For patients who are not using donor grafting material, the healing process typically takes around 7-10 days, although most pain and discomfort should begin to alleviate and disappear within 2-4 days.
Pain may occur following a periodontal surgery that involves the opening of a flap, gingival grafts, or gingivectomy/frenectomy procedures. Postoperative pain experienced within the first 3 days after surgery is considered normal and should progressively diminish throughout the healing phase.
Every person heals differently. But on average, gum graft recovery takes one week to two weeks. If you had multiple areas treated at once, recovery might take a little longer. Your periodontist can tell you what to expect.
Swelling/Bruising/Appearance: Swelling following surgery may occur and is a normal reaction that should resolve after 6-10 days. To minimize swelling, an ice pack should be placed on your cheek for 15-20 minutes on and then 15-20 minutes off during the first 24 hours after surgery.
Throbbing pain that will not go away even though you use pain medications. You might develop a fever that may persist for more than a day or increase after a few days. Increased swelling of the face, jaw, gums is a clear sign that you have an infection, and this may worsen as the infection progresses.
Pain meds and ice are your friends
. Most patients experience facial swelling and sometimes bruising near the site of gum surgery. A tandem of pain medication and ice packs will ease what ails you. For best results with ice, start using cold packs on your face right after leaving the dentist.
When can I eat my regular diet after a gum graft? Typically, your gum graft should heal within 14 days. After that, you can resume eating as you wish. However, the only away to know for certain is by consulting with your periodontist.
AVOID PEROXIDE, ALCOHOL, CARBONATED BEVERAGES, AND DRINKING THROUGH A STRAW. After 24 Hours. You may have soft foods, such as cooked vegetables, fish, pasta, and meatloaf, which are easily chewed. You should use utensils and avoid chewing at the surgical site for 2 weeks.
You will know that the graft is healing when the swelling subsides and the soft tissues are shrinking. Your gum tissue will begin binding to the root surface and bone. Then, new blood vessels will begin to form to enable blood flow to the graft. This stage takes four to six weeks from surgery.
After the procedure, one should expect some discomfort, swelling, sensitivity, or pain. The pain experienced is usually due to the underlying gum inflammation. What is considered “normal” pain is likely to last for about three days post-extraction.
In most cases, the pain or discomfort should have subsided after 7 to 10 days. Even though people's pain threshold and healing are different, the pain and the discomfort should decrease each day. There should be little to no pain by the time you get to five days.
Sutures (stitches) will usually have to be removed approximately 10 days to 2 weeks following your surgery. Do not disturb the sutures with your tongue, toothbrush or any other device. Displacement of sutures will impair healing and affect the success of your procedure.
Pain. The area of the gum graft will be tender for a day or two, and sensitive to hot or cold drinks and hard foods for a several weeks afterward.
Brushing: You may brush the CHEWING surfaces of your teeth beginning the day AFTER surgery. PLEASE do NOT brush your gum tissue in the areas of surgery at all for the first week. DO NOT USE A DENTAL IRRIGATOR, WATER FLOSSER OR WATER-PICK for 3 full weeks following surgery.
Keep Up a Good Oral Hygiene Routine
But don't brush the site of your gum grafting surgery. You can gently pass the brush over the tops of your teeth, but avoid contact with the graft site. Also, don't floss for a couple of weeks, or until your mouth is healed.
No straw for the next 2-3 days! 3rd day until 2 weeks after surgery: A very soft food diet should only be eaten (Pasta, soups, eggs, fish, cooked soft vegetables, oatmeal, rice, beans etc.) Avoid any hard, spicy, crusty, coffee or acidic foods. Chewing should be done on the side opposite the surgical site.
Having beverages high in citric acid such as lemonade and orange juice after oral surgery is like squirting lemon juice on an open wound on your hand – NOT FUN. The extraction and implant sites can be irritated and could lead to infection. Definitely avoid consuming these types of drinks for about a week.
If it just won't stop, call. Food Stay on a soft diet, chew away from the grafted tooth/teeth and avoid any foods that would be more likely to get stuck in the gum graft site, such as corn, popcorn, nuts, and seeds (fruits like strawberries have seeds). Do this for up to 2 weeks.
Your oral surgeon will use plenty of anesthetic and possibly sedation to keep you as comfortable as possible. These can take some time to wear off in some cases, which can cause you to feel tired for the rest of the day.
Avoid Talking (As Much As Possible)
Talking causes your mouth's muscles to stretch, which, in turn, can loosen up the gauze and increase the chances of bleeding. Refraining from speaking is hard, but try to remain silent as much as possible for the first two to three days after gum grafting surgery.
The level of pain you experience will also vary depending upon what type of gum graft you have performed. If no tissue is removed from your palate, you will likely not experience much discomfort at all; however, if tissue is removed, you should plan on some mild to moderate discomfort following the procedure.
The dressing was placed to assure the gums did not reform pockets, so with the loss of insulation, you will really feel anything cold. Also, any injury to a tooth results in a nerve that is extra-sensitive. This sensitivity will lessen greatly over the next few weeks.
Most swelling can occur in the morning and up to 3 days after surgery. Avoid sleeping / laying on the side that surgery was performed.