How Much Does Osseous Surgery Cost?
Osseous surgery is a dental procedure in which the damaged bone tissue around the tooth is removed, cleaned up, and reshaped. If you have gum disease, and you have had it for a while, bacteria will build up in the mouth and may eventually lead to a bacterial infection that can spread to bones below the gumline. Osseous surgery is a treatment procedure designed to get rid of that infection, reshape the bone, and help reattach the gum to the teeth. If your dentist has recommended osseous surgery, you may want to know what the procedure involves and how much it costs.
The Osseous Surgery Procedure
The osseous gum surgery procedure usually involves the following steps:
- First, the dentist will start by numbing the affected region by applying anesthesia.
- Once the mouth is sufficiently numb, the dentist will make a small incision in the gum tissue to reach the underlying bone.
- Once the dentist can reach the tooth root, they’ll clean out the bacteria and damaged tissue and smooth the bone surface.
- Once the tooth is all cleaned up, the gum tissue will be sutured up so that the wound can heal.
When Is Osseous Gum Surgery Necessary?
Even with daily brushing and flossing, food particles and debris continue to get stuck and build up between the teeth and gums. For individuals who already have some early symptoms of gum disease, including receding gums, it is especially difficult to remove food particles from the gum pockets in the mouth. Over time, these food particles and bacteria build up and turn into plaque and tartar and attract bacterial infection. This bacterial infection is the earliest stage of gum disease called gingivitis.
Over time, these bacteria will spread below the gumline and may infect the bone, leading to the next stage of gum disease. If gum disease is treated early, the infection can be treated with a simple deep cleaning procedure. But if allowed to persist, the gum disease will infect the underlying bone. In this case, a deep cleaning procedure is not enough to treat the advancing infection, and a more serious treatment is needed.
It is at this stage that osseous surgery may be needed as a last resort to save the tooth and reverse some of the damage. Better than a deep clean, the osseous surgical procedure will help to get rid of the infection from the bone tissue under the gums and reshape it.
Gum Disease Treatment Cost
In general, the cost of the osseous surgical procedure will depend on the severity of the gum disease and the extent of damaged bone that needs to be treated. Prior to giving you an estimate of the treatment cost, the dentist will have to assess the severity of the infection and determine whether bone grafts may be needed. On average, periodontal treatment costs can range from just $500 to $10,000. Fortunately, the treatment is often covered, at least partially, by insurance.
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