Receding Gums Treatment

Pinhole Gum Recession Treatment Technique and Soft Tissue Grafting to combat receding gums.

The New Easy way to treat receding gums – say goodbye to long and sensitive teeth

Pinhole Surgery Technique now performed in London

Receding Gums happens when the gum line moves away from the enamel and leaves the root surface exposed. This usually results in an unpleasant appearance of the gum and tooth, and often leads to tooth sensitivity. Most importantly, receding gums can also result in a greater risk of further infection of the gums and teeth, since the tooth is losing the natural barrier to withstand bacterial penetration. Gum recession does not allow for effective oral hygiene at home due to increased sensitivity and more difficulty in reaching the receded section.  Consequently more bacterial plaque is built up, contributing to further recession, bone loss and the establishment of gum disease (please click here for more information on gum disease).

What is Receding Gums?

The Pinhole Surgery Technique, also known as Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation, is a scalpel-free, suture-free, graft-free procedure for correcting gum recession and saving teeth, invented by John Chao (D.D.S.). Pinhole surgery is a minimally invasive type of gum surgery which does not require any incisions or sutures. Instead, a small instrument is used to make a tiny pinhole sized entry point in the tissue. Then a special instrument is inserted and used to gently loosen the tissue so that it can be pulled over the exposed tooth. Since no incisions are being made, side effects such as pain, swelling, and bleeding are kept to a minimum. Additionally, patients will notice an instant improvement in the appearance of their smile after gum recession treatment.

Pinhole Animation

Gum recession after pin hole technique

Pictures supplied by founder of the pinhole technique Dr John C Chao, published in The International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry, A Novel Approach to Root Coverage: The Pinhole Surgical Technique

Who Performs the Receding Gums Treatment?

PST is being performed by Evdokia Chasioti the only Specialist Periodontist in the UK who is trained and certified to offer this technique.

For more information click on the following link http://www.pinholesurgicaltechniquelondon.com/

How does Receding Gums Treatment work?

The first step in Pinhole surgery is to clean the teeth in the area being treated. Then, our Periodontist will administer a local anaesthesia to numb the area. Using a small instrument, a pinhole sized (0.1 inch) entry point is made in the gums for the receding gums treatment.

Once the area has been fully prepared to undergo the procedure, our Periodontist will insert a specialized instrument into the tiny entry point that was made. Using this instrument, the tissue is slowly loosened and moved into the desired position. Finally, a different instrument is used to insert collagen strips through the entry point and into the gum tissue. This will help to keep the tissue in the correct place while the area heals. The entire receeding gums treatment should take no longer than one hour and can be applied to several teeth at once.

What are the Benefits of Receding Gums Treatment?

Pinhole surgery gives patients several benefits that no other gum surgery can. These benefits include:

No Incisions – Since this is not a tissue graft, there is no need to cut or remove any part of the gums or from the patient’s palate

No Sutures – Tissue is held in place with collagen strips, rather than sutures that need healing. Faster recovery for the patient than traditional grafting

Minimal Pain – Patients will experience only minimal pain, swelling, or bleeding after the gum surgery

Instant Results – produces an instantly noticeable cosmetic improvement. The tiny entry point is barely apparent and should disappear as soon as the next day. Excellent, natural-looking, long-lasting results

Efficiency – It is possible to correct up to 14 teeth at once in one to two hours

What our patients say about Pinhole Gum Recession Treatment?

Gum Recession and Gum Grafting

Understanding Traditional Gum Grafting

During a traditional soft tissue gum grafting procedure, the doctor removes a small piece of gingival tissue, typically from the roof of the mouth, and sutures it into place where the gums have receded. Although the treatment is not as invasive as some other oral surgeries, soft tissue gum grafting does involve incisions, stitches, and some degree of post-operative discomfort. Patients will commonly experience discomfort for several days following their procedure. They may encounter complications from eating certain foods or accidentally brush or floss too close to the sutures or treatment area. This can slow healing and increase the risk of developing infection. The traditional gum grafting procedure is an effective treatment for recession, but with the advent of the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique®, it poses an unnecessary risk of complications for the patient.

Soft Tissue Grafting

The Soft Tissue Graft is designed to resolve various problems and it is widely used to cover unattractive tooth roots, reduce gum recession and root sensitivity, and protect the exposed roots from decay and further receding gums and bone loss.

It is also important for teeth undergoing orthodontic or restorative treatment to have a sufficient amount of strong gum tissue around the necks of the teeth, to prevent further recession during treatment.

Gum graft prior orthodontic treatment

Gum tissue can be added in several ways. Sometimes gum recession can be corrected by adjusting the existing level of the gum tissue. The most common treatment method is soft tissue graft. This is when a thin piece of gum tissue is softly taken from the roof of the mouth, or gently moved over from neighboring areas, to provide a stable band of strong gum around the tooth.

TREATING GUM RECESSION WITH ALLODERM or Mucograft

In our clinic we are also able to provide the Alloderm Gum Graft to treat receding gums. Alloderm is an excellent plastic surgery material for the correction of gum recession. With Alloderm we omit the need of taking gum tissue from another area of the mouth rendering the gum grafting a painless procedure for the patient. The Alloderm material is donated human tissue which ultimately is being transformed into natural gum of the patient. The procedure is performed under local anesthetic.

If you would like to know more about gum grafting why not book in for a consultation at our practices in London with the specialist Periodontist . Simply give us a call to book in or send us an email and we will contact you as soon as possible.

Please click here for more information about Laser Gum Treatments and here for gum de-pigmentation (gum bleaching).