When Is a Gum Lift Recommended to Treat Receding Gums?

Receding gums can affect your confidence and leave you feeling self-conscious, even when you have every reason to smile. Luckily, a dentist can correct gum recession and its root cause. They can craft treatment plans that best suit their patients’ needs. A treatment plan will include one or more procedures to restore the looks and oral health of the gums. One such procedure is the gum lift, a minor oral surgery that dentists use for specific patient scenarios.

Treating receding gums

The gums can pull back from the base of the teeth due to age or a hereditary trait. Gradual, long-term injury can also push the gums from the tooth roots. This kind of injury could result from vigorous brushing, nail-biting, ill-fitting dentures, or ill-fitting orthodontics. Another common cause of gum recession is gum disease, an infection that attacks the soft tissues of the gums. It follows that the treatment for receding gums will depend on its cause:

• Gum contouring is a cosmetic procedure that creates an even, attractive gumline
• Scaling and root planing (SCP) removes infection from gum pockets; the dentist will then use sutures or some other method to correct gum recession
• Laser gum surgery is a non-invasive way to treat gum infection, close the gum pockets, and correct gum recession
• Gum graft surgery adds graft tissue to the gums as a way of covering exposed tooth roots

The following sections describe gum lift surgery, its uses, and how it benefits some patients with receding gums.

Gum lift procedure as treatment for gum recession

A dentist performs a gum lift by skillfully pulling and rearranging the gums toward the base of the crowns. This action covers teeth roots, protecting them from infection, injury, pressure corrosion, heat, or cold.

The least invasive variation of the gum lift is pinhole surgery, which requires little cutting or suturing. After the dentist numbs the problem area, they use a small, needle-like tool to make a tiny hole in the gums. The hole is used to access and manipulate soft tissues in the gums.

The dentist will rearrange gum tissues to cover the teeth roots, right up to the base of the teeth. They will place collagen strips at strategic points within the repositioned gums. These collagen strips stimulate the growth of gum tissue, which creates a more solid covering for the teeth. Gum lift procedures contour and reshape the gums, creating an even gum line that can improve the aesthetics of a smile.

Applications of gum lift treatment

A gum lift has cosmetic applications like gum contouring, making it a good fit for patients who want a smile upgrade. The procedure can also correct mild gum recession that results from early-stage gum disease.