Receding Gums Treatment in Torrance, CA — No Cutting, No Stitches
The Pinhole Surgical Technique treats gum recession through a tiny opening instead of a graft. Your own gum tissue is loosened and guided back over the exposed roots — no donor tissue taken from the palate, and recovery measured in days.
259 reviews from Torrance families
a single pinhole per area
your own tissue is repositioned
several teeth treated together
What Receding Gums Actually Are
Gum recession is the gum margin migrating down the tooth, exposing root surface that was never meant to be in the mouth. Root is softer than enamel, so it decays faster, and it carries the nerve endings that make cold water painful.
It does not grow back on its own. Left alone, recession continues — and because it also means bone loss underneath, the tooth gradually loses support. Brushing too hard, grinding, gum disease and simple genetics are the usual causes, often in combination.
Are You a Candidate for Pinhole Treatment?
Pinhole suits most straightforward recession. What it needs is enough existing gum tissue to reposition, and a mouth that is otherwise stable.
A good candidate when…
- Gums have receded and the roots are visible
- Teeth look longer than they used to
- Cold and sweet produce sharp sensitivity at the gum line
- The gum line is uneven across the front teeth
- You want the result without a palate donor site
- Several teeth are affected and you would rather treat them together
Something else comes first when…
- Gum disease is active — that is treated before any repositioning
- There is too little remaining tissue to move — a graft may be the honest answer
- Heavy grinding is driving the recession — a night guard first, or it recurs
- You brush aggressively with a hard brush — that habit has to change
- Smoking continues, which measurably impairs gum healing
We measure the recession at each tooth and photograph it, so you can see the starting point rather than take our word for the improvement later.
What Receding Gums Treatment Costs in Torrance
Pinhole is priced by how many teeth are treated, not per appointment — which is why treating a whole area at once usually works out better than returning tooth by tooth.
Priced by teeth treated
Several adjacent teeth can usually be corrected through the same pinhole in one sitting, so a wider treatment is proportionally less than one tooth at a time.
Compared with grafting, openly
We will quote the pinhole approach and explain where a conventional graft would be the better dentistry. Not every case suits pinhole and we say so.
Insurance sometimes contributes
Coverage for recession treatment varies widely by plan. We verify yours before treatment and tell you the out-of-pocket figure first.
Pinhole vs Gum Graft vs Watching It
Three ways to handle recession. Only two of them stop it.
Pinhole technique
Your own gum, repositioned through a tiny opening.
- No scalpel, no sutures, no donor site
- Several teeth treated in one visit
- Most patients back to normal within days
Gum graft
Donor tissue stitched over the exposed root.
- The long-established surgical option
- Two sites heal — the graft and the palate
- Still the better answer where tissue is very thin
Leaving it
The option that keeps costing more.
- Recession continues; gums do not grow back
- Root decay and sensitivity get worse
- Bone loss eventually threatens the tooth
Your Pinhole Treatment, Step by Step
Usually a single appointment, under local anesthetic, with most people back to normal activity the next day.
Measure & Plan
We chart the recession at each tooth, check the gum thickness and confirm there is no active gum disease. Photographs record the starting point so the change is measured, not remembered.
Pinhole & Reposition
A tiny opening is made in the gum above the affected teeth. Through it the tissue is gently loosened and guided down over the exposed roots, then held in place with small collagen strips. No cutting, no stitches.
Heal & Review
The pinhole closes on its own within a day or two. We review the gum position at follow-up, and address whatever caused the recession — usually brushing technique, a night guard, or both.
Keeping the Gums Where They Belong
The treatment moves the gum back. Keeping it there is about removing the cause:
- Use a soft brush and light pressure — hard scrubbing is a leading cause of recession
- Switch to an electric brush with a pressure sensor if you brush heavily
- Do not chew or brush the treated area for the period we specify
- Soft food for the first few days, and no pulling the lip to inspect it
- Wear a night guard if grinding contributed to the recession
- Keep your cleaning appointments so gum health is monitored
Results are stable long term when the cause is addressed. Recession that recurs is almost always recession whose cause — brushing force, grinding or untreated gum disease — was never changed.
Why Torrance Patients Choose Pinhole Here
Pinhole-certified
Dr. Jongwook Lee holds Pinhole Surgical Technique certification alongside his MS in Restorative Dentistry — it is a technique that requires specific training, not an adaptation of grafting.
We treat the cause too
Repositioning the gum without changing the brushing habit or the grinding that caused it is temporary. Both are addressed as part of treatment.
Honest about when grafting is better
Where the tissue is too thin to move, a conventional graft is the right answer and we will tell you so rather than stretch the technique.
Easy from anywhere in the South Bay
A short drive from Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Gardena, Carson, Lomita, Palos Verdes, Harbor City and San Pedro, with free parking on site.
Gum Recession Questions, Answered
No. Gum tissue does not regenerate over an exposed root on its own, and no toothpaste, rinse or supplement changes that. The tissue has to be physically repositioned or replaced — which is what the pinhole technique and gum grafting each do, by different routes.
Pinhole treatment is priced by how many teeth are corrected rather than per visit, so treating a whole area at once is proportionally better value than returning tooth by tooth. Insurance coverage for recession treatment varies a lot by plan — we verify yours and give you the out-of-pocket figure before treatment.
A graft takes tissue from the roof of your mouth and stitches it over the root, leaving two sites to heal. The pinhole technique makes one tiny opening and repositions the gum you already have, with no donor site, no scalpel and no sutures. Recovery is typically days rather than weeks. Where there is very little tissue to move, a graft is still the better option.
It is done under local anesthetic and most patients report noticeably less discomfort afterwards than they expected — largely because there is no palate donor site, which is the part of a traditional graft people find hardest. Mild tenderness and swelling for a day or two is normal.
Most people return to normal activity the next day. The pinhole itself closes within a day or two. You will need to avoid brushing and chewing on the treated area for a short period, and stick to soft food for a few days — we give you specific timings.
Usually, and it is often the change patients notice first. Sensitivity comes from exposed root surface; covering it again removes the trigger. Some teeth take a few weeks to settle fully.
Most often brushing too hard with a firm brush, gum disease, grinding, or genetics — frequently more than one together. Identifying which applies to you is part of the treatment, because repositioning the gum without changing the cause simply buys time.
Yes, and it is usually the sensible way to do it. Adjacent teeth can often be corrected through the same pinhole in a single appointment, which costs less overall and means one recovery rather than several.
Yes. Our office on Marcelina Ave in Old Torrance is a short drive from Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Gardena, Carson, Lomita, Palos Verdes, Harbor City and San Pedro. Parking on site is free.
Teeth Looking Longer Than They Used To?
Book a gum assessment at Haru Dental in Old Torrance. We measure the recession at every tooth, tell you whether pinhole or a graft is the right answer, and give you the cost in writing first.
Opening Hours
- Mon–Fri: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Every other Saturday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- 1454 Marcelina Ave, Torrance, CA 90501
- (310) 362-2875