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Florida Reconstructive Dentistry


Mitchell Pohl, D.D.S.
2900 N. Military Trail
Suite 105
Boca Raton FL
South Florida FL 33431
(561) 999-0889

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Reconstructive Bone and Tissue Grafting

Grafting is a procedure used to replace / restore missing bone or gum tissue.

Soft Tissue - Gum Grafting

A gum (gingival) graft is used to replace missing and / or receded gum tissue.

Types of gum tissue:

There are two types of gum tissue in the mouth, one of which surrounds the necks of the teeth and is thick and protective in nature (keratinized gingiva). The other of which lines our cheeks and floor of the mouth whose purpose is to be elastic and mobile in nature (mucosa).

Indications for Periodontal Grafting Procedures

Soft tissue grafts are used to replace missing thick tissue (keratinized gingiva), which has worn away (receding) from the necks of the teeth for a variety of reasons. The purpose of gum grafting is to minimize and/or arrest this progression of gum recession.

Receding Gums

Unfortunately associated with every type of recession, there is bone loss, because the bone resides just beneath the gums.

Therefore, if the gums have receded, then the bone too has receded. The purpose of gum grafting is to arrest the progression of recession and thereby halt the bone loss as well, by restoring a thick zone of protective tissue around the neck of the tooth / teeth which exhibits an absence of this thick keratinized gum tissue.

Tissue Harvesting
Click picture to watch Tissue Harvesting Procedure
In certain instances it is not only possible to restore the missing keratinized (thick, protective) gum tissue, but also to cover the exposed root surface of the tooth in question. Other issues must be addressed as well, such as the biting forces (abfraction) being placed on the teeth.

Unbalanced forces placed on the teeth in the presence of clenching or grinding can predispose an individual to recession. Being a candidate for this root coverage procedure, which is achieved by a connective tissue graft, is to be determined by the individual practitioner.

Cosmetic Gum Grafts:

Esthetic gum grafting can be used to "plump up" the gum tissue in an area that is deficient and would result an unaesthetic cosmetic make-over. Remember the teeth and gums should exhibit symmetry, yet sometimes one side is deficient, therefore, gum grafting may be essential to achieve symmetry prior to a cosmetic make-over.

Gingival Tissue Graft Procedure
Click screen to watch live Receding Gum Graft Surgery
What causes recession?
  • Aggressive brushing - potentially? Some people believe that aggressive brushing with a hard bristled brush may be a co-factor in recession or erosion of the neck of the tooth
  • Excessive biting forces - clenching and/or grinding? This can result in bending / flexing of teeth, which will often result in fracture of a small portion of tooth structure at the gum line (abfractions) and consequently bone and gum recession
  • Maloccluded and misaligned teeth - Teeth that positioned outside the normal arch form of the jaw are subject to having abnormal forces placed on them causing recession
When treating recession by gum grafting, the causative factor must also be addressed in order for the grafting procedure to be successful.

Types of Gum Grafts

1. Soft tissue graft: There are many types of soft tissue grafts. This type of graft involves taking a small piece of tissue from the surface skin on the roof of the mouth and transplanting it to areas in the mouth that are lacking. This type of graft restores and augments the missing thick keratinized gingiva, but does not result in covering of the exposed root.

2. Connective Tissue Graft: In this procedure tissue is taken from the undersurface of the palatal tissue (roof of the mouth) via tiny incisions, and is used to not only restore missing thick keratinized gum tissue, but also used to cover exposed roots of the teeth.

Bone Grafting

Bone graft procedures are the replacement or augmentation of the bone around the teeth.

Why is a bone graft needed?
Bone grafting is performed to reverse the bone loss / destruction caused by periodontal disease, trauma, or ill fitting removable dentures. It is also used to augment bone to permit implant placement, such as augmenting bone in the sinus area for implant placement, or augmenting bone to enhance the fit and comfort of removable prostheses, or to enhance esthetics of a missing tooth site in the smile zone. When one loses a tooth, as in an extraction, the surrounding bone collapses. To preserve this bone for future implant placement or for esthetics, a bone graft is used.

Types of Bone Grafts

1. autogenous - bone taken from one area of the patient and transplanted to another area requiring such grafting
2. allograft - either synthetic bone or bone from a bone bank (cadaver bone)
3. xenograft - bovine /cow bone

Which graft is used and when and why?
Autogenous bone is the "gold standard" and oftentimes has the most predictable results. This is described as the best type of graft because such bone is live bone with live active cellular elements that enhance bone growth, whereas other types of grafts are devoid of any active cellular material.

Allografts and Xenografts both do not require a second surgical site as does the autogenous bone. Ample amounts can be easily obtained.

Barrier membranes
In conjunction with bone grafting, membranes are often used to help stabilize the bone graft as well as displace the gum tissue from invading the healing bone graft. Gum tissue grows at a much faster rate than bone, therefore, membranes are used to prevent gum tissue from growing in and displacing the bone graft before it matures.

Questions about augmentation - grafting procedures?

Call our office at (561) 999-0889 to arrange a prompt Consultation with Dr. Pohl to determine if you are a candidate for grafting procedures that might be needed for replacing loss tissue or bone. Or use our convenient Consultation Request form.

Patients with concerns or questions about bone and tissue grafting procedures not addressed here are invited to contact Dr. Pohl directly with our on-line Ask The Dentist form.

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Florida Reconstructive Dentist
Mitchell Pohl, D.D.S.
2900 N. Military Trail, Suite 105
Boca Raton South Florida FL 33431
(561) 999-0889
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