When is Pinhole Gum Surgery Recommended?

Pinhole gum surgery, also known as PST™, is a painless, non-invasive way of reversing gum recession. It is a far better alternative than the traditional option: Gum graft surgery. While gum surgery often requires multiple sessions in the dentist’s chair, pinhole periodontal surgery only needs one. There are many other reasons to choose pinhole surgery over a gum graft. A closer look at the two techniques explains why.

How receding gums are treated with pinhole gum surgery

Receding gums can be caused by aging, periodontal disease or even aggressive brushing of the teeth. Also, some people are just more likely to have a family history of receding gums. Meaning that some people choose to correct their receding gums for cosmetic reasons while others decide to fix them for restorative purposes. Before the invention of the pinhole technique, dentists treated receding gums with gum graft surgery. This involved harvesting donor tissue from other parts of the mouth, usually the roof of the mouth. The dentist then surgically grafted the donor tissue onto the gums. This procedure takes time, incisions, sutures and has a relatively long recovery time.

Soon, all that will be history, thanks to pinhole gum surgery. A dentist simply makes a tiny hole in the gums and uses the hole to access the soft tissue in the gums. The dentist then uses a unique tool to loosen the soft tissue and pull it over the exposed portion of the teeth. To keep the patient's gums in their new position, they place a collagen strip between the gums and the teeth.

Why pinhole gum surgery is the better option

Gum graft surgery leaves the patient with at least two incision sites. The patient has to put up with discomfort as they heal from this invasive surgery. Pinhole gum surgery has none of these drawbacks and many advantages. For example:

• There are no scalpels, incisions or sutures with the pinhole technique
• Which makes the operation non-invasive and painless, a person can resume their daily routine immediately after the procedure
• Aftercare is simple and recovery is quick
• The odds of infection are close to zero
• It is the perfect treatment option for a person with a medical condition that increases the risk of surgery complications
• The surgery gives excellent cosmetic results and has a high success rate
• The collagen strips used in the procedure stimulate the re-growth of the gums
• The process only takes a short time, which allows a dentist to treat multiple teeth at a time

Who should have pinhole gum surgery?

For starters, a person who needs it. A good candidate for this treatment should have no underlying dental problems, which means that a person with periodontal disease should only have the surgery as the last step in the person’s treatment plan. The person should be healthy enough to go through the procedure without the risk of developing complications. Meaning that a person should get the all-clear from their primary physician and dentist.

Get the right person for the job

To have a successful surgery in Chesterfield, MO, you need a dentist who has lots of experience with the pinhole technique. We just happen to have one of those at our practice. Get in touch with us to find out more.

Let's get started…

Request an appointment here: https://www.mfgrassodds.com or call Michael F. Grasso DDS at (636) 777-7700 for an appointment in our Chesterfield office.

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