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What is Pinhole Surgery?
Traditionally, receding gums are treated with a gum graft. This is a highly effective procedure that involves taking tissue from another area of your mouth, usually the roof of your mouth. Once removed, it can be grafted onto areas where gum tissue is deficient. However, healing can take time, as you will have a surgical site on the roof of your mouth and around the treated tooth.
Pinhole surgery eliminates the need to remove tissue from another area in your mouth. This innovative procedure requires no stitches, so healing afterward is faster, and there are fewer side effects, such as swelling and bleeding.
The treatment consists of making a small hole in the gum where it is deficient. The hole is sufficient for our periodontist to carefully insert a specialized tool and loosen the gum tissue.
Loosening the gum tissue allows us to reposition it to cover the exposed tooth root. Once it is repositioned, we carefully insert tiny pieces of collagen into the hole. The collagen promotes faster healing, so the hole quickly closes, all without the need for stitches.
Who Should Have Pinhole Surgery?
We may recommend pinhole surgery if gum disease has caused gum recession. Once gums have receded, the tissue cannot grow back. Treatment is suitable if you have no active signs of gum disease or inflammation, and follow a good oral care routine.
Maintaining excellent oral care after pinhole surgery is important to ensure the rejuvenated gum tissue remains strong and healthy. When you visit NYC Dentistry Center, we can assess whether you are a suitable candidate for pinhole surgery and discuss treatment in more detail.
What Are the Advantages of Choosing Pinhole Surgery?
Your pinhole surgery will be performed by one of our three board-certified periodontists, all of whom are skilled specialists in treating gum issues. Led by our principal dentist, Dr. Navid Rahmani, our high level of expertise ensures you gain maximum benefit from this procedure.
Other advantages can include:
- Speed. Treatment is quick and might take as little as one or two hours.
- Healing. The hole in the gums typically heals within 24 hours.
- Improved oral health. Covering exposed tooth roots helps protect teeth, increasing their stability and reducing the risk of tooth movement and root decay.
- Aesthetics. Pinhole surgery can improve the appearance of your gums while protecting and improving your dental health.
- Minimal discomfort. Since only tiny holes are needed, there should be minimal discomfort that is easy to control with over-the-counter pain relief.
What to Expect During Pinhole Surgery
As with all our services, your treatment is customized and may differ from the brief outline below.
Professionally Cleaning Your Teeth
Before we begin, we need to ensure your teeth and gums are as clean as possible. Professionally cleaning your teeth removes all plaque and tartar buildup, getting rid of the harmful bacteria in these substances and reducing the risk of infection.
Numbing Your Gums and Pinhole Surgery
We make sure you remain entirely comfortable and pain-free during treatment by numbing your gums with a local anesthetic. Once the anesthetic has taken effect, our periodontist will make tiny holes in your gums, loosen and reposition them, and then insert the collagen strips.
Aftercare Instructions
Before you leave NYC Dentistry Center, we will provide easy-to-follow aftercare instructions. If you are ever concerned or don’t understand something, please remember we are here to help, so please get in touch.
Follow-up Appointment
You will need to return to our dental office later, so we can ensure the results are as expected and that you have a healthy, aesthetically pleasing, and even gum line. We can schedule your follow-up appointment before you leave our office.
Maintaining the Results
We can’t emphasize the need for good, ongoing oral care strongly enough. Without it, further gum recession could occur.
If you aren’t sure about your at-home oral care routine, why not ask our friendly hygiene team for tailored help and advice?
If you’re dealing with a gingival recession that couldn’t be treated with other methods, our team at NYC Dentistry Center in Midtown East can assess whether you’re a good candidate for pinhole surgery. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any concerns by calling (212) 518-6096 or visiting our dentistry center.
NYC Dentistry Center6 E 45th St #801
New York, NY 10017
(45th St. btw 5th Ave / Madison Ave)
(212) 518-6096