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Soft Tissue Grafting When There Are No Teeth? | Chicago Dentist

Although most people concentrate on the teeth for an attractive, healthy smile, the appearance of the gums cannot be ignored. It has been said that the gums are the frame of the picture. You can have a nice picture, but an ugly frame will destroy the appearance. We will often use soft tissue to enhance the appearance of the tissue in conjunction with new restorations. The following case demonstrates one such example:

This case illustrates a 35-year old physician who was missing two teeth in the front and had a bridge placed many years ago. She did not like the appearance of the bridge and wanted to replace it. The before photos illustrate how an unsightly indentation in the gum tissue compromised the appearance of the bridge. In addition to replacing the bridge, we wanted to improve the appearance of the tissue in order to improve her “picture frame”. Utilizing minimally invasive tunneling procedures, a collagen graft was placed to build out the tissue and create an appearance that a tooth was present, but in actuality, it is missing. The improvement was seen immediately at the time of surgery, and after several weeks in a new temporary bridge, the result is even more apparent. As you can see, we have created the illusion that there are teeth present by simply reconstructing the tissue.

 

If you find that you have gums that are affecting your smile and self-confidence, soft tissue grafting may just be the solution you’ve been looking for. Not only will it improve the look of your gums, but will also give you a discreet way to bring back a reason to smile.

If you would like more information about soft tissue grafting, call Dr. Cabrera in Chicago, IL at 312-994-7939 or visit www.perioimplantchicago.com.

Dr. Cabrera proudly serves Chicago and all surrounding areas.

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Understanding Gingival Recession | Chicago Dentist

We all want to have the best smile we can, but there are many factors that can take issue to cause it to become flawed. One of these issues that can affect our desire to show off our pearly whites is receding gums. And this is because what most people call gum (gingival) recession is really the visual appearance. In reality, there are a number of underlying factors that lead to the root becoming exposed. In order to have a good, long-term result, all factors need to be diagnosed and addressed. Unfortunately, the visual appearance alone is NEVER a diagnosis. One of the factors that can affect the long-term effect of a graft is whether the teeth are moving outside of the bone. The following case demonstrates one such example:

The patient is a 32-year old female who does not like to smile because of the appearance when she smiles. When the lips are retracted, we get a better understanding of how much recession there is throughout her mouth. In 2005, we successfully reconstructed the tissue that had receded using a minimally invasive approach with connective tissue grafts. The patient did not wear her night guard as recommended to keep her teeth from shifting.

She returned 5 years later because of an increased recession occurring on the front right central incisor. All of the other areas had remained stable except for this tooth. On closer inspection, we get a better understanding of why the one tooth continued to recede. Without the protection of the appliance, the front tooth continued to shift out of the bone, causing the loss of the supporting bone and leading to loss of tissue.

If you find that you are dealing with gum recession, it is important to contact your Chicago dentist as soon as possible to treat this issue.

If you would like more information about gum recession, call Dr. Cabrera in Chicago, IL at 312-994-7939 or visit www.perioimplantchicago.com.

Dr. Cabrera proudly serves Chicago and all surrounding areas.

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Connective Tissue Grafting: What You Need to Know | Chicago Dentist

There is little more deflating to your smile than receding gums. Not only does it change the look of your smile, but it can also cause your overall demeanor to change as well. We all want a great smile to show off. Fortunately, there are solutions to this dental issue and it doesn’t have to be as invasive as it once was.

The goal of correcting gum recession is to rebuild the lost tissues and where possible, cover the roots. It is important to fix this dental issue before more extreme issues, like infection or gum disease, arise in the future. There are many procedures to accomplish this. One of the earliest treatments published was the connective tissue graft introduced in the early 1990’s, and can be seen in an article published by Dr. Cabrera in The Journal of the American Dental Association in 1995 titled The Connective Tissue Graft, and later reprinted in The Canadian Dental Journal.

But what does this treatment option entail? This procedure is essentially plastic surgery in the mouth. A very small opening is created either on the roof of the mouth or behind the last upper teeth. The tissue is then secured to the area of recession with small (slightly bigger than a human hair) sutures (stitches). In most cases, recovery is uneventful, requiring no more than over-the-counter medication.

This approach has been refined over the years. Today, we also employ a number of procedures classified as tunnels, which use very small incisions to accomplish the surgery. So as you can see, there is no reason to hide your smile with receding gums – visiting Dr. Cabrera can easily repair the look of your smile and the health of your gums.

If you would like more information about connective tissue grafting, call Dr. Cabrera in Chicago, IL at 312-994-7939 or visit www.perioimplantchicago.com.

Dr. Cabrera proudly serves Chicago and all surrounding areas.