As we age, tooth loss can occur. And, you shouldn’t let space linger in your mouth. A missing tooth can impact your overall oral health, affecting your appearance and function.
What Is A Gum Indentation?
When you lose a tooth, a depression, crease, or indentation is left in its place. This can eventually impact your overall oral health. As time goes on, the soft and hard tissue surrounding the area can begin to atrophy – or shrink – diminishing the strength of your jaw. This can lead to functional issues and requires a more invasive restoration.
What Causes Tooth Loss?
There are several reasons you may experience tooth loss. Injury, aging, gum disease, bad habits – like smoking and heavy drinking – as well as poor oral hygiene may cause your gums and teeth to weaken.
Treatment Options For Gum Indentations
You have options when it comes to treating gum indentations. A ridge augmentation, which may include gum and bone grafts, can restore both soft and hard tissue. This can improve your appearance and function. However, you need to come in to see our periodontist in order to create the best treatment plan for you!
Recession Gum Loss
Healthy gum tissues create great smiles! However, when your gum tissue margin pulls away from your tooth exposing the tooth’s root, recession begins. Receding gums, from aging, poor oral hygiene, abrasion during brushing, poor restoration, and more, can be a start of a potentially serious oral health problem. Fortunately, Dr. Fotek can reverse this gum loss by performing a predictable procedure.
Reduce Sensitivity And Improve Your Appearance
Gum Grafting Can Restore Healthy Gum Levels – Repair the damage of gum disease with soft tissue grafting.
Gum recession is often seen in patients with advanced gum disease. It is, in fact, one of the most common symptoms of periodontal disease, a condition nearly half of us suffer from (AAP). Dr. Paul Fotek, an experienced periodontist in Jupiter, FL, performs gum grafting procedures to correct gum recession for the many patients who are currently seeking a safe and effective method to alleviate the consequences of receding gums. Such symptoms include:
- Tooth sensitivity
- Exposed tooth roots
- Root surface damage
- Inflamed gum tissue
- Tooth discoloration near the gum line
- Teeth appear longer than they used to
Excellent clinician, caring doctor and a beautiful facility!! What else can you ask for?
– Natalia T.
Rebuilding The Health And Appearance Of Your Gums With Gum Grafting
After we address the cause of your gum recession, we are able to create a treatment plan for you. A few common treatments are:
Free Gingival Graft
The Free Gingival Graft is a technique used to increase the amount of resilient tissue surrounding a tooth or a dental implant. This tissue plays a pivotal role at maintaining gingival health around teeth and dental implants, while facilitating good oral care. The tissue needed for the graft is usually taken from the palate (roof of mouth) and is placed over the recession area. Multiple teeth can be treated at a time in this manner. We secure the graft and cover it with a surgical dressing. Both the donor and recipient site heal simultaneously.
Connective Tissue Graft
Connective Tissue Graft is the gold standard for correction of gum restoration. It is one of the most predictable approaches for correcting recession defects, mainly because it uses your tissue to cover your recession. The connective tissue graft involves placement of a graft directly over an exposed root. After numbing the area, a tiny cut is made in the gum to create a gum pouch over the tooth with recession. After the graft is obtained from a secondary small cut on the palate, our periodontist places it over the recession. Your gum tissue will provide a good supply of nutrients to the connective tissue graft while maintaining its viability.
AlloDerm
AlloDerm® provides a predictable alternative to treating gum recession. It is intended for the correction of gingival recession in lieu of a gum graft, when there is not enough available gum tissue or its procurement is undesired. AlloDerm® is an Acellular Dermal Matrix (ADM) from donated human skin tissue acquired by tissue banks. It is a dermal (skin) matrix that allows Dr. Fotek to give you the necessary tissue graft, without the limitations associated with harvesting the graft material from the roof of your mouth. Not only does it lead to fast healing, with AlloDerm® there is no need for a second surgical (donor) site, which means less pain and faster recovery.
For exceptional service and quality care, call our office in Jupiter to schedule your consultation today. Dr. Fotek and our team of skilled professionals are committed to helping you achieve a beautiful, healthy smile with gentle periodontal treatment, implant dentistry, and preventative care.
