetes, in general situations with which the biological response is decreased.

What alterations can we solve with periodoncial microsurgery

The gummy smile. It is not a disease as such, but in some people it is somewhat annoying that when you smile, an excess of gum appears, without being proportionate to the teeth. With surgery, the proper tooth-gum ratio can be achieved, so the patient achieves an immediate result with a perfect smile. It can appear as a cause of different reasons such as short lip, hypermobile lip, excessive growth of the maxilla or eruption on maxillary teeth.
Gingival recession . This type of dysfunction is totally the opposite of the previous situation, a large number of teeth are shown offering the unsightly long tooth, having an alteration in the position of the margin on the gum.

In each case, it is necessary to go to a specialist in dentistry who knows first-hand periodontal microsurgery, in this way, no matter how complicated each particular case may be, they will be able to analyze the techniques that may be required to solve that problem, offering you the ones that are they can best be adapted to the specifications of your mouth as well as the budget you want to allocate to do it.

Advantages of microsurgery

At this point, we can highlight three great advantages that periodontal cosmetic microsurgery provides .

Surgery does not bother the patient

The dentist will make fewer cuts and very small incisions thanks to the high degree of precision with which one works in periodontal cosmetic microsurgery. Gone are the large scars and generalized discomfort throughout the mouth due to old and little advanced treatments.

Fast recovery

The result of working with such precise techniques is that the patient’s recovery is faster and less bothersome . With microsurgery, it is possible to target the affected area directly, speeding up the postoperative period and considerably reducing the number of stitches and scars. Another great advantage of this treatment is that bleeding during the process is minimal .

No traces of the operation remain

The direct consequence of the previous point is that the slight incisions made in the mouth leave very small scars. Also, stitching is done with very fine gauge needles. Periodontal cosmetic microsurgery has the advantage that it is one of the least noticeable a posteriori, so it will appear that there has been no treatment.

Recommendations for before and after surgery

To achieve the best results it is necessary to have oral health in good shape . This means that for the desired effect to be correct, the tissues on which they are applied must be healthy. For this, the dentist will perfectly study the stage of the periodontium and treat, if it exists, the relevant disease before performing the surgery. With this improvement, the tissues to be treated can be handled much better and healing will take place in a shorter period of time.

It is also advisable to follow a periodontal maintenance program so that the results can be maintained over the years.