gum graft after surgery

There will be some pain and swelling at first. It is very important, when the gums have been brought back to health, to maintain a schedule that will be designed to fit your needs. Every three months you will have to have your teeth cleaned, scaled, and polished. These three months periods is important for keeping the plaque levels around the gums minimal and in that way reduce the risk of re-infection.

Yes, your teeth are very sensitive in this case, especially if you had a permanent tooth replacement. It is very heavy and sensitive surgery. I felt a sensitivity as well. Also, my dentist told me that this sensitivity may increase a weeks after the surgery, so you should also be ready for this. Sure, you can minimize this sensitivity by keeping the area as free of plaque as possible, so do that. Sure, no matter how you try, sometimes this just won't go away and it can become really extreme. If that happens, tell it to your doctor and he will prescribe some pain killers, for sure. 

Very painful-expect to be laid up for a couple of days. Graft might not work nad post op infection likely-use your salt water rinses. Not an easy recovery-plan accordingly.

Very Painful, long recovery. Expect to be laid up a couple of days followed by termendous pain and make sure you have plently of advil, use your salt water rinses. Even following exact orders by DR. plan for much time worrying about the healing process-VERY PAINFUL!!!!

My recovery was very quick. I had graft on Friday morning and was cleaning my house by Saturday at noon. There was some tenderness and discomfort but I did not even take the perceptions pain meds. The one thing that did occur was I did rupture the scar tissue on the roof where the donor tissue was removed. It bled for a good while and was mostly just icky. Beyond that the perio-pack has dissolved mostly and my stitches come out Thursday. I did rinse my mouth three times a day with non-alcohol mouthwash to keep it clean and germ-free.

Had a graft done friday .Not pain during graft. Easter Sunday what fun that was at dinner..Kinda hurts now to laugh ..lots of Advil..... %-)

Had a gum graft today - upper right canine. I wrecked my gums from brushing my teeth too hard when I was younger. I'm 37 now (female), and the sensitivity was getting bad and I want to save the tooth. I went to a dental clinic instead of a regular practice, as I am self-employed and need the cheapest med care I can afford. Anyway...

The periodontist was very nice. First put desensitizing gel on my donor and recipient sites. Then novacaine injections. Prepped the tooth area and then cut a little square of tissue off the top of my hard palate. THAT was the yucky part. I knew what he was doing and could taste a little blood oozing down my throat - probably was only a bit, but it "seemed" like gallons when you're sitting there swallowing - yuck! Then he had me bite down on gauze for a while, and it lessened the bleeding. He then sewed the little square over the receeded gum area. I could feel all the threads hanging out of my mouth while he sutured me up with dissolvable and removable stitches. That was weird.

Then they put some styptic type gel on a gauze pad and had me bite down on it again. It helped stop the bleeding. I was told to not work-out for a week (I'm very active). Told to use salt water rinses and avoid brushing the area for about 10 days. Will need to get stitches removed in 2 weeks. Was given a perscription for Vicodin. Was told not to pull up my lip to look at the graft, as that can disturb the stitches. Dental hygenist sent me home with an ice-pack.

I got home and couldn't talk well, due to the novacaine, pain and slight swelling. Bad taste in my mouth from blood, chemicals, meds, etc. Still a little oozing. Ick. Was told I could put a wet tea bag on the oozing areas to astringe the tissue and stop the oozing. Didn't try it.

Tried drinking soy milk for lunch. My sense of taste was VERY OFF. When I swallow, my tongue hits the hard palate and it hurts. Rinsed with salt water and that felt nice and cleansing.

Took a nap, laying on my unaffected side. That nap helped A LOT. The pain was far less when I woke up. I didn't even need to take any pain killers. Hard palate feels like a VERY BAD "pizza burn." Gum area feels swollen and very tender. If I lie on my bad side, the pressure and swelling builds there and it throbs. Feels like a huge hole in the roof of my mouth, but it's only a 1 cm X 1 cm area - and it looks all dark brown, like a big scab. But no more blood - yay!

So far, it's about 8 hours since my surgery and I already feel better. HAVE NO IDEA how I'll feel tomorrow! I wish I could eat! Oh well - it's a good opportunity to lose some weight!!! Just need to keep drinking water.

Honestly, my best advice - TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. If you eat healty foods and get proper rest and exercise, you will recover faster and have less pain. I really can say that I have very little swelling and pain, and I had quite a big graft.

All in all, it wasn't that bad - just the THOUGHT of it is a little freaky when you're getting the surgery. The two things that made my surgery easy was: 1) KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED during the whole procedure. It'll relax you, and you won't see the blood and surgical instruments. 2) BREATHE DEEPLY and SLOWLY with your lower abdomen. That totally reduced my freak-out reflex. And it makes it easier for your periodontist to do a good job.

Hope this helps! ;-)

I had a graft done just this morning, about 12 hours ago now. I felt NOTHING during the procedure, and had NO pain ever since, not even the slightest discomfort. The dentist had told me to start taking Cerebrex (anti-inflammatory drug) the night before the graft and keep taking it twice daily to keep it from getting inflammed and painful. And so far I can say that it seems to work great. He also prescribed me some Hydrocodone for pain just in case, but I don't think I'll actually need it.
I'm not scared of the dentist's office, and I was fully expecting to have some pain, so it is strange to me that I'm not even feeling anything. The only thing that is slightly annoying is the dressing that is supposed to stay in place for 2 weeks. It looks like a piece of gum sticking to my teeth, and of course I have to be careful when I'm eating so that it won't come off.

leaphart wrote:

I made it through the gum grafting surgery. Two weeks later my gums are still white. Is this bad?

I had pretty much the exact same experience as the post right above me. The thing that hurt the most was the novocaine injection (irony?). I had two teeth done (upper left canine and one next to it). It is now 24 hours after and I still don't really feel any pain (took a Cerebrex immediately after surgery but that was it - no Ibuprofen or anything). There is some minor soreness but the pain is nowhere NEAR the pain of braces. I go back in 1.5 weeks to get stitches removed.

One word of advice - although now it's too late. Don't read these internet postings on the operation. It really freaked me out right before the surgery (which lasted about 1 hour). The not being able to brush that area is annoying, especially with the plaster over the area that feels like a giant wad of chewing gum.

Another piece of advice - go to a periodontist, not a dentist.

I think an important point to consider is that there is a chance the procedure won't work. Ideally, you want the graft to actually be underneath the outer layer and not just slapped on top. This is what the periodontist did for me, and placed it between 2 arteries, thereby providing optimal bloodflow to the graft.

It is considerably more difficult for the donor tissue to take if it is just slapped on front or over a tooth.

Same as a couple earlier posts the novocain was the worst had some discomfort after but the Tylenol took care of it. Went to work right after and the next day (today) I am fine. The banade as mentioned above was more anoying but that is gone today.

It is Friday night, can I drink a beer now?

I just had one at around 4:30 today. The procedure was uncomfortable, but not painful. Now just about 20 mins ago, the thing they put at the top of my mouth where they took the skin from fell off, and I'm bleeding A LOT, and it hurts, a lot. Now I feel dizzy and lightheaded, so I'd best lie down.

Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

I'm going to be needing my third gum graft, I'm 52, I was in my 40's for the other two, my Dr. gave me a knock out pill for the first two, I'm thinking I don't want the knock out pill for the third, will I have high anxiety? My fear is a panic attack during the graft.