gum graft after surgery

Maybe it was for them. A little egocentric to assume they are trying to scare people and that they didn't actually have a different experience than you. Imagine that...

I've had this procedure done twice now, and yours is the closest to accurate description I've seen here. The first was on my lower three with right roof as the donor site. Now (10 mos later) upper four left, with the left side of the roof as the donor site. Please note that the grafted area does not cause much pain other than a dull ache; it is the donor site that swells and throbs because it is exposed and this lasts a solid 7-10 days. The area honestly won't be right for several months, but eating will not be as much of a challenge. Fruit or anything sweet burns the donor site during the first 10 days so forget the ice cream if you thought that was going to be your plan; the pain isn't worth it. The best choices to fill you up will be mac n cheese, eggs and mashed potatoes, with the mashed being the least irritating option. Anything you eat will hurt. Yes, anything, and so a bowl of mashed potatoes is the only thing I've been able to finish. (Thank you , Idahoan). On the yoghurt, I normally go natural but the sugars and acids kill me. I've chosen a vanilla light Greek with stevia and found that it goes down easy with very little discomfort. Cottage cheese is another good option.

Spices (even if it isn't spicey), fruits, sugars and acids will all cause pain or discomfort. In short, the procedure is awful and recovery, even worse, however, the outcome on my lower 3 was fantastic. The teeth are now strong and straight! Not only was is the right thing to do for the teeth and bone, but aesthetically, it LOOKS fantastic. It was worth doing on the upper 4. I did delay the procedure because it was so awful. I was to have done it 3 months after the first; I waited 10. You have got to give yourself a break and be mentally prepared. If you elect for cadaver or bovine tissue, I think the stories would be night and day, but your own tissue is always the BEST donor.

Hang in there!

Hey there! I had one tooth done and I can't smile. My upper lip does not lift up. The surgeon said she never saw this before and has no idea why this has happened. Any idea? Will my smile come back?

Had the same reaction when I saw the grafted tissue and my doc said the grafted tissue necrotizes as it heals-- the "ugly duckling" stage. Palate pain was ok til day 4. Day 5 I delivered an all day training. OMG.

I am 3 days post my graft. On the 2nd night, I felt a little square thing flapping around the back of my palate. It kept moving and eventually fell out. I now feel like there are two skin bubbles and a hole in the middle where the square thing was. Is this normal?

He didn't tell you not to eat greasy / fatty foods for two days...?? ;)
Mac and cheese is reeeal greasy..... that's what made the putty fall off. - For next time in case there is one!

I had the surgery eight days ago and I believe this is the worse pain I have ever felt. I had areas grafted over three teeth and still have two more locations that need grafting. I will explore alternative methods because I would not willingly do this again. I was told it would not be painful, that Motrin and Tylenol would manage the discomfort. This is a lie. The pain is agonizing! It keeps you awake at night. You cannot eat, chew, and can barely talk because your mouth hurts so bad. This has been my experience.

Great post! Just had gum graft SX yesterday, but I did drink alcohol with club soda, AND I used a straw...I thought they told me not to use a straw because of my numb bottom lip. Is there another reason you shouldn't use a straw?

I keep looking for a story of the finished product, but all I can see is stories one week into healing. Who is satisfied with the results? I’m at about 10 days. No antibiotics or that horrible mouthwash that can take away your sense of taste. I use arnica cream and salt water rinses. Minimal swelling that was gone within a week. No weird smell in my mouth. I quit taking pain med—ibuprofen after the second day. The stint was stuck on so I had the dental office remove it with tools the second day. Four bottom teeth. She told me her objective was to thicken the gums, not cover the roots. So I have low expectations. But can someone tell me about their results?

If your periodontist was sewing the roof of your mouth then you most likely had a connective tissue graft and not a free gingival graft. These are two different procedures. Connective tissue grafts are definitely NOT as painful of a recovery.

I had it done 9 days ago and the pain has not stopped - I'm never doing this again worst pain ever

Mine too extreme pain all the time

Oh no......I am on day 5 and the pain from the donor site gets worse each day. I can only describe it as excruciating. My Dr said I should be fine in 2 days. What????? Not even close. I am fairly miserable and communicate with my family by text as talking is incredibly painful. Eating is miserable and I am talking plain yogurt. Anything in my mouth is just so painful. I have been taking Aleve around the clock, hydrocodone for pain, and antibiotics. With little eating, it is taking a toll on my stomach. I worry this is going to continue for days..............

I know your posts are a year old but I am just 5 days out from grafting and happy to see that others are experiencing what I am. Happy, meaning I'm not alone in the discomfort. I had tissue harvested from roof of my mouth and then grafted on to upper left gum area. Surgery and first 3 days, piece of cake with minimal discomfort. Third day the swelling was at its worse which was expected. I started to see bruising on my left cheek. Now on 5th day, swelling is decreasing but Discomfort is unbearable enough that I'm now using the prescribed Percocet and Ibuprofen (800 mg). It feels as if I have a major toothache all over my teeth and if I press against the teeth it feels better. Causes a bad headache too. I assumed something got infected but no fever. This does feel like nerve pain so maybe it's the nerves "coming back online" as someone else suggested.

My doctor seems more conservative than most of yours as I was instructed to be on a liquid diet for at least 5 days (v8, protein drinks, broth) and then for next 2 weeks I graduate to cottage cheese and soft pasta and scrambled eggs. what I want to know is when can I have a glass of wine???

How are you now? I am 5 days out too. See my post that I just did. Similar.