Gingival Grafting
Gum recession is the exposure of the root of the tooth as a result of the loss of supporting gum and bone tissue around the tooth. Recession usually occurs as a result of a combination of factors coming together that make the tooth compromised and susceptible to damage. Common factors contributing to the progression of recession are brushing too hard, using too hard of a toothbrush, genetically having thin gum and bone, abnormal tooth position and orthodontic therapy.
When recession occurs on a tooth, it can make the tooth more susceptible to damage by bacteria, loss of bone and gum support, sensitivity and dental caries as well as have a negative aesthetic consequence by making the teeth look abnormally long.
Not all gingival recession needs to be treated. If however, there is an insufficient amount of gum tissue around the tooth to maintain the long term health of the tooth or if the aesthetics of the tooth are not acceptable, gingival grafting is a procedure that can be used to stabilize the health of the tooth and, in many cases, restore the natural esthetics of the tooth.
Gingival grafting is a procedure that restores the strong supporting pink tissue around the crown of the tooth by adding either tissue obtained from the roof of the mouth, which is made up of good strong tissue, or from tissue from a tissue bank that can serve the same purpose. Once restored, the tooth should be as strong or stronger that it was originally and have good long term stability.
Dr. Williamson uses several different grafting techniques depending on your special needs.
