Receding gums can make anyone look older, often causing tooth sensitivity and may lead to tooth loss. Gum recession can be caused by several factors. These include excessive tooth brushing, gum disease or the normal aging process. Many people are unaware of the condition until their teeth become sensitive to cold temperatures because of root exposure. Others may be concerned by the unsightly appearance of their receding gums.
The standard treatment for receding gums is gum grafting surgery. This sometimes painful and invasive procedure usually involves a section of gum tissue cut out of the palate, then sewn on to the affected area. Because of the pain and recovery time, dentists can usually treat only one or two teeth at a time. For a patient with several recessions, the treatment process could take months or even years.
The Chao Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation™ takes just a few minutes per tooth and most importantly, multiple teeth may be treated at the same time, allowing patients to have healthy, normal-looking gums with a minimum of inconvenience.
The area of gum recession is numbed with a local anesthetic and then, using the surgical microscope, one or two small entry points about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen are made in the gum area near the tooth or teeth to be treated.
A small instrument is inserted into the entry point to loosen the gum tissues and move them back into a normal, healthy position. Then tiny collagen strips are placed through the entry point under the gums. The collagen helps to keep the gums in place during the healing process.
The treatment takes about 20 minutes to an hour or so, depending on the number of teeth treated. The entry site quickly heals and the pinhole is virtually undetectable the next day, with no downtime needed for healing. Some patients may experience mild swelling, which dissipates in a few days.
Make sure when choosing a doctor to perform your surgery, that you choose one with extensive surgical experience. Dr. Linger performs Micro-Surgery everyday in his Charlotte Office.
Procedures include traditional gum grafting, periodontal surgery, Dental Implant Microsurgery, Bone Grafts and Sinus Lifts. The Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique was developed by microscope dentist Dr. John Chao. With over 20 years experience successfully treating periodontal diseases, Dr. Linger provides the right treatment for each unique patient.
Few dentists have received the level of training that Dr. Linger has as a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry. Less than 1% of dentists have achieved this designation. This represents training across a broad range of dentistry from surgery to cosmetics. He uses the extensive training and experience to treat even the most challenging dental situations, by performing all treatment in our dental office in Charlotte where we build beautiful smiles and are famous for our top notch service.
