Has anyone tried Emdogain for receding gums? Did it work? Cost?

May 31, 2017 11:58 AM

I totally thought this wasn't a thing, but apparently you can regenerate receding gum tissue? My significant other's dentist has been recommending it to her. Has anyone tried this and did it work? How much did it cost for beneath how many teeth? https://www.google.com/search?q=Emdogain
posted by zeek321 to Health & Fitness (1 answer total)

Toxicologist here. The most recent systematic review of enamel matrix derivative's effectiveness relative to other treatments is not kind, which may sound odd given that it's been an FDA approved product since the late 1990s. What the review below suggests is that, while Emdogain may have the desired treatment effects, there's no way to anticipate whether an individual will respond. The odds aren't great--one needs to treat nine patients to find one who gains 2 mm or more. If you dislike those odds and the costs are high (and those costs will depend on your specific provider and insurance company), you may wish to consider other options. If this is a welcome treatment option and you can afford it (or it's covered by insurance), then it seems like a reasonable tool in the toolkit under the proviso that treatment success is by no means guaranteed.

CONCLUSIONS:
One year after its application, EMD significantly improved PAL levels (1.1 mm) and reduced PPD (0.9 mm) when compared to a placebo or control, however, the high degree of heterogeneity observed among trials suggests that the results have to be interpreted with great caution. In addition, a sensitivity analysis indicated that the overall treatment effect might be overestimated. The actual clinical advantages of using EMD are unknown. With the exception of significantly more postoperative complications in the GTR group, there was no evidence of clinically important differences between GTR and EMD. Bone substitutes may be associated with less REC than EMD.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:28 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]