Three Types of Papilla Incision in Periodontal Surgery

Firstly, the marginal tissue will be elevated around the periodontal defect, through the tunneling of the tissues, entering through the gingival sulcus and the periodontal pocket of the teeth involved in the defect periodontal. Once the marginal tissues have been disinserted to full thickness, the soft supra-alveolar component of the defect to be reconstructed will be stretched, in a buccal direction, with a blunt instrument, applying pressure on the lingual aspect. Visualizing the midpoint of the interproximal tissue, the papilla will be dissected at its midpoint, entering through the mesial aspect, with the scalpel blade perpendicular to the central axis of the teeth.

First, an incision will be made in the palatal aspect of the interproximal papilla, at the base of the papilla, parallel to the axis of the tooth until touching the palatine alveolar crest, in order to detach and move the papilla from its base, attached to the vestibular flap. From the palatal incision the interproximal tissue will be elevated towards the buccal until the buccal bone crest is exposed.

The defect will be accessed through an incision at the base of the papilla on the vestibular aspect. Depending on the anatomy of the interproximal space, two types of incisions will be made: simplified papilla preservation flap (SPPF) when the width of the interproximal space is equal to or less than 2 mm, or modified papilla preservation technique (MPPT) when the width is greater than 2 millimeters. The interproximal incision will extend intrasulcular on the lingual and buccal aspect of the teeth adjacent to the defect, and mesio-distally it will extend as necessary to allow access to the defect and its debridement. The papilla will move from its base towards the palatine.