Tissue Graft
Chicago Area
Healthy gums are a key player in supporting overall oral health. They help to protect the roots of your teeth, and your jawbone, from bacterial attack. They help to hold your teeth securely in place, and they help to protect your teeth from extreme temperature sensitivity. A healthy gum line also provides you with a beautiful smile. Gum recession, which can result from gum disease, brushing too hard, or bruxism, puts the health of your mouth (and its appearance) at risk. At Cameo Dental Specialists, we can help to restore the health of your mouth with tissue grafting.
WHAT IS TISSUE GRAFTING?
Tissue grafting (also called a gum graft or a soft tissue graft) is a procedure that is designed to restore the health and natural appearance of your gum tissues by repairing the damage done by gum recession. We start by administering a local anesthetic, which numbs the surgical sites. If you are feeling exceptionally anxious or nervous, we can also discuss your sedation options. The procedure is done by taking soft tissue from elsewhere in your mouth (most frequently the roof of your mouth, called the donor site), and securing it in place over the areas of recession, or the recipient site. Depending upon your unique circumstances, we may choose to use donor tissue from another donor, or other regenerative materials. While you heal, your natural gum tissue and the donor tissue begin to fuse together, and the tissue reforms a tight, protective seal around your teeth.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TISSUE GRAFTS
There are three main types of tissue grafts:
- Connective tissue graft. The connective tissue graft is the most commonly used tissue grafting procedure. With this procedure, we remove a thin layer of gum tissue from the roof of your mouth and place it over the area of recession to thicken the gum tissue in the desired site. The roof of your mouth will have a very small wound which is either closed up with medical grade adhesive or dissolvable sutures. To finish the procedure, the area that received the gum graft is carefully sutured close. Connective tissue grafts are used because of their ability to achieve thick healthy gum tissue, root coverage and blend nicely in areas of esthetic concern.
- Free gingival graft. With a free gingival graft, a small rectangle of soft tissue is taken directly from the roof of your mouth, leaving a superficial wound which typically heals closed in 1-2 weeks. Sutures or medical grade adhesive might be used over this wound to aid in healing. This type of graft is used when more keratinized (stronger) tissue is required.
- Donor graft (or allograft). An allograft uses donor tissue to thicken the gums in an area of gingival recession. This type of grafting may be considered for esthetic areas, long spanning areas of recession, or in cases where it is not desirable to take a graft from the roof of the mouth. After your local anesthetic, we make incisions in the area of recession, tuck the donor tissue underneath the existing gum tissue, and rearrange it to provide maximum coverage. When satisfied, we suture the tissues in their new locations.
BENEFITS OF TISSUE GRAFTING
There are several benefits to tissue grafting:
- Your oral health is restored. With a gum graft, we can help you put a stop to, and reverse the effects of, gum recession. You will be able to clean the teeth more effectively and reverse the state of inflammation in your gingival tissues.
- With your gum line restored, and the tissue securely around your teeth, the roots of your teeth and your jawbone are protected from new bacterial invasion.
- Tooth sensitivity (which occurs as a result of gum recession) is alleviated.
- Gum recession and an uneven gum line can greatly affect your confidence and cause you to hide your smile. With a tissue graft, your smile, and your confidence are restored.
If you have experienced gum recession, it is important to have it addressed as soon as possible. For more information on tissue grafting, or to schedule your appointment, call Cameo Dental Specialists today at (630) 547-3373.