As most surgical procedures, gum grafting surgery implicates risk of infection, bleeding, and reaction to anesthesia. Besides, severe pain, bone rejection, inflammation, swelling, nerve injury, bacterial exposure of wounds, loose sutures, uneven healing, and more…
Potential complications of gum graft surgery
If the procedure was handled by a skilled and experienced dentist, the gum graft procedure is totally safe and the complications are minimal. Potential complications that could occur due to the procedure include severe swelling, infections, uneven healing and loose sutures.
The list below includes important information that every dental patient needs to know about the recovery process after undergoing a gum grafting procedure. The average amount of time it takes to heal after a gum grafting procedure is somewhere between 10 and 14 days.
Success rates for gum grafts are very high. You need to follow your dentist's instructions and monitor the healing process for your graft. If you notice signs of an infection, like intense swelling, fever, or pus, you should go to your dentist right away.
In some cases, it may be too late for gum grafting to save the gums. If your gums are severely damaged, receding so far back that they expose the tooth's root, or if there is significant bone loss from advanced gum disease, gum grafting may not be able to restore them to their healthy state.
The cost of gum grafting starts at $1200. There are other factors, like the severity, that may increase the cost. Remember, we have payment options available to suit your budget. Remember, your gums may recede over time so it's important to keep regular dental appointments so your dentist can keep track of this.
Pinhole Surgical Technique
Next, your periodontist uses special instruments to loosen your gums and move them back to the appropriate position. This procedure has gained popularity due to it being far less invasive than traditional gum grafting, which in turn makes the recovery time significantly faster.
Many patients will say it's about a 6-7 out of 10 on a 1-10 pain scale. The reason it's more painful is that they harvest the donor tissue from the surface of the roof of the mouth. This leaves the underlying gum tissues completely exposed and therefore in pain.
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.
About 15-20% of the patients ages 20-35 have some sort of gum recession and may require grafting. About 75% of people older than 50 will require some form of gum grafting due to age and normal chewing.
Someone whose gums are free of gum disease
If a gum graft is performed on unhealthy gums, then it is likely that the procedure will fail. Good gum health is essential to a successful gum grafting.
How long can I expect my gum graft to last? No matter the type of oral procedure, proper care and maintenance are necessary to ensure results last as long as possible. With a gum graft, you can expect it to remain in place for a lifetime, but you will need to take care of your oral health on a daily basis.
Gum grafting surgeries have a success rate of up to 90%. Besides, with local anesthesia, you should not experience any pain during your treatment. Afterward, your dentist will prescribe pain medication to help you manage your soreness after the numbing wears off.
Is pain normal after a gum graft surgery? While a gum graft procedure isn't considered major surgery, it does require some recovery time and short-term modifications to your diet. The procedure typically takes tissue from the roof of the mouth, also known as the palate.
If you simply graft over the exposed root of a mis-positioned tooth, you will have a 100% failure rate. You haven't changed the conditions that led to recession in the first place. So, in these cases, your Dentist should first improve tooth position with conventional braces or Invisalign.
During your gum graft surgery, you'll probably be awake like most people, or perhaps opt to be sedated. Most patients do not require anything more than local anesthetics to numb the area. Once the area is numb you will only feel slight applied pressure but will not feel pain or sharpness.
Gum graft surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia, so you will be awake during the procedure but should not feel any pain.
On average, a gum graft can cost between $600 and $1,200 for a small area around one tooth. Dental insurance often covers at least part of the cost of a gum graft. If it is deemed medically necessary, medical insurance may provide some coverage for gum graft surgery as well since it is a surgical procedure.
Don't brush the grafting area or otherwise disturb it during the first week of healing. During the second week after surgery, use an extra-soft toothbrush that your dentist provides, a special brush for post-operative cleaning for use ONLY around the area where the graft was placed.
Mild cases of gum recession may be improved with nonsurgical treatments, such as topical antibiotics, dental bonding or orthodontics. In most instances, however, gum recession surgery is needed to fully correct the problem.
Gum grafting is a dental procedure performed by a periodontist (a gum specialist). It's the recommended course of treatment for receding gums to avoid exposing the teeth' root surface that leads to decay and sensitivity.
If you use your own tissue, the most teeth you can typically graft at once would probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of 7-8 teeth. With alloderm, you could graft every single tooth in your mouth in one sitting!
Most gum surgery procedures take around 2 hours to complete. In some cases, the surgery will require a person to be asleep or partially asleep during the procedure. Other times, the surgery only involves the use of a local anesthetic to numb the gums. The injection of the numbing medication can be mildly uncomfortable.