GUM GRAFTING

What is a gum recession?

Gum recession, also known as receding gum, is the retraction and resorption of the gingiva around a tooth. This loss of gum tissue exposes the root, making your tooth unattractive, more sensitive to cold, and more prone to develop caries. Gum recession is a very common problem in adults.

What are the causes of gum recession?

Several factors can cause recession but the most common ones are:

  1. Aggressive brushing
  2. Very thin or insufficient gingival tissue
  3. Gum disease
  4. Bad adaptation of crowns
  5. Abnormal tooth position
  6. Piercing in the lip or tongue that wears away the gum by rubbing against it.
  7. Inadequate brushing or flossing, which allows bacteria to build up between the teeth.
Gum grafting at Khoury Dental Clinic in Beirut Lebanon

Note how the teeth look longer because of the gum recession

Gum grafting at Khoury Dental Clinic in Beirut Lebanon

The level of gum is back to its original position after the gum graft

How is gum grafting done?

before and after gum graft for gingiva recession at Khoury Dental Clinic in Beirut

The only region in the mouth where we can remove the tissue or gum is from the roof of the mouth or the palate. It will then be placed on the receding parts of the root and sutured. For patients that prefer not to take a graft from their palate, there are other alternatives where we use a processed and sterilized tissue from another person known as Allograft. This way, we avoid doing a surgery on the palate. Through this procedure, multiple teeth can be treated at the same time.

Professor Hani Khoury and Doctor Jeff Khoury are the periodontists at Khoury Dental Clinic, who perform all the graft procedures.

With more than 35 years of experience, you can be confident that you will have the best long term result.

FAQ about gum grafting? We’ve got you covered.

Most patients recover from the initial surgical phase within 1 to 2 weeks, though complete structural maturation of the new tissue takes a few months. Following the detailed post-operative instructions provided by our team—such as eating soft foods, avoiding hot liquids, and not brushing directly over the surgical site—is critical to ensuring a rapid and flawless healing process.

Yes, absolutely. At Khoury Dental Clinic, micro-invasive soft tissue reconstructive surgery is one of our primary clinical specialties. Backed by decades of specialized periodontal experience from Pr. Hani Khoury and Dr. Jeff Khoury, we routinely treat complex cases, including multiple-tooth recessions in a single session and advanced root coverage procedures.

The procedure itself is entirely painless as it is performed under deep local anesthesia. After the numbness wears off, mild to moderate tenderness is normal for a few days. If we perform an autograft (tissue taken from your own palate), the roof of the mouth may feel like a minor pizza burn. This discomfort is easily managed with standard prescribed medications. For highly sensitive patients, we offer allografts (processed sterile donor tissue) to eliminate palate surgery entirely.

Yes, completely. When performed by highly trained periodontists using micro-surgical tunneling and ultra-fine suturing techniques, the graft integrates seamlessly with your existing tissue. Once the initial healing window closes, the color, thickness, and texture of the new tissue will naturally blend in to create a uniform gum line.

A successful gum graft permanently thickens and reinforces your delicate structural tissue, making the treated area highly resistant to future recession. However, while the physical tissue barrier is permanent, you must eliminate the original causes of the recession—such as aggressive manual brushing with hard bristles or untreated teeth grinding—to guarantee lifelong stability.

No, it serves a critical medical purpose. While covering an exposed root certainly restores a youthful, symmetrical smile, the main objective of a soft tissue graft is to protect exposed root structures from decay, permanently eliminate painful hot and cold hypersensitivity, halt progressive bone loss, and preserve the long-term structural stability of your teeth.

For international dental tourism patients visiting Lebanon for gum recession therapy, we require scheduling a total stay in Beirut of 10 to 14 days following your surgery. Because soft tissue grafts are highly delicate and rely on an undisturbed blood supply to integrate successfully, this extended window allows our specialized periodontal team to closely monitor your early healing, ensure zero complications, and safely remove your micro-sutures before you fly home.

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