Free Soft Tissue Grafts FSTG) Using Autograft Palatal Donor Tissue vs. Xenograft Collagen Matrix (Zderm™)

The investigators are examining the amount of gingiva gained when using 2 different types of donor tissue to do the graft surgery: either gum tissue from the patient's palate (standard of care) or commercially available tissue called a "collagen matrix" that comes from an animal source (the Achilles tendon of pigs). Palatal tissue has been used for over 70 years for this purpose, while animal sources have been used for about 15 years. So far, no studies have been done to see if there are any differences in the amount of new gum tissue we see when we use the palatal tissue approach versus the animal tissue approach. The purpose of this study is to compare the 2 approaches during a period of 6 months after graft surgery to determine if the change in gingiva is similar or different between the 2 approaches. Teeth are surrounded by soft tissue called gingiva (gums). Sometimes, the amount of gingiva is very small, which can lead to problems such as receding gums, pain on toothbrushing/flossing, and an increased risk for gum diseases. In such instances, dentists commonly perform surgery procedures to increase the amount of gum tissue around teeth or dental implants. "Gum grafting" involves taking a small piece of tissue from one location (called the donor site and donor tissue) and transplanting it to the area where the amount of gingiva is inadequate (called the recipient site because this location will receive the donor tissue).