Chao Pinhole^® Surgical Technique for Receding Gums in Mission Viejo

No Grafting, No Sutures, Faster Recovery Time
How the Pinhole Surgical Technique Works
Benefits of the Pinhole Surgical Technique
Before and After Pinhole Surgical Technique

Breakthrough Technique for Minimally Invasive Treatment of Receding Gums

Gums can recede due of a variety factors, such as gum disease, aggressive brushing and genetics. When gum recession has left your tooth roots exposed, it is important to get it treated. Exposed tooth roots can cause sensitivity, and they are vulnerable to damage and bacterial infection that can lead to gum disease and other complications. They can also negatively affect the appearance of your smile.

Receded gums have traditionally been treated by removing healthy tissue from another part of the mouth and grafting it onto the affected area of your gums.

Thanks to the breakthrough Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique, Dr. Setya is able to provide an alternative treatment for gum recession that requires no sutures and no grafting. This procedure is gentler than traditional gum surgery, has a very quick recovery time and has been shown in studies to yield uniformly good and lasting results.

Dr. Setya is one of only a small group of dentists in the United States who currently deliver this procedure.

No grafting, no sutures, faster recovery time

When gums have receded, gum grafting is often necessary, and our doctors use micro instruments and special techniques to make their gum grafting treatment as minimally invasive as possible. However, all traditional gum grafting treatments require incisions, which can take several days to heal. It also requires sutures, which can be uncomfortable and which will need to be removed during a second appointment.

The Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique was developed in 2006 by Dr. John Chao, who wanted to provide his gum recession patients with an alternative treatment that was gentler on their gum tissues and allowed for a faster recovery time.

The technique he developed uses no scalpels and doesn’t involve any actual grafting—the patient’s existing gum tissue is simply rearranged and repositioned into place, covering the exposed tooth roots without the need for any external grafting tissue. The Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique is performed under local anesthetic and most patients are able to resume their usual activities the next day.

How the Pinhole Surgical Technique Works

Dr. Setya will clean and prepare the affected teeth and gums, and he will administer a local anesthetic so that you will experience no discomfort during your treatment.

With a minimally invasive instrument specially designed for this procedure, he will make a small pinhole-sized opening in your gum tissue. Using the pinhole opening as an access point, he will then gently separate the inner and outer layer of gum tissue. This allows the outer layer to be moved over the inner layer and smoothly repositioned to correct your receded gumline. During a single procedure, Dr. Setya can correct the gumline of up to 14 teeth.

After your gumline has been adjusted, the doctor will carefully insert tiny strips of collagen underneath the repositioned gum tissue. This holds the tissue in place and promotes faster healing. Since only tiny pinhole openings were made in your gum tissue, no sutures are required.

Due to the nature of the tissues involved, the inner and outer layers of gum heal and reattach rapidly, and with minimal discomfort. By the next day, there is usually no trace of the pinholes and you will be able to resume your daily activities as usual.

Benefits of the Pinhole Surgical Technique

Less discomfort after treatment than with traditional grafting
Faster recovery than with traditional grafting procedures
No uncomfortable sutures that need to be removed during a second appointment
No scalpel incisions
No healthy tissue needs to be removed from your palate (leaving a second surgical site that requires healing)
Natural-looking, long-lasting results