From the very beginning of my path in Periodontology, I have been in awe of periodontal plastic surgery and, to be completely honest with you - loyal readers of the Herald - it is one of the main reasons why I chose Periodontology in the first place. At first, I couldn’t really understand what seemed so magical, so right with this kind of surgery… Well, meeting and exchanging ideas with my colleagues Periodontists made me realise what truly inspired me: the possibility to recreate natural beauty and harmony. I love this touch of esthetics in the field of surgery. Managing thin soft tissues requires precision, a lot of care and attention. You can not be in a hurry. It’s more like meditation… It’s like waking up at 6 am and running a brisk 10k to kick off the day… more like a marathon than a sprint…

Moreover, periodontal plastic surgery is about creativity, “REALLY??”- you would ask. Yes, I can assure you that this surgery involves a creative process. In fact, there are ongoing debates on which technique to choose - coronally advanced flap or tunnel technique. It really depends on the case and on the skills of the surgeon - if you know one technique much better than the other, it will work better for you. Both techniques are brilliant. I guess here the creativity should step in. Knowing both techniques and adapting small details from each of the techniques for a certain situation and certain patient. For the best possible result.

But today I want to talk about another very important topic -  autogenous connective tissue grafts (CTG) and the ups and downs of harvesting (yes, "all that glitters is not gold").