Whether due to genetics, age, or gum disease, many people experience gum recession. This is a serious problem because the gums are there to protect and support the sensitive roots of your teeth; without adequate gum tissue, you may suffer from frequent toothaches and an unattractive smile. In the past, a surgical graft was often necessary to address these problems. Fortunately, however, there is another, less invasive treatment that may be able to boost your oral health and improve your mouth’s aesthetics: pinhole surgery in Washington, DC.
What a Traditional Gum Graft Involves
During a traditional gum graft procedure, an oral surgeon takes some tissue from a patient’s palate (the soft tissue at the roof of the mouth) and attaches it to the gums. This is a delicate and time-consuming procedure that creates two surgical wounds within the mouth. It often requires at least a couple weeks of recovery time. Also, because many patients who undergo this procedure struggle with gum disease, this type of surgery comes with an increased risk of infection.
What the Pinhole Surgical Technique Involves
During pinhole surgery, the dentist creates a tiny hole within the patient’s gum, then shifts the existing tissue so it covers a greater portion of the teeth. This works because the gum tissue has an abundant amount of collagen in it (collagen is an extremely flexible, fibrous protein that plays numerous important roles within the body). The dentist also uses collagen strips to promote the production more of this important structural protein, which gives the gums the flexibility and strength they need to extend to cover more of our teeth.
Advantages of Pinhole Surgery
The Pinhole Surgical Technique offers quite a few advantages over traditional gum grafts:
- The procedure is minimally invasive. Many times, patients are almost completely recovered within 48 hours. The pinhole incision is often gone by the next day.
- There is no need to take tissue from the palate or other parts of the mouth.
- With traditional grafting, a surgeon can treat only a small portion of the mouth before allowing the patient a significant amount of time to recover. With the Pinhole Surgical Technique, it may be possible to treat all of the gum recession in the mouth at the same time.
- With the Pinhole Surgical Technique, there is no need for sutures.
Are You a Candidate for Pinhole Surgery?
If all of the following are true of you, it is possible that you are an excellent candidate for pinhole gum surgery:
- You have been treated for gum disease and are ready to restore your smile’s appearance and health.
- You have experienced gum recession due to bruxism (teeth grinding), genetics, or other factors.
- You do not have extensive bone loss in your jaw.
- You are in fair overall health.
Traditional gum grafting is effective, but it has some significant disadvantages. If you need to have your gum tissue restored, why not find out if the Pinhole Surgical Technique could benefit you?
About the Author
Dr. Julia Lee is a talented general and restorative dentist who has undergone extensive training in oral surgery, periodontics, and endodontics. If you would like to speak to her about restoring your gums, contact our office at 202-364-8989.