Is Gum Grafting Necessary for Receding Gums?
Gum graft surgeries are dental procedures helpful for treating thinning or receding gums. The surgical procedure helps cover exposed tooth roots to add volume to the gum line. Recovery from gum grafting requires a week or two, but some patients might need more time. However, the success rate of gum grafting surgery is high and helps reduce your risk of developing severe gum disease.
Gum Grafts Explained
Gum grafts are dental procedures to treat gum recession which causes your gums to separate from your teeth to expose the tooth roots. Exposure of your tooth roots increases your chances of tooth decay, sensitivity, and bone loss and your teeth. The gum grafting procedure replaces missing tissue around your teeth to improve your overall oral health.
Gum surgery in Burlington, ON, is performed by a qualified periodontist with additional education after completing dental school focusing on treating gum recession.
Do You Require Gum Grafting?
The dentist near you will likely recommend gum grafting if you have receding gums from severe gum disease. Similar will be the situation if you have thinning gums because of genetic conditions. You might also have receding gums because of aggressive brushing. Your dentist might suggest you benefit from gum grafting surgery if you are affected by any conditions mentioned above.
Expectations before Gum Grafting
You receive a referral to a periodontist from the dentist nearby if they suspect you need gum grafting. The periodontist checks your gum health and measures the pockets around your teeth. They also identify the severity of the recession you have around each tooth.
The severity of your condition helps the periodontist determine whether you need monitoring. Alternatively, the specialist might recommend proceeding with the gum graft surgery and discuss your treatment options comprehensively during your consultation.
The Gum Grafting Procedure
Various types of gum grafting procedures exist with different materials. Generally, Periodontists take issue from your mouth roof to move it to the affected area. Occasionally they might also use grafting material from a tissue bank or synthetic material during the grafting.
When performing gum grafting, you receive local anesthesia in the mouth to numb your teeth and gums. If you have severe dental anxiety, you might also receive conscious sedation to calm you. After you are entirely comfortable, the specialist makes incisions in your gums and cleans your tooth roots. The surgeon places the gum grafting material over your exposed tooth roots before finally placing sutures by repositioning your gum tissue. You receive sutures that dissolve by themselves without needing removal.
How Much Time Does the Procedure Need?
The time needed for gum grafting procedures depends on how many teeth in your mouth have receding gums. One gum graft requires 60 minutes, but the process requires more time if you need multiple grafts in various areas of your mouth.
Is Gum Grafting Painful?
Gum grafting will undoubtedly cause pain without anesthesia. However, the Burlington specialist ensures that you experience no pain by giving you local anesthesia to numb your mouth during the procedure. You can expect mild soreness after the anesthesia wears off. However, the periodontist recommends pain relievers and provides post-operative instructions to help minimize your discomfort. Therefore you will likely not experience any pain during the procedure.
What Happens After Receiving Gum Grafting Surgery?
After receiving gum grafting surgery, you can leave the dental office with gauze and dressing in your mouth, which you can remove after 30 minutes. The specialist monitors you until they determine it is safe for you to go home. If you received sedation during the surgical procedure, you might require a trusted family member to accompany you home.
The periodontist requests that you return for a follow-up visit in a week to monitor your progress. After that, you will have follow-up visits until the specialist decides to return you to your general dentist for further care.
Benefits of Gum Grafting
A gingival graft has many benefits, including reducing your risk of gum disease, the chances of cavities because your exposed tooth roots remain vulnerable to decay, reduction in tooth sensitivity, and improving the aesthetic appearance of your smile.
If you are affected by receding gums because of gum disease or genetic conditions and find your gums impact your smile or make you vulnerable to cavities because of exposed tooth roots, you find it beneficial to receive gum grafting to overcome the challenges overwhelming you.
Walkers Line Dental Center performs gum grafting on many patients requesting the procedure for medical and aesthetic purposes. If you are affected by gum recession, consulting the periodontist in this practice helps improve the health of your teeth and the aesthetic appearance of your smile.