A: You may resume brushing and flossing all teeth except the surgical area 24 hours after surgery. Avoid brushing the surgical area until your stitches are removed or have dissolved depending on the type of stitches placed for your procedure.
Do not floss around the tooth/teeth worked on for 4 weeks, so you don't accidentally take out any of the stitches. After 4 weeks, there should be no oral hygiene restrictions. Do not use a water-pick, or electric toothbrush around the graft area for 6 weeks after the procedure. After that, it should be OK.
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.
You may brush all other teeth as normal. The area where the graft was taken may bleed slightly once the anesthetic wears off. If this occurs, take a damp piece of gauze, and put pressure with your thumb for 15 minutes.
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.
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.
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.
Cleaning the Area Around the Gum Graft
Your dentist will recommend salt water rinses with warm salt water, 4 to 5 times a day for 7 to 14 days. Gently rinse your mouth with a mixture of a half teaspoon of salt in an eight ounce glass of warm, not hot, water. No swishing - this can disrupt healing.
What are gum graft failure symptoms? If your gum graft failed, you'll probably notice a large patch of white tissue that has come off of your tooth. Its lack of color means that the gum graft lost blood supply and is dying.
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.
Avoid PEROXIDE-based and ALCOHOL-based rinses, such as Listerine®, until 8 weeks after surgery.
Most patients will be fully healed from a gum graft procedure within two weeks but could take up to a month. A follow-up appointment with the doctor a week after the procedure will be needed to ensure the graft was successful and patient is properly healing. After two weeks, regular flossing and brushing can resume.
Gingival Grafts: starting the day AFTER surgery
Brush the chewing surfaces only with the toothbrush and toothpaste provided. Do not brush the surgery sites! At least 2 times day, use medicated mouthrinse.
Warm salt water rinses (teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) can be used 4-5 times a day best after meals. This usually speeds up the healing and provides a comfortable feeling to your tissues.
For two or three days following a gum graft, eat soft and unsticky foods. Eat lots of things like warm (not hot) oatmeal, cream of wheat cereal, eggs, yogurt, pasta, smoothies (not too cold), and mashed potatoes that have cooled slightly. Jello is another ideal option.
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.
This white material is usually granulation tissue, a fragile tissue composed of blood vessels, collagen, and white blood cells. Granulation tissue is a normal part of your body's healing process and is not cause for concern.
You will know that healing has begun when the soft tissues are shrinking and there is less swelling. The gum tissues gradually starts to bind to the root surface and nearby bone surface as well. New vessels will also start to form and the tissues will receive enough blood supply.
During the normal healing process, the gum graft site goes through many color changes. It will get red and puffy, then white or gray with sloughing for up to two weeks. The tissue will change to pink or the natural color of your gums as the area heals.
Yes, gum grafts fail sometimes. Understanding what causes failure is critical to understanding how to achieve success. Many of the factors that lead to failure are the same things that lead to gum recession in the first place.
Physical Activity. Avoid strenuous physical activity, heavy lifting (> 20 lbs), or swimming for a minimum of one week after surgery. You can resume 50% of your regular exercise regimen at one week after surgery and your normal routine 2 weeks after surgery.
Exercise such as jogging, swimming, and tennis should be discontinued for 48 hours after surgery. This is to reduce the risk of postoperative bleeding that might interfere with proper healing of the graft tissue.
Meanwhile, when gum recession is moderate to severe without loss of tissue in between the teeth, gum grafting can still be highly successful. Gum graft failure often happens when gum tissue in between the teeth has also receded. Long-term root coverage can be hard to achieve.