When do gum grafts become necessary? Gum recession is a common dental problem affecting 4% to 12% of adults. The problem with gum recession is the process is gradual and usually painless. You don’t realize you have a problem until it has reached an advanced stage. To restore the tooth’s health, and to prevent further dental damage, a gum tissue graft may be needed.

What Is Gum Recession?

Gum health and tooth health go hand-in-hand if you want a healthy mouth free of disease. If you are not brushing, flossing and following other oral hygiene guidelines as recommended, you will start to notice that your gums are pulling away from your teeth. You will start to see a yellow-color on your teeth along your gum line. This is part of your tooth root that is being exposed as your gums recede. Parts of your tooth root that were previously covered start to become uncovered.

With more and more recession (which will be noticeable), you will start to have teeth fall out one-by-one. You will  eventually notice gum recession happening because the exposed tooth root will cause you pain, especially when you consume hot and cold foods and drinks. The delicate nerves in the tooth root will alert you to a serious problem.

Gum Disease and Gingivitis

Gum recession does not happen overnight. It takes weeks, months and sometimes years for gum recession to happen. Often, patients don’t even realize that their gums are receding until they have a loose tooth or they have a tooth fall out. This is when the disease is very advanced. However, it starts off slowly and takes a long time to get to that point.

When you eat and drink, sugars in your food and drink mix with bacteria in the mouth. That mixture creates an acidic, yet clear, substance that is sticky and coats your teeth. This substance is plaque, and it erodes away your tooth enamel, causing tooth decay. Plaque also sits along the gumline, and because of its acidic nature, it irritates the gums. If you look at your gums often, you will notice the early signs of gum disease, which is the gingivitis stage. Your gums will look darker red and they may even be swollen and bleed easier, especially when flossing.

If you don’t brush and floss your teeth to get rid of the acidic plaque, your gums will try to get away from the acidic substance. They will recede more and more until tooth loss starts to happen. Unfortunately, this is not a painful disease until you get to the very late stages with tooth loss. Therefore, you must be examining your gums often and brushing and flossing so plaque can’t attack them.

Root Planing and Scaling

We can easily correct gum disease if you are in the gingivitis stage. Your gums may have receded slightly, but if you begin brushing and flossing several times a day, your gums will relax. This is because proper oral hygiene gets rid of the plaque that hurts your teeth and gums, so they won’t become irritated or recede. For later stages, however, you may need a gum graft to help stop gum disease and to avoid tooth loss.

We will first try root planing and scaling to stop gum recession. This is a very deep clean at the gum line and seeks to provide a healthy tissue environment in which tissues re-adapt to normal tooth surfaces. We thoroughly clean your tooth surface above and below the gum line, using tools to scrape out pockets of food and bacteria that are stuck up in the gums. Planing involves smoothing the root of the tooth so that any remaining tartar and buildup is removed. We remove rough areas where bacteria sticks around and thrives and we get rid of abcesses and gingival pockets. Scaling is simply the scraping and removal of plaque and calculus from the tooth.

What Is a Gum Graft?

In very severe cases of gum disease, abscess and bacterial pockets, a patient may need flap surgery or gingivectomy to help an infected tooth root. Basically any cosmetic surgery done to the gums is considered a gum graft. Severe cases of gum disease lead to severe gum recession. Most of a tooth root can be exposed, which can be quite painful to a patient. However, gums can regrow and cover an area with a little help. Although it is a more serious procedure, we can take gum tissue from other areas of the mouth (such as the roof of the mouth, and surgically place it in areas where gums have receded. This is what a gum graft is. There are 3 types of gum grafts:

• Pedicle Gum Graft: We use gum tissue next to the tooth that needs extra gum tissue.
• Connective Tissue Gum Graft: This is the most common gum graft procedure. We take a flap of tissue from the roof of the mouth and surgically place and stitch that gum tissue over the exposed tooth root.
• Gingival Gum Graft: Gum tissue taken from the palate to cover a tooth root.

Gum grafts can significantly improve a patient’s health and the day-to-day sensitivity and pain they have. The goal is to never have gum disease progress far enough for a gum graft procedure. However, if a gum graft is needed, it can greatly benefit a patient and help stop their gum disease. It’s better to have this procedure than to start losing permanent teeth.

Dental Consultation

Every person should see their dentist at least twice a year as recommended by the American Dental Association. At these dental visits, Dr. Bockrath will do a thorough examination of your teeth, gums and oral cavity. If you think you are having gum problems, or you are noticing exposed tooth roots, have your teeth looked at right away. Call Mountain Aire Dentistry at (303) 731-7755 so we can stop gum recession and gum disease before you get to the point of needing a gum graft.