Article by:
Amelia Grant
Everyone desires to feel and look beautiful, to have the perfect smile. However, many of us also feel self-conscious about our smiles due to dental issues with our teeth, gums, and facial injuries. By addressing additional issues, such as an uneven gum line, or gum recession the patient can have a more attractive smile as a result of periodontal surgery. Gum recession is a condition when the gums recede away from a tooth, exposing more of the tooth or the tooth's root.
Due to the progressive nature of the process, many people don't even realize that their gums have receded. But with time, an exposed tooth root can become unsightly as well as uncomfortable, especially when eating hot or cold food. A gum tissue graft may be required to repair the damage and stop more dental issues. Over time, untreated gum recession can also harm the tooth's supporting bone and result in dental decay, sensitivity, and bone loss.
If you have gum recession, your dentist might advise gum grafting. Although receding gums are frequently a sign of serious gum disease, some people are also genetically predisposed to the condition. Gum recession might also happen if you brush too hard. One of the most frequent periodontal operations provided in the United States is gum grafting.
There are various gum-grafting methods, each intended to address particular periodontal issues. The recommendation for each kind of gum graft depends on:
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how much gum recession there is
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how much the cheek can pull during regular activities on the surgery site
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whether or not your gums have subsided in between the teeth or just on the front surface.
Keep reading to discover three gum-grafting approaches.
1. Connective tissue graft
It is the most frequent type of transplant used to repair exposed tooth roots. Your exposed tooth roots will be covered in this area by new tissue. At the roof of your mouth (palate), a flap of skin is cut, tissue is removed, and the flap is sewn to the gum tissue encircling the exposed root(s). The palatal flap is sewn back after the graft has been done.
2. Free gingival graft
It also involves taking a little piece of tissue from your mouth's roof, in contrast to the "trap door" method. The distinction is that the used tissue is grafted into the area that requires additional gum tissue due to thinning and is taken from the upper layer of the palate. By transplanting a piece of gum tissue from one area to another, this method stops future gum recession.
3. Pedicle graft
Your gum specialist will utilize a flap of tissue from a location exactly next to the area of your gum recession to cover the area where the gum tissue is retreating. In this process, local tissue is used to transfer gum tissue over the recession rather than using tissue from another area of your mouth. Due to the fact that it doesn't stop the blood supply to any parts of your mouth, this kind of graft is typically the most successful. You need a lot of gum tissue in the areas surrounding your gum recession for this to function.
The majority of grafting procedures are painless and frequently done under local anesthetic. Even if tissue has been removed from your palate, the donor area is often coated with a calming, liquid band-aid-like substance, so you should feel very little pain after the procedure. Thankfully, whatever discomfort you experience can be treated with OTC or prescription anti-inflammatory drugs, and it usually goes away quickly. Your typical activities won't be restricted unless a soft diet (and an antibiotic) are advised for a week or so post-surgery to allow the tissues to heal completely.