Are there different types of tissue grafts for periodontics?
Gum health is tooth health. If you have gum disease that goes untreated, your gums can recede. The recession of your gums can expose your teeth all the way down to the root. Not only can this damage the aesthetics of your smile, but it can result in the loss of your tooth. The reconstruction of retracted or atrophied gums is a sophisticated surgical procedure, but it can be essential to restore the harmony of the smile. And for the results of these procedures to be effective and durable, gum grafts collected from the patient himself or from manipulated biological sources may be necessary for the treatment.
The fact is that gingival plastic surgery has long ceased to be a procedure just to correct receding gums. In certain situations, it may be the only option to correct aesthetic and functional flaws in treatments with dental prostheses, ceramic veneers and even Osseo integrated implants. But for everything to work out, you need to be aware of some details to avoid frustration with the results of procedures with gum grafts.
Indications go beyond aesthetic procedures
Indications for the use of gum grafts go far beyond procedures to cover exposed tooth roots. Whether to reconstruct the gingival architecture in areas with missing teeth or to increase the gingival volume in regions in contact with fixed dental prostheses, the gingival graft technique surprises with its results and multiple uses.
The main indications for gum grafting are:
* cover dental roots exposed by gingival retraction
* correcting grayish gums near dental prostheses and implants
* prevent tissue recession in individuals with thin gingival biotype
* increase the volume of the gums for aesthetic purposes in the anterior region
* improve the aesthetic and functional result with fixed dental prostheses
Connective Tissue Graft (CTG): To perform this type of graft, a piece of the palate is cut, and the sub-epithelial connective tissue (the layer of tissue underneath the out layer of mouth tissue) is surgically removed and adhered, or grafted, to the gum surrounding the exposed tooth. Subsequently, the outer layer of tissue is returned to its initial place in your mouth.
Free Gum Graft: In this type of gum graft, the entire tissue is used. It is indicated in patients with too fine gums that require additional tissue.
Pedicle Gum Graft: In a pedicle gum graft, tissue is taken from the gum surrounding the tooth that needs to be restored. The tissue called "peduncle" is partially cut and then sewn. It is a technique that is only used in patients with enough material around the tooth.
Alloderm Gum Graft: This type of graft is where donor tissue is used for the graft, rather than taking the tissue from the patient themselves. The advantage of this type of graft is to eliminate the surgery that collects connective tissue for tissue grafting. The results, which are reasonable and very similar to a connective tissue graft, can be inferior to the technique or any technique where a graft was collected from the patient themselves.
Results of a gum graft
By covering the root of the tooth, it is possible to protect and isolate it from the outside, reducing or eliminating excess sensitivity and improving the aesthetic appearance.