Flap Surgery: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Flap surgery is a type of gum procedure in which the gums are separated from the teeth and folded backwards temporarily in order to allow the dentist to reach the root of the tooth and the bone. Flap surgery is basically used for the treatment of periodontitis.

In case of the gingival flap surgery, the dentist is supposed to get rid of all the accumulated plaque and tartar from around the teeth and make sure that your oral hygiene conditions are good.

The periodontist will used a local anesthetic to numb the area in order to minimize the pain you might undergo during the surgery. With the use of a scalpel, gums are separated from the teeth and then folded in the back in the form of a flap. With direct access to the roots and bone that are supporting the teeth, the inflamed tissue is removed. A procedure called scaling and root planning takes place afterwards to get rid of the tartar and deposited plaque. In case of any bone defects, the dentist eliminates them with a procedure called osseous recontouring which helps in smoothening the edges of the bone using files or rotating burs. Once this procedure is completed, the gums are placed back against the teeth and kept in place with the help of stitches. Some periodontists use stitches that are dissolvable on their own while others tend to use stitches that have to be removed a week after the surgery. At times, the periodonist might also cover the surgical site with an intraoral bandage known as periodontal pack or dressing.

The flap surgery is used to treat gum disease known as periodontitis. It is mostly recommended for people with moderate or advanced periodontitis. Mostly, a treatment devoid of surgery is performed first which is also known as root planning and scaling.

People who are active smokers will have difficulties during the surgery since smoking enhances the chances of the disease to reoccur. Moreover, people with mild periodontitis do not need to go for the surgery.

As such there are no side effects to the surgery; however some risk factors are involved in any operation. After the surgery, patients might encounter some bleeding and swelling. The chances of developing an infection are also high.

It hardly takes a few days to recover from the process. If you take the prescribed painkillers and other medications regularly then the chances of another visit to the dentist decline significantly. Other pointers to keep in mind after the treatment are: avoid physical exertion activities as it may contribute to an increase in bleeding, do not lie flat after the surgery as this may prolong the bleeding. Patients who undergo flap surgery need to be very careful about regularly and perfectly brushing their teeth and cleaning their tongue.

It takes hardly 10-12 days to recover from the surgery. The dentist will remove the stitches after a week or 10 days.

Depending upon the case and the procedure involved, the price of flap surgery falls between 10,000 – 20,000 INR.

Since the treatment deals with the gums part of the mouth, its results are not permanent and often another visit to the dentist has to be made. With regular check up and proper cleanliness of the oral systems, the reoccurrence of the disease can be avoided.