Can Gum Surgery Prevent Tooth Loss?

If you've had gum disease, you probably know what a problem it can pose for the entirety of your oral health. Unfortunately, even once your gum disease is controlled and defeated, your teeth can still be at risk. Thankfully, a simple surgical procedure can help to protect you. Here's what you need to know about gum disease's lasting impact on teeth and how to keep anything bad from happening to yours.

Gum Disease's Impact

Gum disease doesn't just make gums temporarily swollen and puffy. If it goes on long enough, gum tissue begins to recede, and then it can become permanently shortened. Sadly, even once gums heal from the gum disease, they won't necessarily recover from receding, or they may not be able to regain the full length that they lost.

The Impact on Teeth

To understand why your receded gums are having an impact on your teeth, you need to know a little bit about the structure of the tooth.

As you probably know, tooth enamel helps to protect your teeth from bacteria, injury, and cavities. This enamel covers the entirety of the exposed portion of the tooth. However, it doesn't cover the parts of the teeth that are typically hidden under your gums. So when the gums recede and expose these parts of your teeth, the softer and more vulnerable parts of your teeth are exposed to the open air and bacteria in your mouth.

When this happens, your teeth can quickly become damaged, develop cavities, and increase in sensitivity, and they can be so badly damaged that you lose them, permanently.

The Surgery

The surgical procedure mentioned earlier is like a tissue transplant. It takes living tissue from another part of your body — typically the roof of the mouth — and uses that tissue to extend your gums back to their full length.

To do this, your dentist will numb the roof of your mouth and then will take a very small strip of tissue. The roof of your mouth will be stitched closed and will heal naturally on its own.

That tissue will then be cut and shaped to match the natural shape of your gums. Then, your dentist will attach it to the gums with stitches. Over time, the body will incorporate the two pieces together, permanently extending your gums back to a healthy and safe length.

Receded gums don't have to leave your teeth permanently at risk. Talk to a dentist about getting the treatment you need to fix your gums and keep your teeth. For more information, contact local professionals like those found at 32 Pearls. 

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