The Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique
Gentle Solutions for Recession
Receding gums can be an uncomfortable and unsightly problem. Typically, treatment for gum recession requires surgery involving a scalpel, incision and sutures. Today, however, there is a non-invasive solution. Dr. Provines performs the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique in Sunnyvale, CA to more comfortably treat gum recession and create healthier and more aesthetically appealing smiles.
What Causes Gum Recession?
Gum recession, also known as gingival recession or receding gums, is a common dental problem that causes gum tissue to rise on your upper teeth or descend on your lower teeth. As a result, teeth roots are exposed, and your teeth look longer.
Receding gums are caused by a number of dental and oral health problems including:
- All stages of gum disease—gingivitis, periodontitis and advanced periodontitis
- Bruxism, more commonly known as teeth grinding and clenching
- Poorly aligned teeth
- Using a toothbrush with hard bristles
- Not flossing regularly
- Personal genetics
Exposed tooth roots not only make teeth look disproportionately long. They may also lead to tooth sensitivity, pain when chewing, bleeding gums when you brush or floss your teeth and an increased risk of tooth decay.
What Happens During the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique?
Dr. Provines will take a needle and use it to make a hole in the gums. (Hence the “pinhole” technique.) This allows us to loosen the gum tissue and move it around with special instruments, expanding it and repositioning it so that it covers up the exposed portions of your teeth as needed.
This treatment is an alternative to the gum grafts that are traditionally used in cases of gum recession. With grafting, tissue needs to be taken from the roof of the mouth during an uncomfortable procedure that can take a while for you to fully recover from.
The Chao Pinhole technique, by contrast, is a much less invasive treatment that requires no grafting at all. The healing time is usually much shorter as well compared to the duration of traditional gum surgery, with many patients being able to return to their normal daily schedules just a day after treatment. This means that you can enjoy both the health benefits and the aesthetic advantages of treating gum recession that much sooner.
If you’ve been told or if you can see that you have receding gums, contact the Peninsula Center for Implantology. Dr. Provines would be delighted to meet with you to discuss more details about the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique. Our team is happy to serve patients from Sunnyvale and all nearby areas.