Pinhole Surgical Technique

What is the Pinhole Surgical Technique?

Pinhole Surgical Technique, also called Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation, is a minimally invasive treatment to repair receding gums. What sets this treatment apart from traditional gum grafting techniques, is that the Pinhole Surgical Technique requires no sutures, grafting or incisions.

What’s Involved in the Pinhole Surgical Technique Procedure?

During this procedure, a small needle is used to create a tiny hole in the existing gum tissue. Special tools, completely unique to the Pinhole Surgical Technique, work through the tiny hole to gently loosen the gum tissue. The tools reposition the gum tissue to cover the exposed root of the teeth and expand the gumline.

Once the gumline has been expanded to its new position, it is held in place by resorbable collagen strips. These strips have been used in periodontal procedures for decades. The collagen strips are placed through the pinhole and pushed into place to support the new gumline in covering the tooth root.

Advantages with the Pinhole Surgical Technique

With traditional gum grafting, there are limitations to the number and size of the area that can be treated at one time – because the procedure uses the patient’s own tissue. The traditional procedure can sometimes take over a year to an entire mouth – with many sessions of palatal grafting. Conversely, the many benefits of the Pinhole Surgical Technique include:

• No sutures
• No incisions
• No invasive surgical tools
• No donor tissue or grafting needed
• Less time in the chair
• Less post-op pain/discomfort
• Faster recovery time than with conventional gum grafting
• Natural-looking and long-lasting results

Pinhole Surgical Technique Limitations

There are limitations to this procedure as there are with conventional gum grafting. For areas with advanced bone loss, root coverage is less predictable due to a lack of bone support for the newly positioned gum tissue. At the time of surgery, the patient must have no evidence of gum inflammation nor active periodontal disease. They must also strictly comply with postoperative instructions and stop any activity that may have contributed to the original gum recession – like brushing aggressively. Further, we might recommend the patient wear a mouthguard to protect against any bruxism-induced trauma in the area.

Learn More About the Pinhole Surgical Technique

Dr. Heller and the staff are excited to offer the innovative Pinhole Surgical Technique procedure to our patients. Please reach out to us with any questions regarding this service. We are always happy to discuss treatment options that save you a significant amount of time, pain and money.