Is Pinhole Surgery Really Better?

 

Pinhole surgery has been around for about twelve years and it has quickly become a welcome alternative to traditional gum graft surgery. Since its creation in 2006, the primary reason for its success is speed and comfort. Patients have discovered that there are several desirable advantages of pinhole surgery when receding gums need to be repaired. 

Reasons for Gum Surgery

Gum surgery is a remedy to repair gums that have receded to expose the roots of the teeth. The exposure means that the teeth will soon develop cavities because the roots do not have the same hard enamel that is on the crown of the tooth. Gum disease will also have greater access to the gums if it is not already present. 

Understanding the causes of gum recession is important because treatment must deal with the cause, too. There are several causes. The primary one, which affects about half of all adults in the United States, is gum disease. When gum disease is present, it must be eliminated before gum treatment can be performed. Other causes include brushing teeth with a heavy hand, genetics, grinding the teeth, and having oral jewelry. 

Two Types of Gum Surgery

The traditional form of gum surgery is called gum graft surgery. This surgery takes tissue from the roof of the mouth and then it is sutured in place to cover the exposed tooth roots. (As an alternative, a patient may choose to get donor tissue.) This means that the patient is going to have considerable pain from the cutting and the suturing. 

Healing time is for this type of surgery is usually between two to three weeks. To make matters worse, depending on the severity of gum recession, the patient may need to undergo four of these surgeries and allow healing to take place in between each one. 

Pinhole Surgery and Its Advantages

It is because of the time involved and the pain that new methods have been developed. Pinhole surgery offers the following advantages:

• No Cutting or Suturing

Unlike gum graft surgery, the periodontist is not going to use a scalpel or any sutures. This fact means that there is much less damage to your gums which enables them to heal faster. It also means a whole lot less pain. 

• Less Pain

Patients often describe gum graft surgery as being very painful in a couple of weeks afterward. They are often gently put to sleep for the surgery with either general anesthesia or twilight anesthesia. Once the surgery has been completed and the initial anesthesia wears off, pain medication is usually needed for several days before it begins to subside. With pinhole surgery, pain medication may only be needed for one or two days, and after that, over-the-counter medications should work quite well. There is apt to be some swelling afterward.

• The Speed

In most cases, you will only need one pinhole surgery. The periodontist can adjust your gums over each tooth in a matter of minutes. This means that your whole mouth may be treated in a single appointment. 

• Immediate Results

Another powerful advantage of pinhole surgery is that you get to see immediate results. Even though healing is still needed, your gums are moved into the position where they will stay. This lets you see immediately what they will look like. With traditional gum grafting, this was impossible. 

Get Back to Work Sooner

Recovery time is often at a minimum. Many people will be able to go to work the next day, but some may need to wait an extra day. Since local anesthesia is most often used in this technique, some people are even able to go back to work immediately following the surgery.

Best Candidates for Pinhole Surgery

Even though the pinhole surgical technique is a much easier way to fix gum recession, it is not for everyone. Candidates for the procedure need to meet several requirements:

• No gum disease – The presence of gum disease is often what causes gum recession. It can be eliminated before the surgery.
• A healthy amount of gum tissue – In most cases, you will still need to have a good deal of gum tissue. If it has receded too far, only gum graft surgery can repair it. 
• Other causes of gum recession – If your receding gums were caused by things other than gum disease, such as genetics, teeth grinding, or other causes, you may be a good candidate. 
• You have sufficient jaw bone – If neighboring teeth have lost significant amounts of the jawbone, this treatment will not work.
• You have good overall health. 

The best time to get your gums treated with the pinhole surgical technique is when you start to notice a problem. Because the technique is patented, only some periodontists who have been certified can perform it.