How does a free soft tissue graft differ from other grafts?

Answer

A free soft tissue graft differs from a pedicle graft in that the donor tissue of a free soft tissue graft is completely severed from the donor site (i.e., removed from the palate) before being grafted to the recipient site. With a pedicle graft, the donor tissue is partially excised from the area next to the damaged gingiva and slid or rotated over the damaged area. A free soft tissue graft differs from a subepithelial connective tissue graft in that the free soft tissue graft has epithelium on it, whereas a connective tissue graft has no epithelium. (Epithelium is the pink skin layer that you see when you look in the mouth.)