Why is a gum graft needed?
Soft tissue grafts are used to replace missing thick tissue (keratinized gingiva), which has worn away from the necks of the teeth for a variety of reasons. The purpose of gum grafting is to minimize and/or arrest the progression of recession. Unfortunately associated with every type of recession, there is bone loss, because the bone resides just beneath the gums. Therefore, if the gums have receded, then the bone too has receded. The purpose of gum grafting is to arrest the progression of recession and thereby halt the bone loss as well, by restoring a thick zone of protective tissue around the neck of the tooth / teeth which exhibits an absence of this thick keratinized gum tissue. In certain instances it is not only possible to restore the missing keratinized (thick / protective) gum tissue, but also to cover the exposed root surface of the tooth / teeth in question. Other issues must be addressed as well, such as the biting forces being placed on the teeth. Unbalanced forces placed