Bone Regeneration, Dental Implants and Gum Recession – Part 2

Further to last week’s blog, (which you can read here), I want to discuss one of the most common issues that patients present to our clinic with – receding gums.

When the gums recede it makes the teeth appear longer and also exposes the root surfaces of the teeth making them more sensitive and prone to abrasion (trauma). Sometimes gum recession is generalised across the whole mouth whereas, in most cases we find a more localised severe area of gum recession affecting one or a few teeth.

Gum recession around existing teeth can be minimised by maintaining optimum periodontal health. As discussed in the previous blog post, routine periodontal care with the hygienist and daily maintenance will minimise most cases of periodontal disease – the largest contributor to receding gums. In cases where the receding gums are causing a dental health concern or an aesthetic concern, we are able to graft the area of recession to promote the regeneration of the missing gum tissue. This treatment is very successful when combined with regular periodontal therapy.

Another area of concern is when providing dental implants to replace missing teeth. Usually following tooth loss, a natural process of bone loss and gum loss occurs. If a replacement tooth is simply placed in this space then the gum margin around the new tooth will not be level with the neighbouring teeth. We find that the symmetry across the gum margins of adjacent teeth is crucial when assessing the aesthetic outcome of the smile appearance.

In the pictures below you can see how a symmetrical gum margin provides a beautiful aesthetic outcome:

We provide both bone grafting and soft tissue grafting during out implant surgeries to encourage the regeneration of this missing bone and gums. This combined with the other elements of precision surgery enable us to provide aesthetic gum margins and overall treatment outcomes.

Thank you for reading

Mohsin Patel BDS MJDF RCS (Eng)