Autograft vs Donor Graft
Receding gums is more than an aesthetic issue. When the gum line pulls back from the teeth, it will lead to increased tooth sensitivity and other oral health issues, including periodontal disease and tooth loss.
Gum grafts are a successful way to regenerate lost gum tissue and to restore your healthy smile, and you have the option to use your own tissue or donor tissue as the grafting material. Each option has advantages and disadvantages, and the decision will be based on your individual situation.
Types of Patient Tissue Grafts
If you choose to use tissue from your own mouth, called an autograft, you will have the option of a connective tissue graft or a free gingival graft. Both types involve taking tissue from the roof of your mouth and then attaching it to where the gums are receding, but in slightly different ways.
For a connective tissue graft, your dentist will open a little flap to remove a small piece from the layer of connective tissue underneath. Connective tissue grafts are less invasive than free gingival grafts and have a more favorable aesthetic result since the tissue blends seamlessly into the surrounding gums.
A free gingival graft does not require a flap, instead the dentist will harvest the outer and inner layers of tissue from the roof of your mouth. Free gingival grafts are ideal for areas of gum recession that need to be reinforced or thickened with stronger gum tissue, although the color difference might be a little more noticeable than with connective tissue grafts.
Types of Donor Tissue Grafts
The primary advantage of using donor tissue for gum grafting is there is no limit with the number of areas can be treated at once. Autografts can only address a few areas at one time due to the invasive nature of tissue harvesting. The two types of donor grafts available are allografts and xenografts.
Allograft tissue, which refers to human tissue, is harvested from cadaver skin that has been sterilized to remove all DNA living cells, proteins, viruses, and bacteria. After your gum graft procedure, the donor tissue will blend well with your own gums.
Xenograft tissue, which is the tissue from another species, is harvested from either bovine, cow, or porcine, pig skin, and sterilized like the allograft tissue. This donor tissue will also blend well with your own gum tissue.
Autografts vs. Donor Grafts
There is no obvious advantage among types of gum grafting material. Your individual situation will dictate what is best for you. But there are pros and cons for each:
Autograft pros:
- Provides predictable results through proven studies.
- All natural from your own self gum tissue.
- Increases your gum thickness.
- Two sources of blood supply available, one from the flap and one from the recipient bed.
Autograft cons:
- More discomfort after the surgery from the second surgical site.
- Can only address a few areas of gum recession per treatment.
- Tissue integrity can vary based on the harvest location and quality.
Donor graft pros:
- An entire arch can be treated in one procedure.
- Less pain and discomfort because there is not a harvest site within your mouth.
- Can grow a large amount of strong gum tissue.
- Preserves existing gum tissue and blood supply.
Donor graft cons:
- Need adequate gum tissue to begin with.
- Do not work as well if your teeth that are inclined, rotated, or feature bone loss.
- Requires proper training being more technique sensitive.