What Causes a Receding Gum Line?
Receding gums, a fairly common dental problem, expose the lower part of the tooth. Unfortunately, gums recede so gradually that most people do not notice it in the early stages. Usually, the first signs are a sensitive tooth or, a tooth that looks longer than it once did. While genes do sometimes play a part, the most common cause of gum recession is periodontal disease, a bacterial gum infection that infects and destroys gum tissue along with the supporting bone structure. Inadequate oral hygiene causes plaque to build up on and in between your teeth. This sticky substance eventually turns to a much harder substance called tartar that causes gum recession. Once formed, tartar can only be removed professionally. Too aggressive tooth brushing can also wear away tooth enamel that causes the gums to recede, as does clenching or grinding your teeth. Fluctuating hormone levels such as occur during pregnancy, puberty or menopause, also causes gums to become more sensitive to disease. Poor blood sugar control in diabetics render them more susceptible to gum disease.
Because gum tissue is the only barrier between bacteria and the bones and tissue that support your teeth, if the recession is left untreated, these bones are likely to be damaged which will ultimately lead to tooth loss. The right amount of protection and treatment is, therefore, essential.
Pinhole Surgical Rejuvenation Vs. Tissue Grafting
Tissue Grafting
If the pockets in your gums are too deep to be restored by a cleaning, then the traditional treatment is a soft tissue graft taken from the patient's palate, or from a donor. This tissue is then sutured on the receding gum covering the previously exposed root. However, as you can imagine, cutting tissue from the roof of the mouth and stitching it onto the gum line is not only uncomfortable, but takes several days to heal. Besides which, the sutures have to be so small that they usually take a long time to do, which means only a couple or so teeth can be treated at one time.
Pinhole Surgical Rejuvenation
PSL requires no incisions and, therefore, no sutures. After giving you a local anesthetic, we will use a needle to make a small entry point in the gum. A specially designed instrument, inserted through this hole, gently loosens the gum tissue and slides it over the receded part of the gum. This new position is held by several strips of collagen that are inserted through the original pinhole, with the help of a small angled instrument.
And that, quite literally, is all there is to it.
The entire procedure is done in far less time than traditional grafting, which means that several teeth can be treated in one sitting, and the downtime is virtually non-existent. Although we cut no flaps in your mouth, remove no tissue, make no incisions, and use no sutures, you have a new re-built gum line that is not only much healthier and protects your teeth far more adequately, but also vastly improves your smile. To learn more about Pinhole Surgical Rejuvenation, call and schedule a consultation.
