What is AlloDerm?
Patients who experience gum recession have a great restorative option with gum grafts. Gum recession can happen for a number of reasons including genetics, poor oral hygiene, overly aggressive brushing, and periodontal disease. Patients in the early stages of gum disease may be able to have a deep cleaning to restore gum health.
A deep cleaning, or scaling and root planing, is a more invasive professional cleaning in which the patient's gum tissue is numbed with a local anesthetic. Most often, one side of the mouth is treated at a time so that the entire mouth is not numb. The dental hygienist will then use manual and ultrasonic tools to clean well below the gum line to eradicate any infection from tartar and calculus buildup and bacteria. After a scaling and replanning, the gum tissue has an easier time healing closer to the tooth surface since the pockets between the tooth and gum are clean.
For patients with more advanced gum recession, a gum graft may be appropriate. There are a few different types of gum graft that doctors use to restore the gum line. An autograft utilizes tissue harvested from the roof of the patient’s mouth. An allograft or xenograft uses donor tissue. AlloDerm is a type of donor graft that has great benefits over an autograft.
What is AlloDerm?
AlloDerm tissue grafts come from a tissue bank and have been screened and tested to exclude those that may have been exposed to viral and microbial pathogens. The tissue is processed to remove all cellular components to provide the best possible compatibility for the patient’s natural gum tissue.
AlloDerm grafts act as a foundation and help recruit cells in the body to build and regenerate gum tissue. The body’s natural healing process will take over and work to integrate the graft with the surrounding gum tissue. Healing after an AlloDerm graft is much easier for the patient since they do not have multiple surgery sites recovering at the same time. They also have a much more aesthetic outcome since tissue matching is not a concern!
A traditional gum graft uses tissue harvested from the roof of the patient’s mouth and can be uncomfortable. A connective tissue graft is generally easier to recover from since only the underlying connective tissue is harvested, the outer layer of tissue stays in place and makes the healing process on the roof much more manageable.
If you are experiencing gum disease or gum recession, speak with your dentist to see if a gum graft might be a good treatment for you. Maintaining good oral health is vital not only to your smile, but to your overall health and well being!