gum graft after surgery

I had grafting done 8 days ago on the two front lower teeth in the center. everything feels fine except below where the stitches were. the stitches came out 2 days ago and thats all healed but below it where the gums and lip meet is a red soar with white on it. i keep putting the oral paste stuff they gave me on it (which looks like sand) but it still hurts when i move my mouth a certain way. and it feels like i have a mouth guard in, it is really annoying. They told me it was part of the incision from the surgery and it will heal but i feel like it is taking a very long time. any thoughts???

I had my gum graft done last Friday (the 6th). Is it true I should avoid any and all alcohol until I get my stitches out?

Is it OK to drink a week after surgery?

Argh! Accidental double post. Sorry.

I had the gum grafting surgery on Friday 2/6/08. I had two lower right teeth done. The procedure itself was fine because I opted to have the twilight sedation. After the procedure I started to feel pain almost immediately in the roof of my mouth before we even left the doctors office. When I got home the roof of my mouth started bleeding really bad! I put pressure with a wet wash cloth to stop the bleeding but that still scared me to death! I felt like I was going to pass out afterwards. Then once the rest of the numbness wore off the pain was unbearable. I took two Lortab's and had to wait almost 2 hours before they started working. On Saturday I was still in a lot of pain. I just made sure to keep the pain meds in me and did the ice pack and I was okay. I could hardly eat anything. I just stayed in bed and rested. On Sunday I started to feel a little better. I was able to get some scrambled eggs and sausage down so that was nice. I kept taking my meds and icing the area but my face was still really swollen and it was hard to talk. I originally had two stitches on the roof of my mouth, one of which came out on day two. On Monday I was planning on going back to work but I got up and realized I was bleeding from the site the graft was placed and I freaked out. It was 6AM but I called my dentist and left him a message. He called me back shortly after and I just started crying on the phone to him. He calmed me down and explained that the bleeding could be from a number of different things but that I shouldn’t worry about it. I decided not to go to work that day. The bleeding continued off and on throughout the day so I called my dentist back and made an appointment to come in. He took a look at me and said everything looked good. I just had some blood clots that burst (which he said was normal). He sucked out the blood clots and sent me on my way. It is amazing how a doctor can ease your mind! I felt so much better knowing the bleeding was normal. I went back to work on Tuesday but I will still really weak. I lost the other stitch in the roof of my mouth this day. The roof of my mouth is still pretty swollen. Everyday got a little better and I regained a little more movement in my mouth. After one week I decided I was out of the danger zone and I peeked at the graft area. I have also gotten a little braver with foods and have found myself accidentally biting down on the side where the graft is…oops!! Today (1 week and 3 days after surgery) I looked at the graft site and I noticed the tissue appears to be pulling away from my teeth/gum area! I’m back to being really freaked out and I hope there isn’t anything wrong! I just hope the graft takes because I do not want to have to go through this again as it was one of the worse experiences I have gone through. I go back this Friday (the 20th) and I am assuming he will take the stitches out. The graft tissue looks great…it has a nice pink color but I am worried that it is pulling away from the gum when it should be attaching itself to it!! Has anyone else experienced this? To answer your question "mattnotis" I don't know if it is ok to drink a week after surgery but I did.

Well I had my gum graft done exactly a week ago. The surgery was a piece of cake due to the ativan. I had no swelling or pain for the first 3 days. I did everything I was told including not peeking. Now the pain begins. I noticed yesterday that the doner site was becoming raw feeling just below the stitches. I purchased a little dental mirror so I could get a closer look. I today realized the white patch I am seeing is the bone above my jaw teeth. The pain and throbbing seems to be getting worse. I return to the periodontist Monday. If the pain gets worse I may be in a bind this weekend. I am happy to say the graft itself look and feels great.

I just had a gum graft on one bottom tooth yesterday. The procedure was painless and the injections just hurt a little. I kept my eyes closed the whole time and listened to music. I took 10 mg of Valium beforehand because I get very nervous. I was still nervous, but not nearly as much as I would have been without it. Once I realized that I couldn't really tell what they were doing I felt relieved and was able to relax a little bit.

I got home and iced it for almost three hours straight, which was more than they recommended but it felt good and I didn't want to swell. No rela bleeding. I took Tylenol with codeine every six hours after the procedure for the first day. It barely hurt. Now it's the day after and I didn't even need to take the pain meds, not even advil. I am still taking the antibiotic, of course, and hoping I don't get an infection and that the graft takes. Maybe it'll hurt more later but for now I'm able to eat soft foods, clean the area, and talk with minimal pain, and I'm glad not to be drowsy on pain meds. So far, much better and less painful than I expected. I'm much less nervous about getting a second tooth done.

Had a connective tissue graft yesterday. was totally and completely freaking out prior to surgery, so much that i almost canceled my appointment.. was given valium prior to going in, didnt do anything so i had another other one 5 minutes before surgery as well as a motrin. the dentist then started numbing the graft area right away and the top left side of my mouth palate with novocaine. even though i couldnt feel anything during the procedure which took about 35 minutes, i was so tense and was bleeding more than usual at the graft site. i kept my eyes closed the while entire time, since i have a phobia of needles i just couldnt look. but my dentist was great and said everything went well. i got home and fell asleep right away for about 5 hours. most people say that the palate of of your month is what hurts most, well mine is totally painless, i can just feel the stitches. the graft area (my 2 front bottom teeth) is what hurts every now and then if i touch my chin, also if i put my head down it throbs as the blood rushes to my head.

i was given motrin to take every 5 hours and doxyciclne to help with the healing and so far i'm doing ok, i havent looked inside my mouth yet cause i know if i do i will freak out, plus the less mouth movement the better and fast it will heal. so i'm taking it easy, drinking lots of water, but really starving though. had nothing to eat yesterday and this morning i had a coffee and a yogurt. now i'm going to begin rinsing with the oral rinse that was prescribed to me (dentist said not to rinse or wash my mouth on the first day). taste of blood is going away, thanks to all the water im drinking.

overall, its not so bad as long as you take care and dont move your mouth too much the first couple of days, the thought of the procedure is much worst than the actual procedure. make sure you get a good periodontist, mine was great. i was given a blanket and music to listen to. now is saturday and i'm just chilling on the couch, watching tv and reading lots of in touch magazines and cosmos.

will keep yall posted on my progress.....

:-D I had a gum graft done a week ago. I am a 32 year old female who has recession in some areas due to braces and other orthodontics. Totally expected the worst! Especially after reading these posts...OMG!!! During the procedure it was not completely pleasant but I didn't feel a thing...just the whole being awake thing kinda freaked me out. Recover was not bad at all. The gums themselves never bothered me...the roof of my mouth was a little sensative for a few days; the packing fell off after a day, but while it was on I felt no pain what-so-ever. The periodontist had to cut my frenulum (sp?) to prevent further recession on the front of my gums. That was the worst part...only was sore if I tried to smile or make a face at someone :-) After about a week, no pain there at all. All in all not a bad procedure and thankfully so since I need two more locations done!

I had this procedure done on friday and was expecting it to be terrible! it was so unbelievably easy! NO pain or discomfort during surgery couldnt feel a thing. periodontist was fantastic, very nice. Was laughing and talking afterwards. Could eat solid foods (soft solids--pasta, very, very cooked vegetables, steamed etc) that night. brushing is a bit tough. and the donor tissue does not hurt at all! clotted very, very fast, can scarcely notice it. If you're periodontist made you a mouthpiece to cover the area WEAR IT!! all the time! to prevent it from rupturing, its kind of annoying but totally worth it!

today it's sunday. and im still doing well, the sutures are a little loose, which im mildly concerned about, but all in all doing well.

the worst pain (which isnt even bad!!) is around the actually grafting area-which was around my lower front two teeth, he had to cut the gums entirely away in the area, down to the live cells, to encourage the donor tissue and the actual gum to grow together. its mildly discomforting, feels a bit like someone punched me a week ago--just some bruise-like pain. i.e. if i tough it it hurts a bit. very mild!

super easy surgery, don't stress you'll do fine!!

Had a graft done yesterday. The surgery took less than an hour and felt no pain. Worst part was the periodontist scraping a tissue sample from the roof of my mouth, it sounded awful (and the bill!!). Once the numbness wore off I took a couple IBProfen and ate some soup. I have felt no pain or discomfort at all. I have to eat on the one side of my mouth and only soft stuff. The result already looks great. NOT a bad surgery at all, if you've had your wisdom teeth removed this is a piece of cake.

I was told I needed a gum graft on one of my lower teeth at the bottom. It would of been fine ot leave for now, but they told me to be proactive as who knows how much further my gum would receed. (of Course they want to make money).

I went in on Thursday, and I was very nervous, however the procedure alone was pretty quick and the only thing that was uncomfortable was the needles when freezing. When I got home I thought "wow that was easy" and thought I could continue on with my day like nothing happened. I took Novocaine or whatever its called and I think that helped, but when the freezing did wear off I felt discomfort.

Well on day 5 I bled about 3 times randomly from the pallette where they took the tissue from.... then on Tuesday night I woke up at 3 am bleeding a lot. I got up and put a tea bag on it for almost 30 minutes, it was still bleeding. Being 3am I was very tired but I thought I want to see if it stops before I call emergency. It was just filling up my mouth and it looked clotty as well... I was freaked! I called the infomration line and was told to go to the Emergency. I bled from 3AM- 8AM NON STOP. I had to apply pressure with gauze and keep replenishing it with new ones. If I removed the gauze and my finger it would just ooze out. I had to wait until 9am to see my periondist. By that time it had stopped. He could not figure out why days later it would start bleeding randomly like that. He said it was very rare and I was the 1% it has happened to.

I was very scared this would happen again the next night, but thank goodness it didn't. I am not taking any pain killers because I don't like those things but the pain is DEFINITELY there. My palate is SOOo sore, Its hard to swallow water, it comes on and off really. I would NEVER want to go through this again. I would rather go through labour with the experience I have had. Its pretty bad when you have to deal with the pain for one week straight knowing you still have a few more weeks to go!!!

If you get one done, make sure it is necessary, otherwise I would say wait. And don't get it done around any special occasions, before holidays, weddings etc as it will require quite a few weeks to get better. I hope I can return to living my life happily again! :O)

Hi,

I just had a Gum surgery last Thursday and the dentist told me not to eat Milk products due to bacterias.

Would soya Milk be an alternative?? Will it be safe to drink soya milk?
I just cannot drink water all the time :S

I had a sub epithelial connective tissue graft done on Thursday, and I can honestly say it was no big deal. I was TERRIFIED going into it- shaking in the chair terrified- but I really didn't feel a thing, and was in and out in less than 45 minutes. The most painful part was the numbing injection in the roof of my mouth- and even that was minimal. I kept expecting there to be severe pain once the novacaine wore off, and it just never came. Granted, it has been uncomfortable and I'd kill to be able to brush the right side of my mouth, but pain wise- it has been cake. I was most worried about them cutting the roof of my mouth. They made a small incision right behind my teeth (which thanks to numbing, I didn't feel at all) and it honestly wasn't that painful even when the numb wore off later. I have been taking ibuprofen when I feel like i need it (it's mostly just kind of achy), and that's about it. Eating isn't all that fun just because I'm trying to do all the chewing on one side of my mouth. Really though, I was WAY more worried about it than I needed to be!

My procedure was one of the worst things I have ever been through..and I have been through a lot : 2 ceasarians 2 umbilical hernia repairs breast surgery knee surgery tooth removal. My face is and was so swollen I looked liked a bassett hound. I bled a lot from the palate. The anxiety from it all had me process the novocain shots like nothing I needed 3 more shots for the second upper side. I had to drive myself home 75 miles post op and when I got home I had a complete melt down. I needed 2 valiums and 2 codeine to make it bearable and to stop crying. I finally fell asleep for three hours woke up at 1 reiced slept woke up at 5 reiced. Now I am on my 4th day following treatment and i am wondering when my swelling will go away? I am using the mouth wash and am only taking in liquids. When the dentist cut into my palate it felt like he was using a serrated bread knife. OUCH!!
I do tend to bleed alot and have alot of trauma around the mouth. But this seems excessive.