Endodontist - Chapel Hill
Alessandra L.S. Ritter, DDS, MS
501 Eastowne Drive
Suite 155
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-403-5000 (phone)
919-403-5001 (fax)
Flap Surgery
Ritter Endodontics strives to improve the overall health of our patients by focusing on preventing, diagnosing and treating root canals and associated conditions. However, you can use our website's dental library to learn more about not only endodontics but also many other dental problems and treatments available. If you have questions or need to schedule an appointment, contact us.
Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck. 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 thrive and wreak havoc.
As bacteria accumulate and advance under the gum tissue in these deep pockets, additional bone and tissue loss follow. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth will need to be extracted.
Flap surgery is sometimes performed to remove tartar deposits in deep pockets or to reduce the periodontal pocket and make it easier for you or your dental professional to keep the area clean. This common surgery involves lifting back the gums and removing the tartar. The gums are then sutured back in place so that the tissue fits snugly around the tooth again.
A pocket reduction procedure is recommended if daily at-home oral hygiene and a professional care routine cannot effectively reach these deep pockets.
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.