Gum graft

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Overview

A gum graft or gingival graft (Also called Periodontal Plastic Surgery) is a generic name for multiple periodontal procedures that all aim to cover an area of severe gum recession with grafted gum tissue. The purpose of covering the exposed root is not only cosmetic, but also to prevent further recession, tooth sensitivity due to exposed roots and tooth decay on exposed root surfaces. These procedures are usually performed by a periodontist, a dental specialist in treatment of diseases of the gingiva (gums), however some non-specialists dentists may also have training in this area.

Specific procedures (Periodontal Plastic Surgery)

A free gingival graft is a dental procedure where a layer of tissue is removed from the palate of the patient's mouth and then relocated to the site of gum recession. It is stitched into place and will serve to protect the exposed root as living tissue. The donor site will heal without damage. This procedure is often used to increase the thickness of very thin gum tissue.

A subepithelial connective tissue graft takes tissue from under healthy gum tissue in the palate, which may be placed at the area of gum recession. This procedure has the advantage of excellent predictability of root coverage ^[1], as well as decreased pain at the palatal donor site compared to the free gingival graft. The subepithelial connective tissue graft is a very common procedure for covering exposed roots.

An Acellular Dermal Matrix (Alloderm) graft uses donated medically-processed human skin tissue as a source for the graft. The advantage of this procedure is no need for a palatal donor site, however some periodontists believe it may be less successful ^[1], while others believe it is equally successful as a subepithlial connective tissue graft. ^[1]

A lateral pedicle graft, also known as a "pedicle" graft, takes tissue from the area immediately adjacent to the damaged gum. This is not always an option, as the constraint that there must be sufficient tissue immediately lateral to the area of interest is an onerous one. When this procedure is performed, the transplant tissue is cut away and rotated over the damaged area. This can place the donor area at risk of recession as well.

A coronally positioned flap is another form of a "pedicle" graft in which gingival (gum) tissue is freed up and simply moved upwards on the tooth to cover the recession. This requires adequate thickness and width of gum tissue at the base of the recession defect.

See also

• Gum recession
• Periodontal disease

Sources

• AAP Page on Periodontal Plastic Surgery (Gum grafting)
• Gum Recession

External links

• Gum Graft Patient Experiences

Reference

v • d • e Periodontology and Implant Dentistry
Tissues of the periodontium and their physiologic entities	Alveolar bone - Biologic width - Cementum - Free gingival margin - Gingiva - Gingival fibers - Gingival sulcus - Junctional epithelium - Mucogingival junction - Periodontal ligament - Sulcular epithelium - Stippling
Pathogenesis	A. actinomycetemcomitans - Bacteroides forsythus - Capnocytophaga sp. - F. nucleatum - P. gingivalis - Prevotella intermedia - T. denticola
Pathologic entities	Calculus - Edentulism - Fremitus - Gingival enlargement - Gingival pocket - Gingivitis - Horizontal bony defect - Occlusal trauma - Periodontal pocket - Periodontal disease - Plaque - Recession - Vertical bony defect
Diagnosis, treatment planning, prevention and chemotherapeutic agents	Brushing - Bleeding on probing - Chlorhexidine gluconate - Flossing - Hydrogen peroxide - Mouthwash - Oral hygiene - Tetracycline - Triclosan
Periodontal armamentarium	Curette - Periodontal Membrane - Probe - Scaler
Conventional therapy	Debridement - Scaling and root planing
Surgical therapy and periodontal surgery	Apically positioned flap - Bone graft - Coronally positioned flap - Crown lengthening - Flap debridement - Free gingival graft - Gingivectomy - Guided bone regeneration - Guided tissue regeneration - Implant Placement - Lateral pedicle graft - Pocket reduction surgery - Sinus lift - Subepithelial connective tissue graft
Other specialties	Endodontology - Orthodontology - Prosthodontology

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Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content

Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .