Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique

May’s Noplak News newsletter discussed the conditions and etiologies of gingival recession. There are multiple methods to treat gingival recession.  Traditional gum recession treatments involve the use of donor tissue or soft tissue grafts from the patient’s palate in order to increase the attached gingiva, eliminate mucogingival pull, and attain root coverage.

An alternative method of achieving the treatment of gingival recession is the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique (PST), which was invented and patented by Dr. John Chao.  He has developed a scalpel-free, suture-free procedure which involves creating a small hole in the existing gum tissue.  Through this pinhole, specially designed instruments are used to gently loosen the existing gingival tissue to expand and reposition the tissue coronally to cover the exposed root surface.  Studies are underway to compare results using traditional grafting techniques.

Some of the benefits of the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique are:

• No incisions and sutures
• Donor tissue not needed from the patient’s palate
• Multiple teeth in the arch can be treated by this technique
• Increase in attached gingiva and root coverage can be achieved

The link which follows shows an animated, abbreviated version of the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJqgu9InY7I

The Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique is an alternative procedure to correct gingival recession without the use of palatal or other donor tissues, and no incisions or sutures.