What is gum recession?
A very common question that dentist and periodontist get asked is what is gum recession. Predictably, the question that follows, is what caused it and how do we fix it. Therefore, I’ll answer all three questions and show a patient that presented with this common problem, and how I treated this patient surgically.
Gum recession is simply defined as the displacement of the marginal tissue in a apical (downward) direction. The most common signs and symptoms of this problem is sensitivity to cold and exposure of the root structure. The most common causes include mechanical trauma (toothbrush abrasion, smokeless tobacco), inflammation (bacteria induced gum disease), and teeth malposition (crowding, grinding, orthodontic movement). Gum recession is multifactorial, and multiple causes can be blamed. Treatment of this common problem should result in increased root coverage and thickness of gingival tissue. These surgical procedures include pedicle flaps (coronally or laterally), autografts (connective tissue or free gingival), and allograft (alloderm, perioderm, or puros dermis). Based on factors that a patient may present with, a combination of procedures my be required.
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- Gum Recession
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- Treatment of Gum Recession
Gum recession treatment
The previous pictures are a example of a Oklahoma City patient with gum recession before and after a grafting procedure. In this case, I utilized a allograft donor tissue to accomplish root coverage and increase the gingival tissue. The benefit of using a allograft is the lack of a second surgical site to harvest tissue. I find that patients exhibit less pain and complications when this procedure is performed. After 6 weeks of healing a after picture was taken to compare with how the patient initially presented. Also, the patient reported a decrease in sensitivity to cold liquids and was very pleased with the esthetic outcome. As a Periodontist, I find it very rewarding to provide this service to many people across Oklahoma.
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