Gum grafting, or soft-tissue grafting, involves adding or repositioning gum tissue around a natural tooth or dental implant.
It may be recommended to manage certain types of gum recession, increase the thickness of gum tissue or improve the soft-tissue environment around a dental implant.
Why have my gums receded?
Gum recession has several possible causes. These include periodontal disease, naturally thin gum tissue, tooth position, previous orthodontic movement and mechanical trauma.
Identifying the reason for recession is important because grafting does not necessarily address its underlying cause.
What happens during a gum graft?
Several gum-grafting techniques are available.
Depending upon the clinical situation, tissue may be carefully taken from another area of your mouth—often the palate—and transferred to the treatment site. Alternative graft materials may be appropriate in selected situations.
Around dental implants, soft-tissue grafting may also be used to increase tissue volume where this is considered beneficial to the planned restoration or long-term maintenance.
The technique Dr Ali recommends will depend upon the anatomy of the site and the objective of treatment.
