Ben and Gary Show - Episode 42

Periodontal Plastic Surgery

Periodontal Plastic Surgery treats gum recession and restores the gum line for both cosmetic and preventive benefits.

Cosmetic reasons

Gum recession can make you look older - long in the tooth. Too much gum showing and an uneven gum line can also mar your smile.

Preventive reasons

Your gum tissue coves the root of the tooth and protects the bone. It forms a seal below the gum line to prevent decay and bacteria from entering your system.

Two approaches to treat gum recession  

The standard approach to treat gum recession uses tissue from the roof of your mouth and transplants it to the receded gum.

If only a few teeth are affected, this approach works well. If a lot of gum tissue needs repair, cadaver gum tissue graphs are used.

A newer approach called the Chao or Pinhole technique is less invasive. In a procedure similar to arthroscopic orthopedic surgery, the receded gums are pulled down through pinhole incisions and stitched.

Both techniques produce predictable and successful results.

With dental implants

After a tooth is lost, the jaw bone begins to shrink creating a depression. Periodontal Plastic Surgery fills in this depression. 

Repairing the depression prevents food collecting at the site.