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PST Grafts VS Gum Grafts

When dealing with too much gum tissue, you would need to consider crown lengthening as a periodontal solution; but when too little or wrongly placed gum tissue is the issue, your two major options are gum grafts plus stitches or PST grafts.
The less invasive approach by far is PST (pinhole surgical technique) grafts, and while there may be some situations in which soft tissue grafts would be preferred, PST grafts are easily the more generally recommended procedure – here’s why.

1. PST Grafts Are “Minimally Invasive”
It’s easy to let the term “minimally invasive” roll off your tongue without stopping to consider what it specifically entails in each case, but the benefits associated with this term are real and significant in the case of PST grafts.

Only a small “pin-sized” hole is made in the gum tissue just above (or below) each tooth. This is in sharp contrast to the cutting away of periodontal tissue, folding of it, and re-stitching of it involved in soft tissue graft surgery. Minimally invasive ends up meaning less painful, with minimal bleeding or swelling, and with less damage being done to your gums temporarily in the process of making them better.

2. Quicker Results & Fewer Dental Visits
The second biggest benefit of PST grafts we hasten to mention is that they get you an immediately improved smile as soon as the technique is complete. You literally walk out of the periodontist’s office with your gums already correctly placed and looking perfect. Gum graft surgery and sutures would mean months of healing before your smile would look right.

Also, if you are pressed to find time in your schedule for dental procedures, the PST graft approach is appealing because you can do all your teeth in one visit – or two at most, one for the upper jaw and one for the lower. It would take a greater number of sessions, in most cases, to accomplish the same thing with soft tissue grafts.

3. Recovery Is Quicker And Easier
Without any incisions or sutures, PST graft patients generally have no sore spots on their gums during recovery. The affected areas, of course, remain tender (for around 6 weeks) and should not be brushed or flossed against during that time. Just use antiseptic mouth rinse on them and follow your periodontist’s aftercare advice to the letter.

After your gums are moved higher on your teeth, by a special tool inserted through the pinhole, they are held in place by collagen strips. This is a natural way to assist healing and full reattachment of gums to teeth. It takes time, but not as much as other options would.

You could be looking at several months of recovery with gum graft surgery. A month and a half of a much less tedious and trying process, with PST grafts, is a welcome alternative.

4. The Overall Cost Is Comparable
Although PST grafts cost a little more than the total bill you would usually see for soft tissue grafts, you have to remember you are normally correcting the gum line around a greater number of teeth with PST grafts. And it takes fewer visits, which also helps equalize the price. Overall, the cost of the two procedures is often about the same – and both are usually covered by most dental insurance policies.

To learn more about PST grafts, and your other options, do not hesitate to reach out to periodontist Dr. Raymond A. Kenzik in Ormond Beach, Florida, for a free, no-obligation consultation!

Located in Beautiful Ormond Beach

Ormond Beach Periodontics and Implant Dentistry is conveniently located off of Nova Road in Ormond Beach, Florida. We help seniors, adults, and teenagers smile with confidence.