gum graft after surgery

Gum GRAFT, not craft. LOL.
List of foods to eat afte a GUM GRAFT

I have a question, I'm status post gum graft x five weeks, gums are still very puffy, is that normal, i have an appt coming up with the periodontist in two weeks

I have had 2 grafts now and both went well. There are a few different type---the type I had was taking the donor site deep from the roof of the mouth----not superficial-----and it hurt less. I was able to work the next day---not pleasant but not that bad. And I'm a guy in my 30's and we are notorious babies. I did take 800mg Motrin for 3 data every 8 hours. It helped. I've also, but do not pull on your lip to examine the recipiant site. Had to go back early for issues---first time sutures can loose on top of mouth and second time developed cancre where stich was rubbing on inside of lip----that hurt more than surgery----and had to have the stitch cut and retied----that has been worst part yet. But procedure is not that bad and pain was not that bad surprisingly.

Wow, after reading some of these I'm so grateful I had a great doctor!  Mine does light sedation (you have an IV with slow drip of anesthesia so you are out for the whole thing).  It's not cheap that way and I almost balked but now I think it was sooo worth it.  I had tissue harvested from the roof of my mouth -- NOT "pizza burn" style, that was the OLD way of doing it.  Now they cut a triangle shaped flap in the roof of your mouth, take the tissue from UNDER that, and then resew the triangle.  There is no pain up there for me, just a weird tingly feeling and the annoying stitches which I can feel dangling if I take out my palate cover (that's another thing, he made a thin plastic(?) retainer-type thing which I can wear over the roof of my mouth until the palate has healed, if I want, so nothing irritates it).  

I had my lower four front teeth done, the recession there was so bad the roots were completely visible all the way down to the jaw.  Now if I peek, I can see that the gums are way up where they used to be when I was a teenager.  (You're not supposed to peek too much though, I only had the surgery a week ago and you're not supposed to pull your lip down if you can help it.)  I can see the little sutures knotted around the gums and it looks so weird!  

For the first two days after surgery there was some bleeding and minor swelling, but literally NO pain at all...I took Advil because the Dr said to, to reduce swelling.  Day three my teeth started to ache which is normal, the swelling/healing gums cause the teeth to move a little...it feels like when you get braces.  Overall except for having to drink meal replacement drinks (easier than trying to eat eggs and mashed potatoes) this has been no big deal at all, and I can't believe I was so worried about it!!  Can't wait to get this pink putty junk off the back of my lower teeth though!

Sorry to hear about your horrible experience. I had somewhat similar experience, so I can relate. The day of the surgery was OK, and the next day wasn't too bad. BUT, then it got much worse. In the area on the roof of my mouth, I experienced the most pain I've ever had in my life, and it lasted for several days. Once the packing came away from the roof, it was exposed and sensitive to everything. The stitches were getting caught on tongue, food, water, even breathing in air through my mouth hurt it! I felt like someone was stabbing me with a sword through the roof of my mouth and up through my eye and out my head. Then twisting the sword. Then stabbing my ear! ugh. Luckily for me the graft area didn't bother me because it's out of the way. Once I got the stitches out, it was slightly better, but still very painful. I am now on day 9, and it's still bad. I have not been able to go to work because of the pain for a week and a half! The dr says it's healing nicely, so it's not infected or anything.

My periodontist said the reason everyone's experiences are so different is all the variables involved. Some people use alloderm (cadaver tissue), and this is MUCH easier than using tissue from the roof of your mouth. Some people only have one or two teeth done, so they only need a small section of tissue taken from roof of mouth to cover it. I had four teeth done next to each other, so I had a large wound on the roof of my mouth. Some people have something protecting the wound (plastic mould or putty). This helps sensitivity a lot. Mine came out after two days because it cracked, and was tight after my mouth was swelling. After the plastic covering came out is when it went downhill for me. I think the periodontist also makes a difference. Some people say they have bruising. I didn't. I think that's because of the dr and the ice packs. Some of these people are also posting experiences right after the surgery, which is before it might get worse.

I don't mean to scare anyone either, but it's nice to know what to expect. I had no idea I'd be out of work for so long. I have to have this done again on the other side of my mouth. I don't know if I can face the pain! And there goes all my vacation days. I also have two more surgeries on the other two quadrants of my mouth, but can use alloderm for those, so I'm not as concerned.

One more thing people should know is what the wound on the roof of the mouth will look like when healing. It turns yellow/white. That scared me because I thought it was infected. I wish I had known that's the way it's supposed to look. (Dr office was closed three days while I was recovering, so I was worrying without any way to know if it was ok.)

If you have receding gums, do it now before it gets worse! I wish I had done mine years ago. I was surprised how fast it got worse.

I had 3 grafts 8 days ago--two in front and one on the side.

I have had nearly perfect teeth for most of my life. During cleanings, the hygienist would say they had to search hard for things to remove from my teeth because they were so clean. Truth be told, I was using a hard brush because it was the only thing that made me feel like I was brushing properly.

Because I'd never had dental issues, I had no fear in consenting to surgery--to try and keep my teeth healthy.

I went to my appointment having taken the pre-surgery meds. The procedure took three hours, and the office's policy was to keep you awake. The novacaine shots were horrendous. I lost count of how many I had. I have a small mouth, so holding it open for three hours was excruciating. My jaw was throbbing. I didn't know what to do with my hands, and in no way were the pre-meds helping my anxiety level. I have had prior surgeries--facial reconstruction, rhinoplasty, hystorectomy, etc. I don't bruise easily--normally. After surgery, I was extremely swollen, bruised, and in pain. I followed post-op instructions faithfully. I was off work for a week, so I was able to try to recover without much activity. The suctures from donor site have dissolved. My major problem now are the stitches dangling from the graft sites. My doctor will not remove them for AT LEAST two weeks, and maybe up to a month! I do not see anywhere on the internet where it should be taking that long.

I'd never have this procedure again. I would definitely insist on "Plan B."

P.S. I'm using a soft toothbrush, and I just bought a waterpik.

Today is April 13th, and I had my free gingival graft 6 days ago. I had my 2 middle lower gums grafted. The procedure itself was a breeze. I was given a sedative before and after. I felt zero pain during the surgery, and only minimal pain after the medication wore off. I returned to work the next day. My doctor also made me a guard for the roof of my mouth. It has been a total blessing; I have had no major issues and very minimal bleeding. I was given Motrin 600 for 3x a day the first 2 days. I didn't even finish the bottle, I felt the pain was manageable. Eating is tricky. I'm still on soft foods, but it's not too bad.

Being a week into it, I can honestly say the WORST part is the healing process. I am extremely anxious about everything from eating to moving the wrong way. I started losing some of the packing this morning. I called the office and they said it is normal. I also started feeling as if my sutures are loosening, I hope this is normal? It is very difficult for me to yawn (and I even think I stretched something I shouldn't have in my gums on accident), as well as smile, or even laugh. The anxiety of everything is by far the worst. I have peeked at my graft site here and there... not to the point of me pulling my lip down, just kind of opening it up a little bit. I hope that was okay.

I have 4 more teeth to have grafted. I will probably do it in a year or so. I genuinely hope these two bottom teeth heal as they should. Aside from the constant worry, the procedure and pain management were easy.

Good luck to everyone who is dealing with this just like I am! We can get through it! :)

I have a very high pain tolerance, and I'm not scared of needles, surgeries etc. I've had all four wisdom teeth out, a spot removed from my breast, surgery performed on my feet, and I've been hit by a tow truck. I got my gum graft done on Friday at 2:10pm.  It was my hygenist who recommended the surgery, saying that my gums have receded due to my braces when I was younger, and I should have Dr. Sade take a look. I agreed. They didn't tell me he was a dentist who works out of numerous hospitals, or that it was a consultation. I walked into the room, he pulled down my lip, said "yep, you need the surgery". Then they billed me for $300. He told me they would remove a small amount of skin from my palate, and graft it to my front two teeth. He said that my other two will need to be done as well in the near future, and when I asked if I could have them all done at once, he said no. After seeing the bill, I understand why. I'm assuming he gets more money by doing to seperate surgeries. I asked if I would be prescribed pain killers and he said yes. I asked if I needed to take time off of work, and he said no. I would need one day to recover. Well, now it's Tuesday and I still cant talk. He did not prescribe me any pain killers and when I asked he refused. They also didn't tell me about the putty they covered my bottom teeth with. I'm a fairly confident person, but I feel absolutely ridiculous with this on my mouth, and I'm in a wedding on Friday. If he told me during my consultation, I would have postponed it. I haven't eaten solid food since Thursday and every morning I wake up in a pool of drool and blood.  

I have talked to people who have had a completely opposite experience, saying they felt no pain and had no problems.

I would suggest bringing these issues up in a consultation before you have the procedure done.

Me too the very same waiting is bad I had mine last the i'm scared because they took the skin away from my molar tooth on my roof of my mouth and I'm freaked it won't cover the roof and that's not where I wanted it be fixed Mine are The two bottom front teeth are the ones I want fixed

is the lump gone now

I had a gum graft performed Monday afternoon. Periodontist took donor tissue from upper inner gum (not the roof of my mouth). The "bubble gum" patch (as I call it) is covering graft site. Shots were a bit painful, but NOTHING like I was expecting. The office gave me 400mg Advil before I left. I have pretty had NO pain after the graft. I pushed my to take Advil because I felt like I should to take edge off and for inflamation. Today is Thursday and the swelling has peaked. The hardest thing is eating on one side of your mouth. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes chopped up were good. Stitches (8 of them) come out a week after surgery. I have 2 more grafts to have done, but I'm not fearing the worst anymore.

Had this done 10 days ago. Top of mouth severely swollen can hardly eat. How long did it take to some normalcy?

I am going through this now, my mouth taste and smells like something died in it. It is driving me crazy. Has been 10 days since the graft was done. How long does this awfulness last?

I just had this done 4 days ago only I had three teeth done with a tissue graft. I was nervous when the Dr said at the end that I was going to be very sore. When I got home I took a vicodin and was waiting for the hurt.It never hurt. I took a benadryl when I went to bed and slept like a log. The next few days were tender and where the graft was taken from on my palette that is all I can say I felt, other than it felt like someone hit me in the chin. I took Ibuprofin every 6 hours and today is the 4 th day. I know I can't eat popcorn or something like that would be hitting my palette but if I'm careful it's not a big deal.

I am also going through this now - my mouth tastes disgusting! I think it's coming from the collagen used to help the palate heal. How long did it last for in your case? I find I want to wear the retainer the whole time to protect myself from the awful taste. I had the surgery 5 days ago.
Pain-wise, everything is fine, and the procedure didn't hurt.