Tissue Grafting
Patient with Anterior Recession After Connective Tissue Grafting
Exposed roots are the result of gum recession. Perhaps you wish to enhance your smile by covering one or more of these roots that make your teeth appear too long. Or, maybe you're not bothered by the appearance of these areas, but you cringe because the exposed roots are sensitive to hot or cold foods and liquids.
Your gums may have receded for a variety of reasons, including aggressive tooth brushing and periodontal disease. You may not be in control of what caused the recession, but Dr. Mabry can help you identify the factors contributing to the problem. Once these contributing factors are determined and controlled, a soft tissue graft procedure will repair the defect and help to prevent additional recession and bone loss and improve your smile.
Soft tissue grafts can be used to cover roots or develop gum tissue where absent due to excessive gingival recession. For the Connective Tissue Graft procedure, Dr. Mabry gently harvests a small area of connective tissue from your palate and transplants the tissue to cover the exposed root. There are also procedures such as Free Gingival Grafts, where Dr. Mabry makes an incision and "flaps" your palatal tissue back in order to harvest fatty tissue which will then be placed underneath connective tissue and sutured into place to achieve root coverage. Finally, there are Coronal Positioning Flaps, where Dr. Mabry releases the connective gum tissue from the tissue underneath and gently moves it upwards to cover the exposed roots; this procedure can only be achieved if there is an appropriate amount of tissue that can be released and moved. These procedures can be done for one tooth or several teeth to even your gum line, reduce sensitivity and improve the aesthetics of your smile.
Whether you have a soft tissue graft to improve function or aesthetics, patients often receive the benefits of both: a beautiful new smile and improved periodontal health – your keys to smiling, eating and speaking with comfort and confidence.
These procedures can be accomplished using local anesthesia only, or, if the patient would feel more comfortable, IV sedation is also available.
Following these procedures, the tissue is very delicate and special care needs to be taken to avoid disturbing the area during healing. Special home care instructions need to be followed. Dr. Mabry will prescribe an antimicrobial mouthrinse to clean the surgical site at first. Medication is also prescribed to manage any post-operative pain.
Recession on Incisor and Canine After Connective Tissue Grafting,
Tissue is not completely healed at this point