Treatment of Gum Recession

Patients with recession show loss of gum tissue and sometimes also bone tissue around the neck of the tooth exposing the root surfaces in the oral cavity. Receding gum tissue can result in esthetic problems for patients, increase risk of root caries and in very advance cases can directly or indirectly lead to tooth loss. Recession is not a disease but a condition that can be related to several risk factors. Current periodontal research mentions: history of inflammation and periodontal disease, malalignment and position of the teeth within the dental arch, prominent root anatomy, traumatic oral hygiene habits, thickness and type of the soft tissue and thickness of bone anatomy over the roots as risk factors for recession. 

Treatment of Recession is done with two main end results in mind and depending on the current problem in hand and the goal we want to achieve different surgical approaches are utilized. In some cases root coverage is not possible and the main goal is to add strong tissue type around the recession area so the condition doesn’t get worse. In these situations we may elect a procedure called Free Gingival Graft or Free Soft Tissue Graft. In other scenarios where root coverage is possible a connective tissue graft is utilized. Other surgical techniques for root coverage, such as Coronally Advanced Flap with or without Alloderm, Vista Technique, Pinhole Technique, Tunneling Technique, and Pouch Technique have been devised over time that are modification of the original technique and can be utilized on case by case basis.

Two different sources are used as the donor graft for these procedures. Autogenous Graft is taken from another site in the patient’s mouth. Donor graft comes from other sources such as other humans, animals or bioengineered. Some cases get the best outcome from Autogenous      

Grafts but many can be successful using other graft sources and this is determined by the periodontist after your evaluation appointment. 

Patients can expect to have sutures in their mouth after some of these procedures. These sutures are removed by our team members or dissolve on their own. Completed results can be seen between 8-12 months but in some cases further improvements can be seen over the first 12-18.

You can give us a call 949-830-1322 to schedule your appointment.