What Exactly Are PST Grafts?
With PST grafts, you can often have your gums raised in a single dental visit with little to no pain, bleeding, or swelling of the gums. Unlike gum grafting, the other major gum recession technique, PST “grafts” are not really grafts at all.
They do not involve stitching on new tissue, perhaps, transferred from your palate like traditional gum grafts. Nor do they require cutting periodontal tissue like gum flap surgery.
A small “pinhole” is made in the gum tissue just above each upper tooth and just below each lower tooth. These are the only incisions in the operation, and they heal quite quickly. A handheld tool is inserted through the pinhole and used to stretch the gums up the tooth root till in ideal natural position.
Collagen strips may be used to help hold the gums in their proper place as they heal – but not dental sutures are necessary. Within six weeks, your gums and your smile will look brand new!
Why Choose PST Grafts Over Other Options?
Maybe your gum line has been gradually receding for years, and you only noticed it too late or decided to take action on it when the situation became extreme. It could have been smoking, a genetic predisposition, or lack of good oral hygiene that caused the recession – but that’s all water under the bridge.
Now, it’s time to correct your fallen gum line and do all you can to prevent a recurrence going forward.
Why choose PST grafts, then, over all the other options? We’ve seen a few good reasons already in the first section above, but here we can summarize the total benefits:
- Less painful than any other gum recession correction procedure.
- You can get your whole mouth done in only one (or at most two) dental sessions – faster than the alternatives.
- Your smile looks “normal” immediately after the surgery. This is unlike other methods where it takes weeks or months for that to happen.
- Recovery is quicker and easier. It might take a month and a half all told – but that’s much better than 3 months or more of a much more painful and difficult process with traditional gum grafts.
- No tissue relocation is needed. You don’t have to have tissue removed from your soft palate (or other location) to be transferred to your gums.
Do PST Grafts Cost More?
Many assume that PST grafts will cost a lot more than older gum line correction methods. But this is really not the case. Typically, the upfront bill might be a little more, but when you factor in savings from having fewer dental visits and less time lost at work, the cost if very comparable.
Additionally, PST grafting will usually correct your gum line around a greater number of teeth and yet, the overall cost is about the same. And in any case, both options are generally covered by dental insurance.
To find out more about PST grafts and if they are right for you, contact Dr. Stuart Beauchamp of Ormond Beach Periodontics & Implant Dentistry today.