Your dental professional or periodontist may likely recommend periodontal surgery if you still have deep dental pockets after the scaling and root planing procedure, with or without antibiotics, to help reduce their size. Periodontal surgery may also be needed to eliminate the diseased tissue, reshape bone or regenerate new gum and tissue. Your periodontist folds the gum back away from the tooth during the pocket depth reduction. The dentist removes diseased tissue and smoothen the surface of damaged bones after scraping away the bacteria-laden plaque and tartar. Then the dentist sews the tissue back into place. The removal of the damaged tissue allows the better reattachment of the gum tissue to the healthy bone.