A Less Invasive Way to Fix Receding Gums

Dentist Blog

Gum disease is an all too common complaint (with just under 23% of the Australian population affected to some degree), and gum recession is a prevalent feature of gum disease. It's certainly unfortunate and requires treatment, but the very nature of this treatment might be enough to discourage sufferers from taking action. That being said, action is definitely needed.

Gingival Grafting

Gum recession can often be halted by changing (or stepping up) your oral hygiene measures. However, it cannot be reversed without help from a dentist. Severe gum recession is generally treated with gingival grafting. This involves the manual grafting of additional gum tissues to replace the portion of your gums that have been lost. The donor for these grafts is usually you, with your dentist taking a small sample from elsewhere in your mouth and grafting it to the portions of your gums that require attention. This cutting and subsequent grafting can sound a bit too invasive for some people, even though treatment is necessary. 

A Less Invasive Option

Gingival grafting is not your only option, so if the nature of this treatment discourages you from having the issue corrected, you should talk to your dentist about a less invasive alternative known as pinhole gum rejuvenation. It's a means of achieving the same result without the need to make incisions in your gum tissues. The only invasive part of the process is the pinhole puncture. How does it work?

A Pinhole

Your dentist punctures a small hole (a pinhole, in fact) in your gums. This strategic puncture then loosens the gingival tissue, allowing your dentist to gently stretch the tissues back to their pre-recession position. Your teeth are scaled prior to the pinhole rejuvenation, as this improves the success of the procedure.

Under the Gums

The success of the procedure also requires your gum tissues to be given a fighting chance. This means that your dentist will often apply a wafer-thin, dissolvable strip of collagen to your gums before readjusting their position. This collagen then stays under your gums, slowly dispersing, which helps to revitalise your repositioned gum line as it heals.

Tooth Decay and Pinhole Rejuvenation

Most patients with receding gums are candidates for pinhole rejuvenation, although tooth decay can present a problem. When gum recession has exposed an additional surface area of a tooth which has then decayed, this decay must be addressed. Your dentist can restore these teeth by applying a composite resin to the surface of the tooth (known as dental bonding). Once this has set, your pinhole rejuvenation can take place.

Receding gums won't fix themselves, but if the invasive nature of the standard solution doesn't appeal to you, you should discuss pinhole rejuvenation with your dentist.

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