Pocket Reduction

After conservative periodontal therapy with scaling and root planning are completed, a pocket reduction procedure may be recommended. This procedure is often done to address remaining pockets around teeth which are too deep to clean with normal at-home brushing and flossing. Reducing your pockets with your improved home care and professional maintenance can improve your chances of maintaining the health of your gums, bone and teeth.

For pocket reduction, the gums and teeth are cleaned with the gums gently folded back. The gums are then secured back into place. Often times, any irregular damaged bone surfaces are reshaped allowing quick healing of both the gum and bone.

When pocket reduction is performed, most patients are surprised that the only usual pain medication given post-operatively is Advil/Ibuprofen. There is no pain expected during the actual pocket reduction procedure. When you are at home recovering, most patients state that they have discomfort which is a 1 or 2 out of 10. Rarely, does pocket reduction cause more discomfort.