Some Gum Graft Alternatives & How Do They Work
One common issue confronting aging people is gum recession which can happen for many reasons. Whatever the reason, if you are affected by gum recession, you must have the issue corrected at the earliest by visiting the dentist near you to improve your overall health and smile.
The dentist you visit will likely offer different options currently available to treat gum recession. Traditional approaches to addressing gum recession are gum graft surgery performed by many dentists. The process requires the dentist to take tissue from your palate, donors, or synthetic tissue to place it over the affected area. Gum grafting procedures are highly effective but more invasive in nature than alternative procedures with an extended recovery time.
What are Some Gum Graft Alternatives?
If you want to correct the appearance of your gums by avoiding gum grafting, you might want to discuss the following alternatives with your dentist.
Pinhole Surgical Technique (PST)
An alternative preferred by dentists for its popularity instead of performing gum grafting surgery is the latest technique called pinhole surgery. The procedure is similar to laparoscopic or orthoscopic surgery when correcting gum recession by making a tiny hole in your gum line. Our periodontist in Kingwood uses unique instruments to loosen your gums to move them back to their appropriate positions. This process has gained popularity because it is minimally more invasive than conventional gum grafting. The PST technique also helps in making recovery time significantly shorter.
Scaling and Root Planing
Scaling and root planing are processes that help remove accumulated tartar from your teeth and below the gum line. When you allow bacteria to remain in your mouth without flossing, it eventually hardens into tartar in approximately 48 hours. Therefore, your chances of developing gum infections increase significantly when you avoid getting cleanings from our dentist in 77339. Tartar is the leading cause of receding gums and causes additional complications like bone deterioration and tooth loss. Your gums receive a chance to heal when you allow your dentist to remove the bacteria by performing scaling and root planing.
Bone Regeneration
When you develop severely receded gums, you might suffer from jawbone deterioration beneath the gums. In such cases, you might require bone regeneration surgery to correct the tissue by peeling back your gums to augment bone with a bone graft. However, this process is generally not performed unless you have severe periodontitis.
Gum Contouring
Gum contouring is an alternative option that might help you instead of gum grafting, which allows your smile lines by reshaping your gums. Gum grafting is performed with the use of lasers or scalpels. You receive anesthesia before performing this procedure. After completing this treatment, you can enjoy a bright new and aesthetically pleasing smile. It also helps reduce the depth of the pockets, making them more straightforward to clean to decrease your risk of developing periodontal disease. Gum contouring is usually performed in conjunction with gum grafting.
Which Treatment is Suitable for Your Situation?
Patient needs are unique and differ from each other. You might need these procedures if you allow the early stage of gum disease gingivitis to progress into aggressive periodontitis or severe periodontitis, which can potentially cause gum recession and bone deterioration.
The best approach is to ensure you never develop gum disease by maintaining excellent dental hygiene, brushing teeth twice daily in the morning and at night just before getting into bed, flossing daily whenever possible, and getting six-monthly dental prophylaxis to ensure you never develop gum disease.
Your situation will benefit immensely if you learn to recognize the symptoms of gum disease-causing bleeding gums after brushing and flossing, swollen gums, pain when biting and chewing, and several other problems.
Dentists recommend scaling and root planing initially during the early stages of gum disease. However, if you allow the problem to progress into periodontitis without receiving appropriate professional care from dentists, you must visit the periodontist in Kingwood, a specialist, to manage issues with your gums that impact your smile and overall health.
It would be even better not to ignore gum disease because the infection has the potential to impact your entire body by spreading the bacteria through your gums into your bloodstream. In addition, the bacteria can result in problems with respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer if left untreated by ignoring treatments from periodontists and allowing the condition to aggravate.
Visit Periodontist Near You
We at Houston Oral Healthcare Specialists provide different therapies for gum grafting if you want to improve the looks of your smile and overall health. If you have gum recession, please do not hesitate to contact our practice if searching for gum graft alternatives.