Gum grafting recovery
Healing usually is quick. Most patients are fully healed in just one to two weeks. Most people do return to work the day after their procedure though.
You should be fully healed from a gum graft in one to two weeks. You'll need to schedule a follow-up appointment with your periodontist a week or so after the procedure so that they can make sure you're healing properly and the graft is successful. After about two weeks, you should be able to brush and floss again.
Do not look at the surgery site after leaving here. Some areas may remain sore for 5 to 6 days. The grafts may be a whitish or grayish appearance for 4 to 6 days after surgery, but this is normal until full blood circulation is restored.
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.
Usually, you can tell you have a failed gum graft because you will have a large white patch of white tissue that has come off the tooth. Sometimes it may even look like the gum graft is falling off.
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.
Typically, the white stuff is granulation tissue. It is essential to the healing process of the extraction site. Other times, the white stuff is pus or a dry socket. A dry socket is often painful, and it occurs when the blood clot does not form correctly.
You need to wait up to 8 weeks or so for tissue maturation and to determine how much tissue has “taken”. If the graft tissue was thick to start with, the superficial layer will slough off but the deep parts will survive. (The most outside portion of the graft would not survive due to lack of blood supply.
Patient may experience pain, described as a constant dull ache or sharper pain during mastication or speaking (movement of oral and peri-oral tissues). Patient experiences anxiety over procedure and perceived lack of success.
The gum graft is held in place with very delicate sutures and takes 5-7 days to attach firmly. Repeated pulling back of the cheek, lip or tongue to look at the graft, can cause the graft to move during the first 5-7 days after surgery, which can cause the graft to fail.
Following oral surgery, we recommend that you sleep with your head and shoulders propped up above your heart level. Add an extra pillow or two to your bed or to the place where you will be resting. If you have a recliner, this is also an excellent way to keep your head elevated.
Once the bone graft has been placed, it holds space for your own body to do the repair work. In other words, a dental bone graft is like a scaffold on which your own bone tissue can grow and regenerate. In some cases, your dental provider may combine a dental bone graft with platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
Because the “tunnelling” gum graft approach is minimally invasive, your new gum graft will be a natural pink color and look so natural, most of our patients cannot even tell which teeth were treated and which were not.
For soft tissue “gum” grafts, the site(s) may appear white during the healing process (up to 2 weeks), this is normal and not a sign of infection. The tissue will change to a pink color as it heals.
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.
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.
In most cases the dressing is left in the mouth for a period of 7-14 days and may be changed once or more by the doctor during this time. Try to keep the dressing in placed until your next appointment. If the dressing becomes loose or comes off, do not try to push it back.
Oral Hygiene
The day after surgery, the rinse should be used twice a day, after breakfast and before bed. Be sure to rinse for at least 30 seconds then expectorate. Warm salt water rinses (teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) can be used 4-5 times a day best after meals.
It's not uncommon for people to experience an itchy feeling in their gums after having surgery. People who just had their wisdom teeth removed report having an itch in the area where the incisions were made and is a result of the healing process.
Recovery. The gum grafting procedure has a 90% success rate, therefore patients can feel confident the procedure will benefit them. Recovery from this procedure normally takes 4-6 weeks, during which patients will be asked not to brush or floss near the newly repaired area.
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.
The third day after surgery, a soft food diet can be started where you can enjoy pasta, fish, soup, mashed potatoes, rice, eggs, cooked soft vegetables, or oatmeal.
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.
WHAT DOES A FAILED SKIN GRAFT LOOK LIKE? Compromised or failed skin grafts are characterized by continuous pain, numbness, fever, discoloration, redness, swelling, or a breakdown of tissue. The most obvious sign of an unhealthy skin graft is darkening skin that lacks the pink appearance of healthy skin.