Are you in danger of losing teeth due to periodontal disease (gum disease)? Bone loss is one of the most devastating effects of advanced gum disease. Unfortunately, as jaw bone decreases in height your teeth lose their surrounding support and eventually begin to fall out. Dr. Kissel can help you reverse the effects of bone loss with a regenerative bone procedure called Guided Tissue Regeneration (GTR).
How Do You Lose Jaw Bone?
If gum disease is left untreated or is not treated properly, it can reach the stage of advanced periodontitis. At this stage, your gums begin to pull away from your teeth and create pockets around your tooth roots which fill up with bacteria. Your immune system recognizes a chronic bacterial infection and creates an inflammatory response. The bacterial infection and resulting inflammation result in bone loss around your teeth. Unfortunately, if you lose too much jaw bone, it’s possible that you’ll lose your natural teeth.
What is Guided Tissue Regeneration?
Guided tissue regeneration is a periodontal treatment designed to help rebuild or grow new jaw bone tissue. As the name suggests, GTR helps you “build” or “grow” new jawbone tissue, making your mouth healthier and significantly reducing the risk of losing your teeth to periodontitis.
Dr. Kissel uses microsurgery-guided tissue regeneration to minimize discomfort and swelling. The result of this procedure is a healthier jaw bone. The new jawbone tissue generated by GTR fuses around the roots of your teeth, making them stronger and more stable and unlikely to fall out or require tooth removal.
How Guided Tissue Regeneration is Performed
The basic premise of GTR is that if an area with bone loss is isolated, and only bone substitute is allowed to be in contact with that isolated area, then your body will fill that area by re-creating bone tissue. This will occur because your body receives the message that bone belongs in the bone-depleted area.
As we have already mentioned, Dr. Kissel performs GTR using a microsurgical approach since he can be as precise as possible and limit discomfort. Most importantly, microsurgery significantly reduces the risk of complications and recovery is easier and much faster when compared to traditional techniques.
To minimize discomfort and pain, Dr. Kissel also uses “The Wand.” It is a Single Tooth Anesthesia (STA) system that uses a computer-assisted system to deliver anesthetic with extreme precision to a specific point in your mouth below your pain threshold.
The Procedure
Guided Tissue Regeneration (GTR) begins by placing bone substitutes in the areas of your jawbone that have lost jawbone mass. Then Dr. Kissel precisely repositions the gum tissue back into its original position using stitches as thin as a strand of hair. This is done since it’s vital to separate the gums from the areas where bone growth should be occurring. To achieve this separation, during your GTR procedure a collagen membrane is placed against the tooth or over the bone to prevent the gum from moving between the bone and tooth. This allows the regeneration of new bone that will provide greater stability for your teeth.
After about three to four months, the estimated amount of time it takes for your jawbone tissue to grow back, you will see Dr. Kissel again to check the success of your GTR. The success of the procedure will be verified by taking X-rays and performing periodontal probing.
Recovery Period from GTR
Due to Dr. Kissel’s microsurgery technique, GTR becomes a minor surgical procedure, with little to no discomfort, and no swelling. However, you will need to carefully follow your aftercare instructions to ensure your proper recovery from the oral surgery.
You will need to use special brushes with soft silk-like bristles to care for the GTR site. Additionally, you will want to follow a soft food diet for 3-5 days after your GTR procedure.
Contact Dr. Kissel For Your GTR Consultation
If you are at risk of losing your teeth because you have lost too much jawbone tissue to periodontal disease, contact Dr. Kissel’s Manhattan periodontal office to schedule a guided tissue regeneration consultation today.
Dr. Kissel uses the most advanced and proven techniques to treat your dental and periodontal issues. His microsurgical techniques allow for a better experience post-op for the patient due to greater accuracy and a more precise operation.
During your consultation, Dr. Kissel will tell you more about GTR and if that is the best solution for you. He can also answer all your questions. Call Dr. Kissel’s office in New York City for a consultation at (212) 702-9088 or book online.
