Gum recession is a common problem that can affect dental health and cause cosmetic issues. If you don’t treat gum recession promptly, it might eventually cause greater sensitivity, difficulty biting, and rapid tooth loss. You can treat mild to moderate gum recession with gum grafting, but timely treatment is necessary. When is it too late for gum grafting? Well, you’ll need to find out by reading this blog till the end.
What is Gum Grafting?
Gum grafting is a procedure used to regenerate lost gum tissue and cover exposed tooth surfaces and roots. It can be done in three different ways by most dentists or periodontists.
- One way is a sub-epithelial connective tissue transplant, which makes use of tissue from the roof of the mouth situated beneath the skin’s surface.
- Pedicle grafts use the gum tissue next to the receding region.
- Free-gingival grafts use the outermost layer of the mouth roof.
When is Gum Grafting Recommended?
There is no specific time or age for gum grafting. The severity of the gum recession and the particular instance determine when gum grafting should be done.
It is recommended to have gum grafting as soon as your dentist has identified gum recession since the longer you wait, the more it will worsen.
Nevertheless, gum grafting has no specific age restriction, and many elderlies might still obtain this treatment. However, the procedure’s viability and success might be impacted by factors including general health and severity of the gum recession.
Factors Affecting the Success of Gum Grafting
Although early diagnosis improves the success of grafts, the patient’s healing reaction has a significant impact on the outcome. Here are the factors that could affect the success of gum grafting:
Smoking
Tobacco has anti-inflammatory and vascular effects, which slow wound healing and dramatically lower the success rate of any transplant treatment by 30-50%.
Smokers experience higher postoperative recessions. The prognosis will ultimately improve by quitting smoking two months before and after grafting.
Bruxism
If you don’t get your bruxism treated as soon as possible, it can damage grafts and disturb the blood clot required for tissue in-growth.
Diabetes
Diabetes control is important because patients with uncontrolled blood sugar have poorly integrated grafts because of compromised immune function. Grafts take twice as long when glucose is controlled as when it is not.
Through careful monitoring and lifestyle modifications, you can achieve a successful gum grafting procedure. However, your ability to heal will ultimately determine the success of gum grafting.
Final Say!
You need to have regular checkups to see if your gums are in good shape. If not, you might need to undergo gum grafting. But when is it too late for gum grafting? There is no specific age for the procedure; the severity of your gum recession will determine if you’re eligible for it or not.
For further queries and information, visit us at Royalty Dental Associates. Call us at (281) 655-0500 (Spring Cypress) or (281) 288-0900 (Interstate Hwy 45) to schedule an appointment.