Appalachian Dental Care

Gum Grafting

WHAT IS A GUM GRAFT AND HOW DOES THAT HELP?

If you are suffering from gum disease, you are probably experiencing gums that pull away and recede from your teeth. And if you are not yet, you could be soon. While prevention is the key to helping stop gum disease, it is little help if your gums have already started to move. Exposing more of your teeth is a cosmetic issue — who wants to look at a smile filled with teeth that are way too long? — but because this exposes parts of your teeth normally covered, it can increase your chances of tooth decay. To combat this, Dr. Steven Airey can perform a gum graft. This oral surgery technique takes healthy gum tissue and attaches it to the receding gums, covering your teeth back up and bringing your gumline back to where it belongs. Give Appalachian Dental Care a call at 828-264-9938 to schedule your consultation with our dentist and learn more about gum grafting in Boone, North Carolina.

A soft tissue graft, also called a gum graft, is a graft of gingival tissue. A gum graft may be needed to correct gingival recession or improve the appearance of an uneven gumline.

During the gum grafting procedure, our dentist will stitch grafting tissue onto the areas of the gums that need additional tissue. Based on your particular needs and desires, the tissue graft may be taken from another area of your mouth or from a tissue bank. When using your own tissues, the graft may be taken from the roof of the mouth or the surrounding gums. Our dentist will help you determine which type of gum graft is best suited to your individual needs. In some cases, we may also use tissue-stimulating proteins to encourage your body’s natural growth abilities and promote faster healing.

Our dentist may recommend a soft tissue graft if you have experienced gingival recession. The gum tissues may recede if your smile is affected by periodontal disease; overaggressive brushing may also cause gum recession. When not treated with a gingival graft, gum recession may eventually lead to tooth loss due to lack of support from the gum tissues. A gum graft can also improve the appearance of your smile. To learn more about how soft tissue grafting can improve the health and beauty of your smile, we welcome you to contact our office today.