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Henriette Warren of Novi had her post-operative check with Dr. Julie
Goldstein following a pinhole procedure.

Non-Invasive
Technique

Receding gums can be treated without
pain or long recovery time.

Ruthan Brodsky

I Contributing Writer

um recession refers to the
loss of gum tissue along the
gum line. This may occur
because of periodontal disease such
as gingivitis, the natural aging pro-
cess or using harsh methods when
brushing teeth.
"Sometimes a patient has no idea
she has a problem with her teeth
until her teeth become sensitive to
cold temperatures because of root
exposure says Julie Goldstein,
D.D.S., West Bloomfield. "Others
become aware when they look at
their smile and see receding gums
that gives them that long-in-the-
tooth look.
"It's important to treat gum
recession because when it occurs,
a tooth's root structure becomes
exposed resulting in a greater risk
for tooth decay and problems along
and underneath the gum line" says
Goldstein, who is affiliated with
Temple Israel and has volunteered
for the Friendship Circle and Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
"Healthy gums are essential for a
healthy mouth and dental wellness.
"Gum grafting surgery is the con-
ventional method for treating reced-
ing gums," she says. "It is a painful
and invasive procedure in which a
section of gum tissue is cut out of
the palate and then sewn on to the
affected area. Due to the bleeding,

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pain and recovery time, a dentist can
usually treat only one or two teeth at
a time."
Goldstein also is trained in the
Pinhole Surgical Technique (PST),
a relatively new procedure for treat-
ing receding gums. Invented and
patented by John Chao, D.D.S, in
California, PST is a scalpel-free,
suture-free procedure for correcting
gum recession. Not all dentists are
certified in this technique.
"The PST method simply restores
gums to their proper position using
a few simple instruments that Chau
designed specifically for the proce-
dure and only takes a few minutes
per tooth" Goldstein says. "There
is no cutting and no downtime
required so that multiple teeth may
be treated at the same time. Even
so, a thorough dental examination
is required before PST is considered
because not all areas of recession are
candidates for this procedure"
At the end of May, Goldstein
participated in an optional audit
training in Los Angeles for dentists
already trained in PST.
"I completed the training and cer-
tification to perform the technique
last December," she says. As the
population gets older, I noticed more
of my patients were having severe
problems because of receding gums.
This refresher course will give me
more hands-on training for com-

• It may be beautiful on th
• outside but it's what's on th
inside that counts

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June 25 • 2015

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