Periodontal disease — or gum disease — goes by many names. In the early stages, we call it gingivitis. As it worsens, it turns into periodontitis. However, it always means you have bacteria in your mouth causing gum inflammation.
The problem with gum disease is that it causes your gums to start receding from your teeth, leaving exposed pockets behind. These areas are the perfect place to collect even more debris and bacteria. When ignored, this bacteria can lead to oral bone and tissue deterioration, serious infection, and tooth loss.
In the past, treating receding gums required going through painful tissue grafting. Our experienced team at The Dental Touch Oakland offers a better, less invasive option: the Pinhole Surgical Technique®.
Tissue grafting required harvesting graft material from a different part of your body, often the roof of your mouth, or a donor. This graft tissue would get stitched in place over the exposed portion of your tooth to thicken your receding gum.
The Pinhole Surgical Technique also restores lost gum tissue, but we only need a sterile 16-gauge needle. We use this tool to create a tiny opening in your gum tissue. Then, we insert special instruments into this small access point — or pinhole — to loosen healthy gum tissue from bone in the area. Finally, we reposition the healthy gum tissue over your exposed tooth and cover your treated gums with collagen strips to promote the healing process.
The entire procedure takes between 1-2 hours, and the pinholes needed to reposition your gums heal within about 48 hours.
Because this approach is far less invasive than others, it offers numerous advantages, such as:
There’s also no need for sedation with the Pinhole Surgical Technique. Instead, we administer a local anesthetic so you don’t feel a thing. However, if you have concerns or anxiety around your procedure, we can provide sedation options to ensure you’re relaxed and comfortable every step of the way.
As we said above, your pinholes usually heal within 48 hours, but it can take a bit longer for your treated gum tissue to fully recover.
To support the healing process, we could recommend a few restrictions for a short period, such as:
We also schedule regular follow-up appointments after your procedure to monitor your recovery and provide personalized instructions to keep the healing process on track.
With this minimally invasive approach, you can restore your gums and preserve your oral health for the years to come.
Do you have receding gums? Don’t wait to get treatment. Contact The Dental Touch Oakland to schedule an appointment by calling 510-324-9096 or booking an appointment online today.
