Farber Center offers a groundbreaking procedure known as the Pinhole Surgical Technique. This procedure is an advanced, minimally invasive technique for root coverage that is often needed due to gum recession.

Dr. Chris ChondrogiannisOur Pinhole expert, Dr. Chris Chondrogiannis explains why this procedure may be right for you:

Advantages of Pinhole Surgical Technique

  • We can treat multiple teeth in a single visit.

 “I can treat an entire arch in one visit. This is different than what we were able to do with traditional techniques that graft tissue from the roof of the mouth or use cadaver tissue.

  • There is significantly less swelling.
  • It is a one-visit treatment procedure with the exception of follow-up appointments.  

“That is amazing compared to traditional gum grafting.”

Even in the areas where you have the most advanced recession, the shape of the instruments used in the Pinhole Surgical Technique allows the doctor to mobilize tissue where needed. We use collagen strips to avoid using additional tissue. They resorb and will eventually become tissue.  We are able to overcorrect the recession by pulling gum tissue down to where it should be.  Then the tissue settles down to the spot where the tooth meets the root surface. 

With traditional procedures, the actual treatment for an entire arch would be done in three separate segments, maybe the upper right, the upper front and the upper left over three different visits that might be a couple of months apart.  With the Pinhole Surgical Technique I can do one surgical procedure that takes about two hours with several 20-minute follow-ups after that.

This one-visit procedure also reduces the antibiotics and anti-inflammatories the patient has to take afterwards. Considering there are fewer visits and reduced discomfort, I consider the Pinhole Surgical Technique the best option for most patients who need gum grafts.