Gum Grafting
There is often a lot of emphasis placed on the restoration of teeth and their long term health but what is equally important is the health of gums.
There are various factors that can play into the ailment of gums and they can be due to genetic factors, thinness of the gums as well as the way the tooth is positioned. All these factors play a significant role in causing what is known as gum recession.
Gum recession occurs when the supporting gum around a tooth recedes away, exposing parts of the tooth that would ordinarily be well protected from bacteria and cold temperatures and harmful acidic environments. When the roots are exposed, it is often hard to manage and causes quite painful sensitivity in a tooth.
What is Gum Grafting
Traditionally, this can be treated by covering the exposed root surface of a tooth with a white coloured filling. However, over time, the filling stains or it chips or it comes off and it needs to be done again. This is problematic as each time a filling is done, there is a high chance there is even more gum recession caused by the filling procedure.
An alternative approach to gum recession is to consider restoring the gum that has lost. This can be done with your own gum or artificial gum in a minor surgical procedure to improve the quality and quantity of the gum at the desired tooth site.
Steps to completing your gum grafting journey
First visit consultation
After an initial consult, we require further information to allow us to diagnose and treat the gum concern appropriately. We may require some moulds taken to assess the bite as well as other diagnostic records such as x-rays to assess bone availability (the bone supports the gum).
Second phase surgical gum grafting
This is the visit where the surgical procedure is performed. Every care will be made to ensure you have the most pleasant experience, and we have different options for sedation and anxiolysis should you want to explore them.
Review phase
Our care goes beyond the surgery and we would love to see you to see how you are progressing. Typically 1 – 2 weeks after the surgery.