Pinhole Surgery - how Pinhole works
Receding gums are unattractive, can cause sensitivity to cold and lead to other dental and health issues. Anyone at any age can be affected by gum recession, which is often caused by improper or overzealous tooth brushing or gum disease.
The standard treatment, conventional gum grafting surgery is perceived by many to be an invasive and painful procedure, so many patients simply avoid having recommended treatment. While conventional gum grafting surgery is effective, the need for a less invasive, less painful treatment motivated dentist and educator Dr. John Chao, DDS to develop Pinhole® Gum Rejuvenation. This minimally invasive procedure doesn’t require scalpels, stitches or extended downtime. To date, over 4,000 dentists have been trained worldwide in Pinhole® Gum Rejuvenation, also known as the Pinhole® Surgical Technique.
“Pinhole® Gum Rejuvenation” corrects receding gums in minutes without gum grafting, with no scalpels or stitches. The Pinhole® procedure is performed through tiny pinholes made in the gums.
How it's done
The gums are numbed with a local anesthetic. Tiny entry points (about the size of a ballpoint pen tip) are made in the gum above the tooth or teeth to be treated.
Special dental instruments designed by Dr. Chao are inserted into the entry points and moved to free the gum tissue, then the gums are guided down to the correct position.
Dr. Chao then uses a small instrument to pass tiny collagen strips through the entry points and places them under the gums, which help to stabilize the tissue during the healing process. This completes the procedure, which can take as little as 30 to 60 minutes depending on the number of teeth treated. The small entry points quickly heal and are virtually undetectable in a day or two.
