Soft Tissue Grafting with AlloDerm®

In the past this procedure required that a piece of tissue be retrieved from the roof of your mouth to serve as the graft material. Tissue retrieved from the patient’s palate creates a second surgical site leading to increased pain and discomfort.

Before Alloderm Graft	After one procedure with Alloderm

AlloDerm allows your doctor to perform the soft tissue procedure you need without the limitations associated with retrieving the tissue from the roof of your mouth. AlloDerm provides you a predictable alternative to using your own tissue and offers the following advantages:

• Readily available
  
• Requires no second surgical site
  
• Results are similar to using your own tissue

Thousands of doctors and patients have made AlloDerm their choice for root coverage and other soft tissue grafting procedures that include:

• Root coverage
  
• Soft tissue augmentation
  
• Bone graft containment

Gum Recession

Aggressive tooth brushing and gum disease are two leading reasons why gum tissue recedes and roots become exposed. Exposed roots may be sensitive to temperature change, vulnerable to decay, and associated with loss of supporting bone. Gum recession and exposed roots can lead to the following problems (Figure 1):

• Decrease in esthetics
  
• Increase in root sensitivity
  
• Loss of supporting bone
  
• Increase in plaque build-up3
  
• Risk of future recession

What is AlloDerm?

AlloDerm® is donated human tissue that has been processed to remove donor cells, leading to a regenerative tissue matrix. AlloDerm is processed by LifeCell Corporation and distributed in the dental market by BioHorizons.

How safe is AlloDerm?

AlloDerm is widely used in both medicine and dentistry for plastic and reconstructive surgery. Originally developed to treat burn patients, it is also used in:

• General surgery
  
• Orthopedic surgery
  
• Urogenital surgery
  
• Dental surgery

Since its introduction in 1994, over 1 million AlloDerm grafts have been successfully placed with no known incidence of disease transmission.

Donor tissue is extensively screened and tested for the presence of diseases and then undergoes LifeCell’s proprietary processing procedures to ensure that AlloDerm is virally inactivated before release for patient care.

After Surgery

Post operative instructions can vary for each patient and must be consulted with your doctor. Post operative instructions could include but are not limited to:

• Surgical site may be covered with a dressing material
  
  
• Antibiotics prescribed to limit inflammation
  
  
• Medication prescribed to manage post operative pain
  
  
• Mouth rinse prescribed to clean surgical site
  
  
• Surgical site should be left undisturbed
  - Toothbrushing and chewing should be avoided at the surgical site