Board-certified periodontist Dr. Chanook David Ahn performs all types of gum grafts at a privacy-first boutique practice just 10 minutes from Santa Ana
Gum grafting is a periodontal surgical procedure that restores gum tissue lost to recession -- the gradual pulling away of the gum line that exposes the roots of your teeth. When roots become exposed, teeth develop sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures, become vulnerable to decay along the root surface, and lose the protective barrier that keeps bacteria from reaching the underlying bone. Left untreated, gum recession progresses steadily and can eventually compromise the stability of otherwise healthy teeth.
The procedure works by transplanting soft tissue -- either from your own palate or from a donor tissue source -- to the area of recession, rebuilding the gum line to its proper position. Modern gum grafting techniques achieve predictable root coverage in the vast majority of cases, eliminating sensitivity, protecting exposed roots, and restoring a natural, even gum line. For a complete overview of our gum grafting procedures and techniques, visit our comprehensive gum grafting page.
Dr. Chanook David Ahn is a board-certified periodontist who has performed thousands of soft tissue grafting procedures. His advanced residency training at Yale-New Haven Hospital and his periodontics specialty residency at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System -- a UCLA-affiliated program where he served as Chief Resident -- provided extensive training in the microsurgical techniques that produce superior gum grafting outcomes. Santa Ana residents seeking expert gum recession treatment will find his Costa Mesa office just 10 minutes away.
The Loft Dental Studio is not a corporate dental chain, a multi-location franchise, or a high-volume clinic that processes patients on an assembly line. It is a boutique periodontal and dental practice where Dr. Ahn personally performs every surgical procedure, knows every patient by name, and takes the time to explain treatment options thoroughly before any work begins.
For Santa Ana patients who have experienced the impersonal atmosphere of large dental offices -- where you see a different provider each visit, feel rushed through appointments, and struggle to get answers to your questions -- our practice offers a fundamentally different experience. When you come to The Loft Dental Studio for gum grafting, Dr. Ahn conducts your initial evaluation, designs your treatment plan, performs the surgery, and manages your follow-up care. There is no handoff to an associate, no rotating cast of providers, and no pressure to accept treatment you do not fully understand.
This one-on-one approach matters particularly for gum grafting, where surgical precision directly determines the aesthetic and functional result. The difference between a graft that achieves complete root coverage with a natural tissue blend and one that leaves visible scarring or incomplete coverage often comes down to the skill, experience, and attentiveness of the surgeon. At a boutique practice, the surgeon who plans your case is the same person who operates, who checks your healing, and who takes personal responsibility for your outcome.
Our office environment reflects this philosophy. The waiting room is quiet, appointments are scheduled with generous time blocks to prevent rushing, and the clinical team is small enough that every staff member knows your history and your concerns. For patients who feel anxious about dental surgery, this calm, unhurried atmosphere makes a measurable difference in comfort and confidence.
Dr. Ahn offers every major gum grafting technique, selecting the approach best suited to each patient's anatomy, recession pattern, and goals. Having all techniques available means your treatment is chosen based on what will produce the best result for your specific situation -- not limited by which procedures a particular provider has been trained to perform.
The connective tissue graft is the gold standard for root coverage in areas visible when you smile. A small amount of tissue is harvested from beneath the surface of the palate -- not the outer layer, which minimizes donor-site discomfort -- and secured over the exposed root. The overlying gum tissue is then repositioned to cover the graft. CTG consistently achieves the highest rates of complete root coverage in clinical studies and produces tissue that blends naturally with the surrounding gum, making it virtually indistinguishable from the original tissue.
The free gingival graft is designed to increase the width and thickness of attached gum tissue rather than to cover exposed roots. A thin strip of tissue is taken from the outer surface of the palate and placed at the base of the recession site. FGG is typically used when the primary concern is creating a more durable band of protective tissue around a tooth or implant, particularly in areas that are not visible when smiling. This technique is especially valuable for preventing future recession in areas with very thin or fragile gum tissue.
AlloDerm is a donor tissue graft that eliminates the need to harvest tissue from your own palate. This processed human dermal matrix serves as a scaffold that your body's own cells populate over time, creating new gum tissue. AlloDerm is an excellent option for patients who need grafting across multiple teeth simultaneously, as it avoids the discomfort of a large palatal harvest site. It is also well-suited for patients with thin palatal tissue who may not have adequate donor material available.
The pinhole surgical technique is a minimally invasive approach that requires no incisions, no sutures, and no tissue grafting from the palate. Through a tiny pinhole made in the gum tissue above the recession, Dr. Ahn uses specialized instruments to gently loosen and reposition the existing gum tissue downward to cover the exposed roots. Collagen strips are placed through the pinhole to stabilize the tissue in its new position. PST can treat multiple teeth in a single session with dramatically reduced recovery time compared to traditional grafting. Most patients experience minimal discomfort and return to normal activities within one to two days.
Our Costa Mesa office in the South Coast Metro area is conveniently located just 10 minutes from most Santa Ana neighborhoods. The Loft Dental Studio sits at 3151 Airway Ave, Suite F-103, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, right off the 405/55 freeway interchange in the same district as South Coast Plaza and John Wayne Airport.
Santa Ana residents traveling via Bristol Street enjoy a direct, traffic-light route that avoids freeway congestion entirely. Those preferring the freeway can take the 55 South from Santa Ana and exit at Fairview Road or Baker Street for quick access to Airway Avenue. Either way, the drive is short, predictable, and far less complicated than navigating to many of the specialist offices scattered across broader Orange County.
Board-certified periodontists who specialize in soft tissue grafting are not common in the immediate Santa Ana area. While general dentists may diagnose gum recession and refer patients elsewhere, few have the advanced surgical training to perform gum grafts themselves -- and those who do typically limit their technique to one or two methods. Dr. Ahn offers every major grafting approach, which means your treatment plan is based on what your case actually needs rather than what a particular office happens to offer.
Free parking is available throughout the Airway Business Center complex, and our office hours -- Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM -- accommodate the work schedules of patients traveling from Santa Ana and surrounding communities. Saturday appointments are particularly popular with patients who cannot take time away from work during the week.
Gum recession affects millions of adults and becomes increasingly common with age, though it can develop at any point. You should consider scheduling a gum grafting consultation if you notice any of the following:
Common causes of gum recession include aggressive toothbrushing with a hard-bristled brush, periodontal disease, genetic predisposition to thin gum tissue (thin biotype), teeth grinding or clenching (bruxism), misaligned teeth or bite problems, prior orthodontic treatment, lip or tongue piercings that irritate the gums, and tobacco use. During your evaluation, Dr. Ahn identifies the specific cause of your recession so that the underlying factor can be addressed alongside the graft itself -- preventing recurrence after treatment.
Gum grafting at The Loft Dental Studio typically costs between $600 and $3,000 per treatment area, depending on the technique selected and the number of teeth involved. A single-tooth connective tissue graft falls at the lower end of this range, while multi-tooth pinhole surgical technique sessions or cases requiring AlloDerm donor tissue may cost more. Dr. Ahn provides a detailed cost estimate after your diagnostic evaluation so there are no financial surprises.
Many PPO dental insurance plans cover a portion of gum grafting under their periodontal surgery benefits. Insurance carriers we work with regularly include Delta Dental, Cigna, MetLife, Guardian, Aetna, UHC, and BCBS. Coverage amounts vary by plan and by the specific procedure codes used, and some plans impose waiting periods or annual maximums that affect out-of-pocket costs. Our administrative team contacts your insurance provider directly to verify your specific periodontal benefits before treatment begins.
For patients without insurance or those whose plans do not fully cover the procedure, we offer financing options to make treatment accessible. It is worth noting that untreated gum recession is a progressive condition -- the tissue does not grow back on its own, and delay allows the recession to worsen, potentially requiring more extensive and costly treatment later. Early gum grafting when recession is mild produces better outcomes, shorter recovery, and lower overall costs than waiting until recession becomes severe.
Recovery from gum grafting varies by technique, but most patients experience far less discomfort than they anticipate. For connective tissue grafts and free gingival grafts, you can expect mild to moderate soreness at both the graft site and the palatal donor site for three to five days, manageable with over-the-counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen. The pinhole surgical technique, which involves no palatal harvesting, typically produces the least post-operative discomfort -- many patients report feeling nearly normal within 24 to 48 hours.
Regardless of technique, you will follow a soft diet for one to two weeks to protect the healing graft. Foods like yogurt, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, smoothies, and pasta are encouraged during this period. You should avoid brushing or flossing directly on the graft site for the first two weeks, though you can maintain normal hygiene in other areas of your mouth. Dr. Ahn provides a detailed post-operative care guide and schedules a follow-up visit within seven to ten days to assess early healing.
Full maturation of the graft tissue occurs over several months, during which the tissue integrates with your existing gum, develops blood supply, and takes on the color and texture of the surrounding tissue. Most patients see significant improvement in root coverage and gum line appearance within the first few weeks, with the final result visible at approximately three months.
The Loft Dental Studio is located at 3151 Airway Ave, Suite F-103, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, in the South Coast Metro district near John Wayne Airport and South Coast Plaza.
From downtown Santa Ana or the Civic Center area, head south on Bristol Street. Continue on Bristol past South Coast Plaza and turn right onto Airway Avenue. The Airway Business Center is on the left. This surface-street route takes approximately 10 minutes and avoids freeway on-ramps and off-ramps entirely. It is the most direct route for patients coming from central and southern Santa Ana neighborhoods.
From northern Santa Ana near the 5 Freeway or the MainPlace Mall area, take the 55 Freeway south toward Newport Beach. Exit at Fairview Road, turn right onto Fairview, then turn left onto Airway Avenue. The Airway Business Center is on the right. Total drive time is approximately 10 to 12 minutes depending on traffic conditions.
Patients coming from western Santa Ana neighborhoods near the 405 can take the 405 South and exit at Fairview Road. Turn left onto Fairview, then right onto Airway Avenue. This route takes about 10 minutes and is particularly convenient for those already traveling in the 405 corridor.
Free parking is available throughout the Airway Business Center complex. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Our Costa Mesa office is just 10 minutes from Santa Ana. Call to schedule your evaluation with board-certified periodontist Dr. Ahn.
Call (714) 549-7030The Loft Dental Studio in Costa Mesa is one of the closest board-certified periodontists to Santa Ana offering gum grafting. Located at 3151 Airway Ave, Suite F-103, the office is approximately 10 minutes from most Santa Ana neighborhoods via Bristol Street or the 55 Freeway. Dr. Chanook David Ahn is a board-certified periodontist who performs all types of soft tissue grafts including connective tissue grafts, free gingival grafts, AlloDerm grafts, and the pinhole surgical technique.
Gum grafting at The Loft Dental Studio typically ranges from $600 to $3,000 per treatment area, depending on the technique used and the extent of recession. Connective tissue grafts and free gingival grafts are generally at the lower end, while multiple-tooth pinhole surgical technique sessions may cost more. Many PPO dental insurance plans cover a portion of gum grafting under periodontal surgery benefits. We accept Delta Dental, Cigna, MetLife, Guardian, Aetna, UHC, and BCBS, and our team verifies your coverage before treatment.
Most patients return to normal activities within two to three days after gum grafting, though full healing takes one to two weeks. You will follow a soft diet for 7 to 14 days and avoid brushing or flossing directly on the graft site. Dr. Ahn provides detailed post-operative instructions and a follow-up appointment to monitor healing. Pain is typically managed with over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen, and most patients report mild to moderate discomfort rather than severe pain.
A board-certified periodontist is the ideal provider for gum grafting. Periodontists complete three additional years of surgical residency training focused specifically on gum tissue, bone, and the supporting structures of teeth. General dentists may offer basic gum grafts, but complex cases involving multiple teeth, significant bone loss, or aesthetic concerns in the smile zone benefit from a periodontist's specialized expertise. Dr. Ahn's advanced training at Yale-New Haven Hospital and his periodontics residency provide the surgical precision that gum grafting demands.
Modern gum grafting techniques cause significantly less discomfort than most patients expect. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, so you feel no pain during treatment. IV sedation is also available for patients who prefer to be fully relaxed. Post-operative discomfort is typically mild to moderate and well-controlled with over-the-counter pain medication. The pinhole surgical technique, which requires no incisions or sutures, tends to produce the least post-operative discomfort of all gum grafting methods.
No. Once gum tissue has receded, it does not regenerate on its own. Gum recession is permanent without surgical intervention. While improving your brushing technique and treating underlying gum disease can prevent further recession, only a gum graft or the pinhole surgical technique can restore lost gum tissue and cover exposed tooth roots. Early intervention produces the best outcomes, so scheduling a consultation at the first sign of recession is important.