For people with periodontal disease, there could be a serious complication known as gum recession. When your tissues recede, this could lead to tooth decay and periodontitis, which impacts smile stability. In today’s blog, Dr. Ann Kania talks about how we treat gum recession with Pinhole Gum Grafts, offering care to boost the health and beauty of your smile.
The Causes (and Impacts) of Gum Recession
If you have periodontal disease and don’t undergo care to manage it, this could grow in severity. One complication is the recession of your gums. As these pull back and expose portions of the roots not protected by enamel, this could lead to tooth sensitivity and even a higher risk of cavities and infection. You could also be more likely to develop periodontitis and tooth loss. At the same time, this alters your smile’s appearance, making teeth appear longer. But we can provide treatment to help improve the health, function, and beauty of your smile, and with a conservative alternative to traditional gum grafts known as Pinhole Gum Grafts.
The Pinhole Gum Graft Process
With the traditional method, we would take tissues from the interior of your mouth and use them to cover the exposed portions of your gums. While effective, this is very involved and has a longer recovery time. But! We can offer an alternative with the pinhole technique. With this option, we will make a minuscule hole in the gums with a dental laser. We then add a special collagen material to the interior and manipulate the periodontal tissues until they cover the exposed roots. We take time to ensure an even and symmetrical gum line, so you have an attractive smile too. The process only takes one visit and tends to heal quickly, so you can return to your usual routine after a day or two of rest.
Managing Periodontal Disease
Following your treatment, we will discuss ways to help manage the disease and keep your smile beautiful and healthy moving forward. We will suggest taking time to brush and floss daily at home, avoiding tobacco products, and cutting back on the amount of sugar and starch in your diet. You can also protect your gums by seeing us for a cleaning every three to four months. We can also manage the size with treatment options like Ozone Therapy or even antimicrobial medications. If you have any questions about how we take on your receding tissues, then contact our team today to learn more and start your journey to better oral health and a full, beautiful smile!
Do You Have Receding Gums?
Our team can provide periodontic care to improve the health and beauty of your smile! When you are ready to schedule an appointment, call Dr. Ann Kania in San Diego, CA, at 760-642-0711.