Gum grafts are a form of surgery used when the gums have receded and exposed the tooth root, which can cause sensitivity, decay, and looseness of teeth. The gum graft will help protect your teeth from damage, decrease symptoms such as sensitivity, and prevent the problem from worsening.
New York Oral, Maxillofacial, and Implant Surgery offers several types of gum grafts to ensure the proper protection of your teeth and gums.
Gum grafts are needed to repair gums that have been affected by gum recession. Gum recession in itself is caused, most commonly, by poor oral hygiene. However, diabetes and certain autoimmune disorders can also increase the chances of gum recession as well.
Certain lifestyle choices such as smoking and lip piercings can increase the risk of a patient's gums receding. Our dentists can properly diagnose gum recession and accurately tell you the possible causes in your life; it may be something you didn't realize affects your oral health.
There are three types of gum grafts, which differ in where the graft material comes from. Most commonly, a connective-tissue graft is used, which takes connective tissue from the roof of the mouth. A flap is created in the roof of the mouth, and tissue is removed. Then the flap is stitched back up. The connective tissue is then placed around the affected tooth.
A free gingival graft also takes tissue from the roof of the mouth, but this graft does not use a flap. Instead, the tissue is taken from the top layer of the roof of the mouth. The final type of graft is a pedicle graft. The pedicle graft uses a gum flap that is pulled across from an adjacent tooth, and then stitched around the affected tooth's root.
Any of the different types of gum graft procedures will be done under the use of local anesthesia and should only take up to one to two hours. The recovery time is one to two weeks, as the gum graft is prone to damage before it has fully connected to the surrounding tissue. Cold and soft foods such as yogurt, ice cream, and jello are advised to prevent irritating the graft.