Latest technique for Soft Tissue (Gum) Grafting with Alloderm (cool stuff!)

Recently, I took intensive training in the latest dental implant surgical procedures in Charleston, S.C., at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine.
Part of the training focused on the “AlloDerm” technique of soft tissue grafting. It was conducted by Dr. John Russo, an author and international lecturer on bone grafting and dental implant surgery and a member of the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina.
AlloDerm has been used successfully in other medical procedures, including hernia repair. AlloDerm is cadaver skin that has been reprocessed to remove the cells leaving only the connective tissue matrix. In the past, dentists had to harvest donor tissue from the palate to cover the root surfaces of our patients with root recession...and the tissue grafting only prevented the gum recession from getting worse.
Using AlloDerm, now we can actually cover some of the exposed root surface and raise up the gum. When the root surface is exposed, it’s very sensitive to cold water.
Other important advantages of AlloDerm include:
• The patient does not suffer from a sore spot in the roof of the mouth for 30
days while it heals.
• It is far less painful than the traditional procedure.
• It is esthetically more pleasing because the AlloDerm goes under the existing
gum. This eliminates the “big bump of tissue graft” of the past.

We are working hard to provide comprehensive care for our patients needing complex dentistry. We take care of our patients from beginning to end. We can take their CAT scan, place their dental implants and do all of their complex cosmetic and rehabilitative dentistry right here in our office. By offering IV Sedation, patients can have their dentistry all done in just a couple appointments in many cases. We also craft their new permanent teeth right here in our office. Now, we can do the latest technology in soft tissue (gum) grafting that our patients need. We are determined to make our patients’ lives easy and save them time.