What is AlloDerm Made Of?
Healthy gum tissue protects your teeth and the roots from gum disease and contributes to a healthy smile. If you experience gum tissue loss around your teeth, it can very easily be the beginning of more serious oral health problems. Fortunately, your dentist can perform a highly predictable grafting procedure for reversing this tissue loss. In the past, this procedure used a piece of tissue harvested from the roof of your mouth to serve as the graft material. Not everyone has enough tissue available, or they may not want to have the tissue taken from this sensitive area.
Alloderm can now be used when your soft tissue is compromised and needs to be reconstructed. To provide reinforcement, your dentist can use mesh tissue sheets of Alloderm.
Alloderm is becoming more common with gum grafting procedures. The product is known as acellular dermal tissue. It is thick, like your skin, but has the living cells removed. Placing this additional layer under your own soft tissue provides support and accelerated natural healing. A tissue matrix like Alloderm is used as needed during a gum tissue reconstructive procedure. Alloderm is a dehydrated sheet of sterile tissue that is donated from human cadaver skin. It is very pliable and versatile and is excellent for gum grafting procedures.
How Does AlloDerm Work
AlloDerm provides the collagen, structure and proteins that help your own soft tissue grow and remodel. The collagen serves as a scaffold into which your cells will grow. The proteins then act as recruiters, drawing your cells into the graft, and directing them as to how to remodel it.
Alloderm stimulates and accelerates natural tissue production to create a scaffolding for extra support during reconstructive surgery. Alloderm is quite pliable, making it useful for this procedure. During gum grafting surgery, your dentist can shape, rehydrate, and implant the tissue sheet using absorbable sutures.
It can mask ripples and edges that might potentially show if you have thin, delicate skin, so your gumline will look natural and healthy.
Alloderm Aftercare
Alloderm is only one component of your gum grafting reconstructive surgery. As such, its implantation means that your tissue still needs a healthy recovery period. In a rare circumstance your body could reject the tissue matrix. You will be encouraged to stop smoking and cease any other activity or habit that could interfere with the healing and the new tissue growth. Your dentist will provide specific instructions for your recovery after your gum grafting reconstructive surgery with the addition of Alloderm.
The Benefits of Using Alloderm
You do have the freedom of choice, you can elect to use grafting tissue harvested from another part of your mouth, or to use the highly successful AlloDerm. AlloDerm will allow both you and your dentist to focus on only one surgical site. For you this means a more comfortable healing period with only one surgical site versus two. AlloDerm, bleached of any DNA and living cells, does not contain any damaged cells that could lead to any inflammation.