Hello friends, in today's video I will continue with gum diseases. One of the most common problems is gum recession. I would like to explain how it occurs, why it occurs and how it is treated.
Gum recession has local and general causes. Looking at the local causes, it can be related to patient habits; in some advanced cases we can see gum recession from nail biting or cracking seeds. If the patient has a piercing, in such cases, sometimes it seems very insignificant but when there is a high filling, gum recession is also seen. This is a serious problem for us; we call this occlusal trauma, in the presence of high restorations.
Gum recession can be seen with genetic factors and with age, but the most important factor I encounter in my clinic is incorrect tooth brushing habits. What we do most commonly in our society is that we brush our teeth horizontally. Especially if we have no time, and if we have not chosen the brush correctly, if we have not chosen the brush head in the right size and have not chosen the bristles at a suitable hardness, we can encounter very serious gum recession.
So what is our treatment method, what do I do? In my clinic at the beginning, if my gum recession is due to tartar, I do tartar cleaning first and follow up. Usually, if it is at an early level, my gum recession closes. In the second case, if it is due to brushing habits, we first change our brushing habits. As I always say, from red to white, from red to white; we place our brush at a forty-five degree angle and brush our teeth for two minutes with gentle movements. This also prevents the gum recession from advancing further, if there is gum recession. So what about other factors? If you have a high filling, I correct my filling and readjust my restorations and crown and bridge prostheses. I have done the tartar cleaning, I have smoothed the root surface, sometimes with curettage treatment and sometimes with a laser, I have smoothed the root surface and given the gum a free area, and I wait for the gum to cover that area. Generally fifty percent of cases are solved in this way, my gum recessions recover.
What do I do in cases where it does not recover? I investigate the presence of extra factors. If there is a high filling I correct it, or if there are high restorations or crown and bridge prostheses we plan them again. Or if there is an abnormal frenulum, as we call it, in the area, gum recession can occur in that area with the pull of the abnormal muscle. If it is present, I can remove it from the area with a small surgical operation. In this way I can prevent gum recession.
In more advanced cases, that is, in cases where the factor has been eliminated but I still cannot close the gum recession even by a small amount, we apply soft tissue grafts. What are these soft tissue grafts? We take the patient's own tissue from a special area of the palate, adapt it with special surgery to the recipient area, that is, the area where the gum recession is, and ensure the healing of the area. And I get very good results; in this way the patient regains their former comfort both aesthetically and functionally.
Sometimes I encounter gum recession after orthodontics, especially in the lower front areas. In such cases I ask: How much of your orthodontic treatment is left, where are you in the treatment? And in agreement with their dentist, sometimes while the treatment continues, we can proceed with surgical operations as taking soft tissue from the palate, and then repeat them again at the end of the treatment. Sometimes I can do these at the end of the treatment. I can encounter situations like these especially in the young age group and in severe orthodontic cases.
To sum up: if there is gum recession in an area in general, I first find the cause and eliminate the cause. For example it can be high gingival attachment, a high restoration, a patient's habit, orthodontic treatment or the presence of a piercing, or the presence of occlusal trauma... Occlusal trauma can be local or general. The general case is this: if the patient clenches their teeth hard at night, gum recession can occur in this situation too. I first eliminate all these factors at the beginning. Then, depending on the severity of the gum recession, I make advanced surgical plans, do soft tissue grafts and give the patient back their comfort.
Periodontology Specialist Dt Nergiz Hamamcı
Özel Klinik 99 Oral and Dental Health Polyclinic
0540 640 6006
Güvenlik Cd. No:99 A-B
Results of every surgical and invasive procedure may vary from person to person. It is recommended that you get detailed information from your dentist before the procedure.