What is Gum Recession?
Gum recession is a common problem, especially for older adults, where the gum tissue around the teeth pulls back and exposes more of the tooth and the tooth root. Gum recession can cause gaps or pockets to form between teeth where bacteria can be harbored. This bacteria can build up, and if left untreated can cause damage to the gum tissue, and even the surrounding bone. Gum disease can lead to tooth loss, which may require surgical treatment of both the jawbone and the teeth. Gum recession often occurs slowly, over time, and many patients don’t realize that it is happening. Tooth sensitivity is often the first sign of gum recession and you may feel a notch near the gum line. Your teeth may also appear longer than normal as the gums pull back to reveal more tooth surface. Gum recession can be part of periodontal disease, brushing your teeth too aggressively, not brushing or flossing enough, hormonal changes, or you may just be genetically predisposed to receding gums. If your gum recession is mild, you may have your dentist do a deep cleaning of the area, also called tooth scaling or root planing. During this process, plaque and tartar are removed from below the gum line and the exposed root area is smoothed back into place to make it harder for bacteria to collect. If cleaning does not help, traditionally you were facing a very invasive process for restoration. Thankfully, with PST such drastic measures are no longer necessary!
Traditional Gum Recession Treatment
Traditionally, if gum recession needed more than a simple cleaning, you had the option of open flap scaling, regeneration, or soft tissue graft. All three of these are invasive, and not very pleasant. Open flap scaling is where the gum tissue is folded back so that harmful bacteria can be removed (similar to tooth scaling, but more in-depth). Regeneration is needed if the bone surrounding the teeth has degenerated due to gum disease. Your dentist will remove bacteria, and then fill the pocket with a membrane, graft tissue, or a tissue-stimulating protein to encourage growth in the area. Another option was the soft tissue graft, where a flap of skin from the roof of your mouth is cut and tissue from this area is used to fill in affected areas of your gums. Nobody wants to go through any of these procedures, but up until recently they were the only choice for someone with advanced gum recession. This is why PST is so revolutionary, as it brings healing to the gum area non-invasively.
The Pinhole® Difference
John Chao, DDS, MADG is the inventor of PST, a non-invasive procedure for restoring gums affected by bacteria and gum disease. Unlike traditional surgery, PST utilizes only a small hole (giving this procedure it’s name) in the gums to gently loosen the tissue and glide it back over the exposed area. There is no cutting or stitching with this technique, and the post-operative pain, swelling, and complications found in traditional surgery is almost non-existent. There are no grafts, no sutures, and no incisions with PST, and this procedure utilizes special tools that were created by Dr. Chao. Patients experience many benefits using this technique, including: less discomfort after treatment, faster recovery time, no uncomfortable sutures, no scalpels or other invasive tools, no donor tissues, and great-looking, long-lasting results. PST turns an uncomfortable, involved surgery into a painless, easy process! Because this technique only requires the one, tiny incision, patients will see the results right away, and not need to wait for their gums to heal. If you are dealing with receding gums and are fearful of traditional surgery, you have Meadowbrook Dental Care to serve you with the revolutionary PST! Our dentist was trained by Dr. Chao, and our office is proud to offer PST to our patients struggling with gum recession.
Preventing Gum Disease
While we are glad to offer you such a great solution for gum disease, prevention is the best solution to this common dental problem. Be sure that you are making brushing and flossing a part of your daily routine, but not too aggressively. Use a soft toothbrush to gently clean your teeth twice a day without irritating your gums. If you have bruxism, or grind your teeth, you should seek solutions to stop this habit. Grinding your teeth can lead to many dental problems, not just gum recession, and can be treated with a mouth guard or other options. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, stop smoking if you do, and take great care of your teeth to avoid gum recession in the future. Regular dental checkups are an integral part of maintaining healthy teeth and gums, so make sure you are up to date with your dental appointments.
So, if you are struggling with gum recession, and are fearful of traditional gum surgery, you have another option! The Pinhole® Surgical Technique can help you reverse gum recession in a non-invasive, quick-healing way, and you will be able to see instant results. Meadowbrook Dental Care is one of the few dental offices offering this option, and our dentists were trained by Dr. Chao to be able to effectively perform this procedure. If you are needing care for your receding gums in Mineola, call Meadowbrook Dental Care today! We look forward to not only helping you with gum recession, but taking care of all of your general dentistry needs!