mature adult man with crossed arms smiles with teethGum disease is very common. About half of all adults in the US have gum disease. Left untreated, gum disease can cause permanent cosmetic and functional damage to your gums. Even after the gum disease is treated, your gums likely won’t grow back, leaving you to suffer from these effects from unhealthy gums in the past. Ironically, the second most common cause of receding gums is over-aggressive brushing. 

You might have looked into gum graft surgery to restore your attractive, healthy gums but didn’t like the side effects of the procedure. Let an Aberdeen cosmetic dentist at Kuhn Dental Associates help. We offer an alternative to traditional gum graft surgery: Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique. This approach to rejuvenating your gums is more comfortable, requires no downtime, and can provide results that last for years. 

Why Rejuvenate Receding Gums

If you have receding gums, you might be tempted to just leave them alone, especially after you learn about traditional gum graft surgery. However, it’s important to fix receding gums, especially if you have the option of using the alternative treatment offered by Aberdeen cosmetic dentists at Kuhn Dental Associates. 

Left untreated, receding gums cause many problems, such as:

  • An unattractive smile
  • Crooked looking teeth
  • Tooth sensitivity
  • Root cavities
  • Tooth loss

Receding gums can cause an unattractive smile in many ways. Healthy gums should fill in the space around your teeth and cover up your roots. When your gums recede, you can develop black triangles around the base of your teeth. Receding gums also expose your tooth roots. Unlike the crown of your teeth, the root isn’t very attractive. Roots are a darker color and are dull, not shiny.

When you have receding gums, it can create an uneven line that makes your teeth look crooked, even if your teeth are straight. 

Your tooth root is not adapted for exposure. It doesn’t insulate the sensitive inner part of the tooth very well, which means that if the root is exposed, you will experience sensitivity to heat and cold. The tooth root is also more vulnerable to cavities. Once root cavities start, they can grow quickly. 

Root cavities can be harder to repair and are more likely to lead to tooth loss. Exposed roots also have less support, so the tooth is more likely to be knocked out. 

Rejuvenating your receding gums can help your smile look more attractive and stay healthier. 

Benefits of the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique

If receding gums make you unhappy with the appearance of your smile, you might have looked into gum rejuvenation or gum grafting in the past. However, your Aberdeen cosmetic dentist at Kuhn Dental Associates offers a different approach that is better for many people. 

With the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique, you will enjoy:

  • Less discomfort
  • Faster healing
  • No downtime
  • Great results that are long-lasting
  • No need for a donor site
  • No scalpel or stitches

One of the big benefits of the Chao Pinhole surgical technique is that it causes less discomfort. You’ll experience much less pain than with traditional gum graft surgery. 

Because the Chao Pinhole surgical technique is less invasive, you will heal more quickly after treatment. You can get right back to your normal routine: there’s no downtime from the surgery. 

You’d think that this meant that the results weren’t as good or didn’t last as long. However, that’s not the case. You’ll enjoy outstanding results–and other patients have seen their results last for nearly ten years since the procedure was introduced in 2012. The results can look even better than traditional gum graft surgery because there’s no risk of a color mismatch between the treatment area and the donor site. 

Traditional gum graft surgery uses tissue from a donor site, causing a significant injury at that site. With the Chao Pinhole Surgical technique, there’s no donor site. 

Finally, with the Chao Pinhole surgical technique, your Aberdeen cosmetic dentist uses no scalpel or stitches in your procedure. Great news for anyone who gets nervous at the thought of a knife on their gums. 

How the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique Works

In traditional gum rejuvenation, the procedure is a graft. An oral surgeon or periodontist cuts away tissue from a donor site. This can either be nearby the site or far away. If the donor site is nearby, the dental surgeon will use a flap graft. 

In a flap graft procedure, the graft isn’t completely cut-free. It retains a connection with the rest of your gums. Then the surgeon rotates the gum graft around until it covers the desired area. 

In a free graft procedure, the surgeon cuts the graft free from the donor site. Then the free graft is placed on the treatment area. Usually, the surgeon will stitch the graft in place to help healing. 

In contrast, the Chao pinhole surgical technique doesn’t use a donor site. Instead, with just a pinhole in your gums, your Aberdeen cosmetic dentist will make it possible to spread out your gums more easily. Once your gums are spread out to cover the affected areas, your dentist will apply collagen strips to help hold the spread out gum tissue in place. That’s it. 

Rejuvenate Your Gums in Aberdeen

Are you unhappy because of receding gums? Let an Aberdeen cosmetic dentist restore the youthful appearance of your smile. Enjoy great results with less discomfort and no downtime. We can even talk about laser gum recontouring to make sure your gums look great. 

Please call (910) 692-4450 or use our online form to request an appointment at Kuhn Dental Associates, located on Sandhills Blvd, less than 10 minutes from Southern Pines Golf Club.