Gum Graft in Korea | Oaks Dental Clinic

so i'm here with one of the top dentists in Korea, and we're going to speak about gum grafting.

Hi, everyone. My name is Dr. Hong. I'm a board-certified gum specialist, which is a periodontist, from New York City. Today, we're going to speak about this amazing treatment. This is a gum recession case that Dr. Hong did. On the left, you can see the photo that shows severe gum recession, and this is the same patient on the right, which shows the gum recession having been fixed and the results seven years later.

This procedure is something that can only be done by a specialist. If you have receding gums, then gum grafting can correct the issue. A gum graft is a type of dental surgery performed to correct the effects of gum recession. A periodontist like Dr. Hong at The Oaks Dental Clinic removes healthy gum tissue from the roof of the mouth and uses it to build the gum back up to where it has receded.

Gum recession occurs when gum tissue wears away. Typically, this happens due to excessive brushing, gum disease, or even genetic predisposition to gum recession. If the gum recedes, then the tooth root can be exposed, leading to sensitivity, pain, and eventual tooth loss. There are different methods that can be used to graft gum, and the methods chosen depend on the severity of the case. But in general, a periodontist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the area. The doctor may also lift some of the existing gum away to expose the tooth root and clean it. After that, the method of gum grafting will begin.

Over the years, we've had many patients who asked, can this be done? And I've heard patients say that they've gone to other dentists in other countries, and the doctor said there's really nothing you can do. Is this a new procedure, or what's the reason other dentists say that this is something you can't do? It's not a new procedure. It's been here. It's a technically sensitive procedure. What percentage of dentists do you think are actually able to do this procedure? Less than 1 percent. Less than 1 percent of dentists can actually do this procedure, which is why the recession in the gums is usually not treated when you go to a normal dental clinic.

There are tissue substitutes, so there is an unlimited supply of tissues, a substitute instead of your actual material. That's right.

Another question that patients ask us is, is this for life? Because we keep getting older, right? So eventually our gums will recede again. How long will this last for? Well, in the well-documented literature, it says about 7 to 9 years, just 1 millimeter recession. So I think it's an ideal procedure. It's a 95% success, 7 to 9 years, maybe expect a 1 millimeter recession, which is quite small, very small. And also, we all regain that harvested tissue thickness. Second procedure, about 6 to 12 months, even better.

Oaks Dental Clinic, come and have this procedure done. It'll take about 30 minutes, maybe give yourself a bit more time for anesthesia, things like that. Give yourself like an hour in total.

There are different methods that can be used to graft gum, and the methods chosen depend on the severity of the case. But in general, a periodontist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the area. The doctor may also lift some of the existing gum away to expose the tooth root and clean it. After that, the method of gum grafting will begin.

There are typically three different types of gum graft surgeries. First, connective tissue grafts. In this procedure, the periodontist removes tissue from the roof of the mouth by making a flap and taking tissue from underneath the top layer, then stitches the tissue onto the existing gum tissue to cover the exposed tooth root. Next, they stitch up the flap on the roof of the mouth where they took the tissue from.

Second, in this procedure, the periodontist removes tissue directly from the top layer on the roof of the mouth and stitches this tissue to the existing gum area.

Third, lateral grafts. This is the preferred method for people who have lots of gum tissue growing near the exposed tooth. In this procedure, the periodontist grafts tissue from the gum around and near the tooth requiring treatment and only partially cuts away this tissue, keeping one edge attached. They then stitch up the tissue over and down, covering the exposed tooth root and holding it in place with stitches.

For all procedures, extra tissue can be sourced from a tissue bank if needed. Typically, after a gum grafting procedure, you can immediately go home. The best recovery tips for this procedure are: avoid brushing or flossing the treated area until the stitches heal; use a specialized mouthwash which controls plaque buildup; take antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection, this is on a case-by-case basis; avoid strenuous exercise until the stitches heal; avoid foods that are hard to eat; avoid smoking and drinking until the area done is healed.

The healing process is fairly fast, with full healing taking only 7 to 14 days in total. However, if you wish to use the same graft area again to withdraw tissue, you must wait months until it heals fully. Most people can return to work on the same day or the following day.