Alright, so I just recently received soft tissue graft surgery,6 days ago, on 4 of my front lower teeth. I have to admit that I was quite scared and nervous to get the procedure done. However, the surgery itself was fine. The novacaine hurt the worst out of the whole thing. It honestly felt like the needle was shoved all the way up to my brain. I shed a couple tears, but was soon numb to anything in my mouth. Like I said the procedure was fine, the only thing that hurt was the nurse holding down my chin and jaw which actually bruised it quite badly.
About 30 minutes after my surgery the novacaine wore off and it felts like someone hit me with a bag of bricks in my face. Little did I know that wasn't even going to be the worst of the recovery. Luckily I did not have any bleeding or anythng like that, but I was not able to speak for the first couple days after the surgery because they had to cut off the piece of skin that attaches between your lower lip and your gum in the middle of your lower teeth.
Unfortunately here is where the recovery went from painful and annoying to unbearable. On the third day the packing on the roof of my mouth fell off. The graph was taken from the worst possible place; it was taken from the front right side of the roof of my mouth right next to my teeth. It is right where my tongue rests and where it also hits everytime i swallow.
The third day was painful but nothing like the 4th,5th, and 6th(today) day. The next day, the site where the graph was taken from and the teeth that were given the graph have given me pain like I have never felt in my life. And let me just say I have a very highh tolerance for pain. I've gotten multiple piercings and I have a ton of medical conditions where they constantly poke and prod me and I'm always sick, but nothing could ever compare to the pain that I have felt since I got this graft.
The roof of my mouth feels nothing like a bad pizza burn. It feels like someone is putting an open flame to my mouth. And my teeth that received the graft constantly feel like someone is ripping my gums from my teeth. The worst part is that the pain will go away for about 3 minutes and come back. If it were just constant pain I would be able to somehow get a little more used to it. And believe me, I'm taking the maximum amount of pain killers that I can take. I had to call the doctor yesterday because the pain was so unbearable. And when I say that I mean I've been crying for the past two days. I can't drink or eat anything because when it hits any of the surgical areas it is the most horrible feeling in the world. I feel like I've been living in a nightmare these past 6 days.
But, if you are having problems like this I do have a suggestion to help take the edge off the pain. My doctor told me to get liquid Kaopectate(get the orginal flavor) and children's liquid benadryl(try and get cherry) Take about a tablespoon of each and mix them together and swish it around in your mouth for a few seconds and then spit it out (don't swallow it!). It really helps to coat all the surgical areas and helps ease the pain. And it actually doesn't taste bad; kind of like a chocolate cherry drink. It only lasts for about 30 minutes, but I've been doing it quite frequently and after every meal to help with the pain from being unbearable to almost bearable.
I didn't write this to scare anyone from getting the procedure done. Everything depends on how much pain you can tolerate and where the procedure is done in your mouth. I'm only 20 years old and it's quite possible that it might need to be done again in the future in different spots. However I do know that if I was told I needed to do this again, I would decline. I would rather have fake teeth in my mouth than ever go through this again. I'm hoping the pain will start to go away soon because I'm not sure how much more I can take of this.
I do hope that if you are getting this done, you have a better experience than I do. And good luck. Just make sure you rest ...a lot. And my advice would be to take advil starting the day before you go to get it done. I really wish I would have.
About 30 minutes after my surgery the novacaine wore off and it felts like someone hit me with a bag of bricks in my face. Little did I know that wasn't even going to be the worst of the recovery. Luckily I did not have any bleeding or anythng like that, but I was not able to speak for the first couple days after the surgery because they had to cut off the piece of skin that attaches between your lower lip and your gum in the middle of your lower teeth.
Unfortunately here is where the recovery went from painful and annoying to unbearable. On the third day the packing on the roof of my mouth fell off. The graph was taken from the worst possible place; it was taken from the front right side of the roof of my mouth right next to my teeth. It is right where my tongue rests and where it also hits everytime i swallow.
The third day was painful but nothing like the 4th,5th, and 6th(today) day. The next day, the site where the graph was taken from and the teeth that were given the graph have given me pain like I have never felt in my life. And let me just say I have a very highh tolerance for pain. I've gotten multiple piercings and I have a ton of medical conditions where they constantly poke and prod me and I'm always sick, but nothing could ever compare to the pain that I have felt since I got this graft.
The roof of my mouth feels nothing like a bad pizza burn. It feels like someone is putting an open flame to my mouth. And my teeth that received the graft constantly feel like someone is ripping my gums from my teeth. The worst part is that the pain will go away for about 3 minutes and come back. If it were just constant pain I would be able to somehow get a little more used to it. And believe me, I'm taking the maximum amount of pain killers that I can take. I had to call the doctor yesterday because the pain was so unbearable. And when I say that I mean I've been crying for the past two days. I can't drink or eat anything because when it hits any of the surgical areas it is the most horrible feeling in the world. I feel like I've been living in a nightmare these past 6 days.
But, if you are having problems like this I do have a suggestion to help take the edge off the pain. My doctor told me to get liquid Kaopectate(get the orginal flavor) and children's liquid benadryl(try and get cherry) Take about a tablespoon of each and mix them together and swish it around in your mouth for a few seconds and then spit it out (don't swallow it!). It really helps to coat all the surgical areas and helps ease the pain. And it actually doesn't taste bad; kind of like a chocolate cherry drink. It only lasts for about 30 minutes, but I've been doing it quite frequently and after every meal to help with the pain from being unbearable to almost bearable.
I didn't write this to scare anyone from getting the procedure done. Everything depends on how much pain you can tolerate and where the procedure is done in your mouth. I'm only 20 years old and it's quite possible that it might need to be done again in the future in different spots. However I do know that if I was told I needed to do this again, I would decline. I would rather have fake teeth in my mouth than ever go through this again. I'm hoping the pain will start to go away soon because I'm not sure how much more I can take of this.
I do hope that if you are getting this done, you have a better experience than I do. And good luck. Just make sure you rest ...a lot. And my advice would be to take advil starting the day before you go to get it done. I really wish I would have.
WEll i just add this done yesterday. It's my second time going through it and i agree it certainly isn't pleasant by what are you expecting it's surgery and you're awake. THe dentist used a different way of extracting the donar tissue. Instead of taking a "tire patch" from the roof of my mouth he sectioned off a vertical piece - image removing a piece of toast from a toaster. Sounds bad, but he is able to completely close the donar area with stitches. THe proceedure is what you would expect, not pleasant. THe most uncomfortable part is the hour it take for the freezing to wear off. THe next day there isn;t much pain .... mainly uncomfortable - more b/c you have stitiches and minor oozing - but no real pain. If your dentist says you should have it done ...... you should do it... it wasn't that bad .... afterall i did do it twice. That said i think the process he used to extract the donar tissue make a huge difference.
I had this procedure done two days ago. They told me and my dad I would be able to function the next day but Im hardly unable to concentrate on this post the pain is so bad. Though they tell you recovery is quick, I would recommend to anyone to have it done on a long weekend or something like that.
I had gum graft 4 days ago. The first 2 days I did not feel any pain. But starting the 3rd day, pain crept in. I guess it was because I had finished all the Advil by the 3rd day. Got to buy more Advil.
I also have the pasty stuff in front and behind of the teeth that received graft. (I used cadava graft.) Now the pasty stuff makes my gum so itchy. I am going to call my periodontist tomorrow to see if I can remove them.
BTW, I think my doctor did the work on one of my good teeth in addition to the bad one. Malpractice? Insurance fraud? I may get another periodontist to check on his work. Lawsuit will be filed if he did graft on my good tooth.
I also have the pasty stuff in front and behind of the teeth that received graft. (I used cadava graft.) Now the pasty stuff makes my gum so itchy. I am going to call my periodontist tomorrow to see if I can remove them.
BTW, I think my doctor did the work on one of my good teeth in addition to the bad one. Malpractice? Insurance fraud? I may get another periodontist to check on his work. Lawsuit will be filed if he did graft on my good tooth.
This procedure is akin to getting a cavity filled. It's 45 minutes in the chair with local freezing. Zero pain other than the freezing needle, which in my opinion is very easy to tolerate; dental needles have come a long way. Recovery is a snap. Feel a bit flu-like for the next couple of days, but Advil does away with that. Mild swelling, but avoidable by icing during the 24 hours.
The real catch is that you can't chew on the affected side of your mouth for about 10-14 days. That's a tremendous inconvenience, I must say. But I'm day 10 now and got the all-clear to start using both sides of my mouth again. Hooray.
Procedure is pain free. Follow the recovery plan your dentist gives you, and so is recovery. And don't listen to the fear mongerers.
The real catch is that you can't chew on the affected side of your mouth for about 10-14 days. That's a tremendous inconvenience, I must say. But I'm day 10 now and got the all-clear to start using both sides of my mouth again. Hooray.
Procedure is pain free. Follow the recovery plan your dentist gives you, and so is recovery. And don't listen to the fear mongerers.
I had a gum graft done yesterday afternoon. Today, not even 24 hours later, I'm feeling ok. I am not taking pain meds. It's just a wierd feeling having the protective covering they put on both the roof of your mouth and where the stitches are. Last night I took percocets..twice...but nothing today.
One warning..do NOT read everything from the internet..I heard so many horror stories that I was terrified..it isn't that bad! Hope this helps!
One warning..do NOT read everything from the internet..I heard so many horror stories that I was terrified..it isn't that bad! Hope this helps!
I had my gum grafts done a week ago. I am afraid I am like the first person who posted here. I have been in horrible pain ever since! I have a high pain tolerance and rarely take anything for pain. I called the periodontist and got a refill on my pain meds. The pain wakes me up in the night. I have been taking Tylenol 3 every 3-4 hours from the time I get home from work until morning. At work I take 600-800 milligrams of Advil every 4 hours.
Granted - I did have a very large area done. The upper right, lower right and lower front. Those areas don't really bother me much any more - it is the roof of my mouth where they took the tissue. That is awful. It is an extreme burn - and when I lay down you add a pressure to it as well. I am still on the yogurt diet :-) I cannot chew anything - it is too painful.
I also had some pretty severe bruising on my cheek - it looked like someone had punched me. I am supposed to have more work done in a few months - but it will take along time to forget this pain! I know this is an important procedure - I do not want to loose my teeth. But I keep thinking - I paid almost $3000 for this pain?
Granted - I did have a very large area done. The upper right, lower right and lower front. Those areas don't really bother me much any more - it is the roof of my mouth where they took the tissue. That is awful. It is an extreme burn - and when I lay down you add a pressure to it as well. I am still on the yogurt diet :-) I cannot chew anything - it is too painful.
I also had some pretty severe bruising on my cheek - it looked like someone had punched me. I am supposed to have more work done in a few months - but it will take along time to forget this pain! I know this is an important procedure - I do not want to loose my teeth. But I keep thinking - I paid almost $3000 for this pain?
I had my first graft 2 months ago (upper right quad) and had absolutely no issues at all. I had no pain, no swelling, could eat the same day......
Well, on Tuesday, I had my second graft done, on my upper left quad. This time was unbelievably different! Before I even left the office, I felt pain. When I arrived home half an hour later, my face was swollen.
I'm now 32 hours in, and my face is swollen twice as much as much as it was immediately after the procedure! The inside of my lips are purple and bruised. I called the dr today and told him that I was beginning to get worried because the swelling hadn't subsided (it actually got worse!) and was unsure if the bruised lips were normal. Dr said to apply, warm, moist washcloths for 15 minutes at a time and prescribed antibiotics.
Not sure what to expect in the morning, but I hope my left chipmunk cheek atleast starts to subside!
Well, on Tuesday, I had my second graft done, on my upper left quad. This time was unbelievably different! Before I even left the office, I felt pain. When I arrived home half an hour later, my face was swollen.
I'm now 32 hours in, and my face is swollen twice as much as much as it was immediately after the procedure! The inside of my lips are purple and bruised. I called the dr today and told him that I was beginning to get worried because the swelling hadn't subsided (it actually got worse!) and was unsure if the bruised lips were normal. Dr said to apply, warm, moist washcloths for 15 minutes at a time and prescribed antibiotics.
Not sure what to expect in the morning, but I hope my left chipmunk cheek atleast starts to subside!
I had my surgery done 7 days ago. The surgery itself went very well with local freezing. The fist two days were OK while I was wearing the stint. once I removed it, the food started hitting the donor area, it would bring me to tears. Dr. prescribed antibiotics and anti-inflammatory. Started using the anti-inflammatory from third day with once a day. From then things got worse. Now I am using anti-inflammatory twice a day. I was worried and checked with my dentist. She said all is OK and is part of the heeling. Most important thing is to avoid any infection. Recipient part is under "Chewing Gum" material and has not bothered me. The main pain comes from donor part with throbbing pain which has affected the area nerves and now I have pain in the adjacent teeth. I will give it another 7 days, before I start calling the cops.
I just got my graft done yesterday. The surgery was fine, although it did bleed a lot. It was actually pretty traumatizing, and it started to hurt before the novacaine wore off on my tongue and lips (which was really annoying). I threw up several times and therefore couldn't take the pain medicine or keep any food down. But today, I woke up with a blood clot covering one of the teeth in the recipient site. It was disgusting and put a dried blood metallic taste in my mouth, and I just had to wait for it to fall off, which it did about 8 hours later. Anyway, I don't feel any pain today, and I'm not really swollen at all. I am eating pretty well.
My periodontist, Dr. Kunas, did the donor site slightly differently than what I've seen online. He cut like two vertical lines and then took tissue from underneath, sewing it up afterwards, so I don't have a whole in the roof of my mouth. It doesn't hurt at all really, just if I accidentally put too much pressure on it. I would suggest finding a periodontist who does it this way, it seems to avoid that sensitivity all together.
I would describe yesterday as the worst day of my life, but it's not quite as bad as the stories on line for the most part. I mean, the pain can be severe at the recipient site, like little needles pricking you constantly, but it isn't a lasting, constant pain... Right after the surgery I would describe the pain like when you get your braces tightened. It's just more of an aching rather than a stabbing feeling. If you're getting one, good luck!!
My periodontist, Dr. Kunas, did the donor site slightly differently than what I've seen online. He cut like two vertical lines and then took tissue from underneath, sewing it up afterwards, so I don't have a whole in the roof of my mouth. It doesn't hurt at all really, just if I accidentally put too much pressure on it. I would suggest finding a periodontist who does it this way, it seems to avoid that sensitivity all together.
I would describe yesterday as the worst day of my life, but it's not quite as bad as the stories on line for the most part. I mean, the pain can be severe at the recipient site, like little needles pricking you constantly, but it isn't a lasting, constant pain... Right after the surgery I would describe the pain like when you get your braces tightened. It's just more of an aching rather than a stabbing feeling. If you're getting one, good luck!!
I had surgery 4 days ago and I still look like I was hit by a truck. My face is so swollen and I have black eyes. o.O I still have pain really cant eat much. I take Vicodin every 4 hours . I just want to look like my self again. Just not sure how long my face will be so swolen.
I just had this done two and a half days ago. The procedure itself was easy....until the anesthetic wore off - then it was a constant throb. Took vicodin after to help with the pain and to help me sleep. Haven't needed it since that first night thankfully. Am taking anti-inflammatories and antibiotics preventitively....Issue I am having is not the top of my mouth, but the area the graft was placed - bottom lower left. Every time I talk or move my mouth certain ways it is painful. Eating is tough because it forces pressure over that area, otherwise, no problem, well, trying to keep it on the one side is tough, but doable...I'm using baby spoons to help decrease the size of food I put in my mouth and keep me from opening too far....I am hoping this won't last much longer....I have to talk for work and right now, that isn't going to happen - hurts just too much.
i am having the procedure done in a few weeks. I am 40 and certainly quite scared because I have tmj. The main thing that bothers me about this is if my jaw can handle it.
I am having the alloderm graft. I am glad because I couldn't stand the other one but I would rather have it than lose my teeth. I am also wanting braces but does anyone know how long it will take these grafts to heel on 4 teeth before I can get braces? I have a high tolerance for pain but not when it comes to my jaw locking shut.
I am having the alloderm graft. I am glad because I couldn't stand the other one but I would rather have it than lose my teeth. I am also wanting braces but does anyone know how long it will take these grafts to heel on 4 teeth before I can get braces? I have a high tolerance for pain but not when it comes to my jaw locking shut.
I had a Soft Tissue Graft and Frenectomy performed on 11-14-2008. I rested all weekend, and I work in the medical field, so obviously I have patients to deal with and talking alot during the day. To make matters worse, I work in an ear clinic with hard of hearing patients, and I am not able to be articulate with my speech because of my pain in my lower lip. It pretty much hurt constanting all day long.
I just wondered if there were any suggestions to help....Advil did nothing. It was like everytime I talked, I felt the tug of the suture. I can't not talk at work. I have to call patients, etc....
Also, is there a reason the graft area is white? Is this normal?
Puzzled in pain still..........
I just wondered if there were any suggestions to help....Advil did nothing. It was like everytime I talked, I felt the tug of the suture. I can't not talk at work. I have to call patients, etc....
Also, is there a reason the graft area is white? Is this normal?
Puzzled in pain still..........
I had my soft tissue graft 5 days ago. Like most of the others have said, the procedure was painless and not as bad as I had anticipated. The pain I have now, however, is close to unbearable. I was perscribed anti-inflamatories and pain killers which work very good, but yesterday I decided I might not need them any more, and I was very wrong. I was quite suprised that the pain has lasted so long and doesn't seem to be improving.
My only real concern is that it looks like the tissue graft itself has crumbled apart under the stitches. The pale tissue that was once there is already gone and now it's just red and I'm not sure if it's supposed to do that. I'm going back in 2 days to get the stiches removed and I'm sure I'll find out if everything is fine then. But if anyone here knows what I'm talking about, I'd be happy to hear any opinions.
One point of advice: don't schedule your surgery during your last week of university. I didn't know just how bad this would be, and it has been so difficult to get assignments done and study for exams.
My only real concern is that it looks like the tissue graft itself has crumbled apart under the stitches. The pale tissue that was once there is already gone and now it's just red and I'm not sure if it's supposed to do that. I'm going back in 2 days to get the stiches removed and I'm sure I'll find out if everything is fine then. But if anyone here knows what I'm talking about, I'd be happy to hear any opinions.
One point of advice: don't schedule your surgery during your last week of university. I didn't know just how bad this would be, and it has been so difficult to get assignments done and study for exams.