Graft surgery is often necessary when your one tooth, or many, has receded back from the natural level on the tooth at the gumline.

Sometimes, the gingiva, one of the two types of tissue in the mouth, will pull away from the tooth causing recession or the gingival layer which covers the tooth root and may be very thin. This can happen from several factors.

1. The tooth may have entered the mouth a little out of alignment causing the bone which covers the root on alongside the tongue or the lip side to be thin, and it may be the result of prior orthodontic work, as the result of tension caused by a tight muscle attachment from the lip or, rarely, from the loss of underlying bone from periodontal disease.  This can also occur for mechanical reasons such as an overly hard toothbrush.  
2. Tissue recession results in exposure of the roots and will show a loss of the supporting bone. This can cause the tooth to be very sensitive to hot or to cold. The surface of the root is also much softer than the tissue covering the crown of the tooth. This makes the tooth root quite susceptible to decay. For many people, the recession also looks unappealing, making it aesthetically unattractive.
3. Normally as well, recession increases with age. The percentage of people with gum recession increases by 3.5% with each decade of life. By the age of 65, aproximately 88% of all people have at least one tooth with gum recession. Gum Recession is more common in men than women. 

To correct recession or to fix thin tissue layer, a tissue graft is appropriate. A graft is designed to replace or enhance the amount of tissue supporting the tooth by adding to it, thuse it is often called "regeneration." There are three types of graft procedures.