I don’t have gum disease, but my dentist still wants to do gum grafting on me. Is that really necessary if my gums are healthy?
Mandi
Dear Mandi,
When you have receding gums, it leaves pockets that expose your teeth to decay by trapping food and other bacteria. By doing gum grafting, your teeth will be covered and protected from those dangers. When left untreated, you can risk losing your teeth unnecessarily.
If it is the surgery that has you worried, my suggestion would be to see a periodontist who knows how to do the pinhole technique. This is a way to repair your gums without the need for any sutures or incisions. It requires special training so you may have to do some searching to find a dentist who can do it. You will likely have more success with a periodontist.
I am glad that you don’t have gum disease. That would complicate things even further. This tells me you have good oral hygiene. Speaking of that, we used to think that receding gums were caused by aggressive tooth brushing when gum disease wasn’t involved. Now, however, we think that even though brushing too hard can be a contributor, it is mostly caused by bruxism.
This is when your grind or clench your teeth. Most people don’t realize they are doing it because it happens mostly when you’re sleeping. This causes the teeth to flex at the gumline which leads to recession. One thing you can do to help protect your teeth and gums from this pressure is to wear a nightguard.
This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Dentist Dr. David Pumphrey.
