Without a doubt, many patients are most concerned
with cosmetics and sensitivity and it is these patients who often seek care on their own.
These forms of recession are often self inflicted, having been caused by tooth brush
abrasion. However, an extemely high number of patients require
functional repair to prevent further recession and are unaware of this important
necessity.
Grafting surgery employs the transplantation of
varying types of donor skin to the area in need. The donor tissue is usually taken
from the palate or roof of the mouth. Additionally, there are alternative donor tissues available from tissue banks. The area to be treated
and the donor area will be numbed profoundly with a local anesthetic. After it is
determined that the area is fully anesthetized, the surgery will add an appropriate amount
of tissue to achieve the desired result. Often a few sutures (stitches are
necessary and usually the area is covered with a putty-like packing material to protect
the site for a week. Most patients are back to work the next day.
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