After a tooth is replaced with an implant, dental patients run the risk that their gums surrounding the implant may recede, exposing roots, causing pain and weakening the implant itself.
But, skin taken from the roof of a patient’s mouth and grafted onto the area near the implant can help prevent such recession, an implant dentistry journal reports.
The Journal of Oral Implantology reported on a case study where 10 patients getting a single, immediate tooth implant also received a connective tissue graft. Tissue was harvested from the palate and placed near the implant site in order to make the gum more resistant to recession.
Patients were evaluated before, during, and for up to one year after the surgery. Of the 10, one implant failed early on but the remaining patients displayed good integration of tissue and tooth.
Proper placement of the implant and tissue graft is key to successful implants, the journal authors found. Tissue grafts are not usually a routinely performed during tooth implants.