Pinhole Surgical Technique Archives - Page 2 of 2

Gums disappearing

Posted on May 25, 2018 by writeradmin.

I don’t go to the dentist much, mostly because they terrify me. However, lately, I’ve noticed my gums seem to be disappearing and going upward. Is this a dental emergency? My gums look healthy other than that. They’re the right color and I’ve only had one cavity in my entire life. I don’t know what’s going on.

Amber

Dear Amber,

You Don’t Have to Fear the Dentist

It sounds like you’re describing receding gums. There are several causes for this. The two main ones are gum disease and aggressive brushing.

A Dentist Can Help Find the Cause of Recessive Gums

Gum Disease

A dental exam can tell you right away if the cause is gum disease. This is the most serious reason for gum recession and it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. If left untreated, it will lead to your teeth becoming loose and falling out. Then, you’ll need tooth replacement procedures such as dental implants.

I do realize you have dental anxiety. I’d like to help you with that. There are quite a few dentists these days who offer dental sedation. It is a huge help to patients who would rather be anywhere else than a dental chair. It’s so helpful, in fact, that many patients simply sleep through their appointments. Finding a compassionate sedation dentist can switch dental appointments from being something you dread to a time where you look forward to a nice nap.

Aggressive Brushing

If you use a hard bristled brush or press down too hard while brushing your teeth, this can also cause your gums to recede. It wears them down a little at a time.

Pinhole Technique to Restore Gums

There’s a fairly simple solution to restore your gums. There’s a pinhole gum surgical technique which is scalpel-free and suture-free. It’s patient-friendly and you can get back to your life much quicker because you don’t have the same type of healing time needed with more traditional surgical techniques.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. David Pumphrey.

Can the Pinhole Surgical Technique permanently reverse gum recession?

Posted on January 15, 2018 by AllSmiles.

Hi and thanks for your thoughtful postings. I was told I was a good candidate for pinhole gum surgery, but I am worried that the effects of the treatment will not be lasting. I want to treat my gum disease and recession permanently, and not have to come back over and over again.

Christopher, Atlanta, Georgia

Hello Christopher,

The Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique® can permanently treat gum recession. Furthermore, it can do so without the scalpels, sutures, and gum grafts that used to be necessary. Let’s first take a look at gum disease and its treatment. Then we can examine the role of the pinhole surgical technique in permanently treating gum recession.

Gum Disease Causes Gum Recession

It’s very important to understand the underlying causes of gum recession, because without proper treatment and maintenance, it will likely come back. Until you have resolved the periodontal or gum disease that causes gum recession, it is not a good idea to treat the recession itself.

Gum or periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that can be successfully treated but not cured. It begins with irritation of the gums by plaque that has not been removed with frequent brushing, flossing, and professional dental cleanings. The plaque hardens into tartar, and it irritates the gums, which can lead to infections, or simply progress unnoticed until it is very advanced.

In the early stages, the gums can become inflamed or infected, and as it progresses, the inflammation spreads to the bone structures that support the teeth, leading to gum recession and bone loss. The diagram on the right shows this progression from a healthy tooth with full gum and bone support on the left to a diseased tooth on the right where the gum has receded, along with the bone.

Treating Gum Disease First

The gum disease needs to be treated first. This can usually be accomplished with non-surgical gum treatment involving scaling and root planing. This procedure will remove the pockets of inflammation and infection and prepare the teeth for regular periodontal maintenance.

Periodontal maintenance requires that you return for professional periodontal check-ups and cleanings about four times a year. In addition, you will need to be rigorous in your dental hygiene, brushing and flossing after every meal to make sure that new plaque does not accumulate into tarter and start the cycle over again.

The Role of the Pinhole Surgical Technique

Once the underlying gum disease has been successfully treated and you are maintaining your dental health with regular periodontal visits and cleanings, the pinhole surgical technique, or PST, can offer a permanent solution to your gum recession.

In contrast to traditional gum surgery, where gum grafts were taken from your soft palate and surgically implanted over the exposed tooth roots, the PST uses a small pinhole opening in the gums along with special instruments to loosen and reposition the soft tissues over the teeth. The technique is much less time consuming, it requires much less time to heal, and patients are often amazed when they see how much more attractive their smiles are.

In finding a dentist or periodontist to help you alleviate the causes and symptoms of gum disease, don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions and research different professionals. The PST is currently only taught by Dr. John Chao of California, the inventor of the technique, and your professional should be a certified pinhole technique practitioner.

Good luck to you in attaining the healthy, beautiful smile you deserve.

This Blog is brought to you by Dr. David Pumphrey of Pumphrey Periodontics in Atlanta, Georgia.

What is the Pinhole Surgical Technique?

Posted on November 24, 2017 by AllSmiles.

I need cosmetic gum surgery to correct some areas of my smile where my gums have receded. More of my teeth are exposed than normal, and it looks quite bad. I know that gum surgery can be quite an ordeal, but I’ve heard that a new technique can make the correction possible without the worst parts of the surgery. Can you explain what pinhole gum surgery is?

George, Atlanta

Hello George,

The pinhole surgical technique or PST can indeed eliminate the need for scalpels, sutures, and the long healing times associated with traditional gum surgery. That said, it is a relatively new method. There hasn’t been time for studies that prove its long-term effectiveness the way the older techniques have been proven. Let’s take a look.

Traditional Gum Grafts

When the gums recede, as has happened in your case, more than just cosmetic considerations are at stake. While the recession may look unsightly, the real problem is that exposed tooth roots can be extra sensitive, and they can be damaged much more easily. The traditional method of covering the exposed teeth was to perform periodontal plastic surgery. In this method, the periodontist takes donor tissue from the patient’s palate to provide a gum graft. This involves cutting the donor tissue from the palate as well as cutting the gums around the exposed teeth and suturing the new tissue in place. As you can imagine, the healing process takes quite awhile, and great care must be taken so infections don’t set in.

Overview of the Pinhole Surgical Technique

The pinhole surgical technique was invented and patented by Dr. John Chao, DDS, MADG, of California. It is a procedure that doesn’t involve scalpels, sutures or grafts. Instead, a small hole is made and specially designed instruments are used to work with the gum tissue that is already present. It is first loosened and then glided to cover the tooth more completely. Most patients experience very few post-operative symptoms like pain, swelling, and bleeding. And unlike the long healing period needed for traditional gum surgery, healing is quick and the results are immediate.

The photos on this page show a patient with recessed gums before and after the use of the pinhole surgical technique. In the before photo, several teeth are exposed by recessed gums, and in the after photo, the gums look as though they have always covered these same teeth naturally.

Finding a Certified PST Practitioner

You may have heard about the PST on any one of a number of national television programs. More than half of the people in the US have some level of gum recession, so there has been a lot of interest among the daily news and doctors’ shows. It’s important to find a periodontist who is certified to provide this type of surgery. Dr. Chao’s original work was published in the International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry, one of the most respected journals in dentistry. And only periodontists who take advantage of his training are certified to proved the procedure.

Good luck to you in finding the right periodontist to restore your gums.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. David Pumphrey of Pumphrey Periodontics in Atlanta, Georgia.