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What Are Gum Grafts and What Can They Accomplish?


A gum graft is a surgical procedure that protects your teeth from the cosmetic and functional effects of receding gums. Receding gums can be caused by several factors, including severe periodontal disease, overly aggressive tooth brushing, injuries, and even smoking tobacco.

Receding gums is a very gradual process when your gum tissue draws away from your teeth with the result that your tooth’s root is exposed. Receding gums and the exposure of a tooth’s root leaves the tooth looking unattractive, causes tooth sensitivity to heat and cold, and can eventually cause tooth loss. Gum grafts are a procedure intended to repair the damage caused by receding gums and to prevent serious and progressing dental problems.

What are the benefits of a gum graft?

Gum grafts are a procedure that can both accomplish cosmetic dentistry goals and address the consequences of gum diseases in Calgary. The benefits of gum grafts in Calgary include:

●       The elimination of the risk of tooth and bone loss

●       Decreasing the risk of tooth decay

●       To eliminate tooth sensitivity caused by receding gums

What happens during a gum graft?

Your periodontist will take tissue from elsewhere in your mouth — or from a tissue bank or even synthetic tissue — to replace gum tissue that has shrunk away from your teeth. There are three different types of gum grafts that use tissue from your own mouth or gums:

Connective-tissue grafts are the most common type of gum graft performed. A flap of skin will be cut from your upper palate (the roof of your mouth). Tissue called subepithelial connective tissue will be removed from underneath that flap.The flap will be stitched closed when the procedure is done. That connective tissue will be relocated to and stitched to the area affected by your receding gums. The tissue will be placed around and adjacent to the exposed root, and stitched to your existing gums.

Free gingival grafts have much in common with a connective-tissue graft except that, during a free gingival graft, no flap is cut into the roof of your mouth. Instead, tissue is removed directly from your upper palate to be relocated and stitched to your gums around your receded gums.

Pedicle grafts do not rely on tissue taken from the roof of your mouth. Instead, your dentist in Calgary will make an incision in your gum near the affected tooth, then pull the resulting gum flap — called a pedicle — to cover the exposed tooth root. Once the pedicle is pulled into place, your dentist will so the flap into place around the tooth root.

Recovering from a gum graft

Each type of procedure produces different levels of potential pain and discomfort. Connective-tissue and free gingival grafts that involve the removal of tissue from the roof of your mouth may make you uncomfortable for the first few days after the procedure. The discomfort will be akin to the burn you might receive from eating too-hot pizza. Within a week or two of your gum graft procedure, you’ll have recovered fully.

During the planning of your gum graft procedure, your dentist will provide you with detailed information about what to expect during and after your gum graft. Those instructions will include steps to take to ensure your full and speediest possible recovery. Some basic instructions to keep in mind as you consider and prepare for a gum graft procedure are:

●       Do not brush or floss the affected area of your gums until healing is complete

●       Use the mouth rinse provided or recommended by your dentist to control plaque

●       If prescribed any antibiotics to address the risk of infection, take all those antibiotics as directed

●       During the first two weeks after your gum graft, eat only soft and cool foods

Are you dissatisfied with the appearance of your gums? Are you experiencing receding gums as the result of periodontitis or any other cause? If so, contact a dentist in Calgary to determine if gum grafts can solve those issues. Gum grafts can provide an effective solution to both those cosmetic concerns and the potentially serious health implications of receding gums. Some nervousness about gum grafts is normal considering they involve incisions and stitches, but the procedure is common, effective, and regularly performed without complications.

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