Everything you need to know about Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation...

Corrective Treatment for Localized Problem Areas versus Generalized Recession

Patients typically fall into one of the two categories: localized or generalized recession.  With Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation, Dr Erik Svans can treat from one tooth to all affected teeth in one visit, and in as little as 30 minutes.  After addressing the causes of gingival recession, Dr Svans will provide you with a plan to correct your recession with PST(tm) along with adjustments to your dental health to avoid recurrence.  A 0.1 inch Pinhole is created through which specialized instruments are passed to reposition the gum tissue to cover the exposed root surface.  Typically, 5 teeth can be treated through a single Pinhole.  Once the tissue is relaxed and repositioned, collagen is passed through the Pinhole and placed in a manner to anchor the tissue as well as to create a thicker, more resilient ginvigal anatomy in the recessed area.  We provide you with homepathic anti-inflammatory medication, and recommend icing the treated area for 48 hours post operatively.  Minimal diet restrictions, leaving the treated area alone, and abstaining from phyiscal activity for 3 days are also highly recommended post treatment.  

 

Initial Consult

During this appointment, Dr Svans will evaluate the necessity for treatment with you, as well as thoroughly review the original cause of the problem.  Without addressing the cause, your gum recession correction will not be as successful as we come to expect when these causes are corrected.  Many times, Oral Hygiene Instructions are thoroughly reviewed (for overzealous brushers), an Occlusal Guard may be recommended (for clenchers and grinders), or a specialized tray to carry antimicrobials to the gum tissue (for periodontal disease sufferers).

 

How much does it cost?

Cost can vary from $600 to $1400 per tooth, depending both on the severity of the recession and the number of teeth being treated.  Before determining cost, Dr Svans will discuss options of treating your recession problems in one treatment appointment or splitting it into two or more appointments, depending on your case.  Because we are able to treat all of your recession problems in one visit, this can substantially reduce your costs compared to traditional grafting, which requires multiple surgeries to correct recession for suffering from more than one localized area (traditional grafting can only treat 1-3 teeth at a time due to the limited amount of donor tissue available from the roof of your mouth).

 

 

Does Insurance Cover this?

Any form of recession correction surgery is covered under "periodontal" coverage on your dental insurance plan.  Typical dental insurance plans cover PST at 80% of our normal fee, while some other plans have a 50% reimbursement.  When considering comprehensive PST on a majority of your teeth, your coverage percentage does not matter, as your maximum will be the determining factor affecting your coverage amount.  We bill and wait for payment on all PPO insurance plans, and we are not a member of any HMO plans.