Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Soft Tissue Grafts

A soft tissue graft is a procedure that involves taking tissue from either your palate or your gumline and connecting it to receding gums. In most instances, gums recede because of periodontal disease. In other cases, they can recede as a result of physical trauma, crooked teeth, or age. It is important that you take this condition seriously. It affects more than just your looks. If left untreated, it can expose tooth roots, which will in turn result in tooth sensitivity and possible tooth loss in the future.

The good news is that soft tissue grafts will stop gum recession in its tracks, protect exposed tooth roots, and make the appearance of the smile more aesthetic and natural looking. One noticeable benefit that you will immediately become aware of is a decreased sensitivity to hot and cold and a greater comfort eating a wide range of foods.

There are three types of soft tissue grafts, briefly described as follows:

1. Free gingival graft- The dentist cuts a small strip of tissue from the palate and stitches it to the receding gum line. This method is used mostly for people with naturally thin gums who can benefit aesthetically from the addition of new tissue.
2. Connective-tissue graft- The dentists takes subepithelial connective tissue from under the palate. This tissue is very similar to the type that surrounds tooth roots, and it is ideal for covering roots that have been exposed. .
3. Pedicle graft- This type of graft is used when an exposed root is located adjacent to a tooth with healthy, abundant gum tissue. A flap of healthy gum tissue is partially cut away, flipped over, and stitched to the damaged area. This procedure offers the benefits of connecting existing blood vessels as well as tissue to the area being treated.

There will be a certain amount of discomfort after any of the above procedures are performed. Most dentists will use a soft, clay-like periodontal dressing to protect the grafted tissue while it heals. Prescription pain medication will be used in most cases as well. You should follow all post-operative instructions, the foremost of which is to keep his or her mouth clean during the healing process.

For more information on this and related topics, read the following articles on our main website:
Cosmetic Dental Teeth Procedures
Periodontal Surgery
Root Canal Therapy
Tooth Decay
Tooth Pain and Sensitivity

If you are experiencing pain or tooth sensitivity any time you eat or drink something hot or cold, then you need to call our office for an appointment. Your condition may or may not be related to gum recession, but regardless, it is something we need to look at and address because no doubt it will lead to future complications if left untreated.

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posted by Dental Expert at 4:12 AM 0 Comments


Monday, April 6, 2009

Tooth Sensitivity

Hi doctor,

Is it possible for a teeth's nerve to die off after putting braces?
I have my ceramic braces on for about 2 months now. Recently, I have been experiencing sharp pain on two of my teeth after drinking cold drinks for a week. I understand that the movement of the teeth would cause sensitivity issue. However, the pain which I was experiencing was somehow different. I went back to see my dentist and was told that this was an unusual encounter that the worse scenario is that my nerve may have possibility died off. Nevertheless, he give me some anti-swelling oral medication and ensure me that the problem will be resolve in a few days time.

However, 2 weeks later the same symptom happen again, but this time it lasted for 5 hrs. I went back to the dentist again and I was told that the nerve is going to died off soon. I was so shocked and disappointed after hearing that. He said that I have exceptionally sensitive tooth and that the force he applied to tighten the braces was generally acceptable by all his patients. He told me that the only solution now is to undergo root canal treatment. I was so shocked to hear that. How can a set of teeth that was previously healthy become bad teeth after putting these braces? Is this true? How can it happen and is the root canal treatment the only solution? Kindly reply to me. Thank you for your time.

Regards,
John

Good question – Your story is not unusual. The nerves of the teeth can respond negatively to trauma, whether the trauma is from a blow, a fall, grinding your teeth, deep decay, deep fillings, fractured root, gingival recession, orthodontic movement – sometimes it just seems to be nothing in particular, the simplest thing, that triggers nerve sensitivity. Nerve sensitivity can be reversible and slowly go away, or it can respond to treatments for sensitivity such as topical fluoride, topical fluoride varnish, Sensodyne tooth paste, bite adjustment, etc. Or, sensitivity can be irreversible – such that nothing that is done will make it better… and in this case, root canal treatment is the most common treatment.

Tooth sensitivity is our most common complaint in general dentistry. It is sometimes obvious as to the cause, but it is also common to have the cause very vague and hard to figure out. Your dentist is doing appropriate conservative treatments, trying to allow some time to pass, since sometimes the problem goes away without treatment. He is also correct in telling you that sometimes these problems will only resolve with root canal treatment…true. Nothing has been done wrong, it is just that some people have very sensitive teeth – if you look around your mouth, you will probably find other signs that predispose you to tooth sensitivity:

Ø Large, deep fillings
Ø Muscular grinding / clenching habits
Ø Gingival recession
Ø Gingival abfractions
Ø Fractures in teeth
Ø Old trauma – falls, etc.

This is all difficult to predict and very different from person to person. Sit down and have a discussion with your dentist about your situation relative to other teeth that might have similar potential problems. It is much more complicated than you are assuming.

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posted by Dental Expert at 7:46 AM 0 Comments