Gum Grafting: Procedure, Preparation, and Recovery

Our dentist recommends a tissue gum graft if you have receding gums. Receding gums expose your tooth roots. The exposure causes your teeth’s root surfaces to become prone to tooth decay besides causing sensitivity and abrasion. Gum grafting, also called gingival grafts, helps correct receding gums. Gum grafting is a straightforward surgical procedure performed by the dentist near you, gum specialists, or periodontists.

When performing gum grafting, the dentist initially removes some tissue from the roof of your mouth or neighboring healthy gum tissue to attach it to the area your gums have receded. The procedure doesn’t take much time allowing you to return soon after it is completed. If you want to know how to prepare for gum grafting, please continue reading this article providing information on some tips for recovery and the procedure.

Preparing for Gum Grafting Surgery

You can receive three types of gum grafts. They are free gingival grafts, connective tissue grafts, and pedicle grafts. Our dentist in Kingwood, TX, will discuss these options with you and recommend them according to your individual needs.

After deciding to have the procedure, there is no need for you to fast or change your diet on the day before or the day of the process. Instead, you merely have you show up at the dentist’s office, and the specialist will confirm the type of graft.

However, you must make arrangements for a ride to and from our dentist’s office. You receive medicines for pain and discomfort, and they can make it unsafe for you to operate vehicles. Therefore arrange for a ride back home with a friend or family member or use a cab.

What to Expect from Gum Grafting?

After you arrive at our dentist’s office for gum grafting in Kingwood, TX, the specialist gives you local anesthesia to numb the area of your mouth identified for the procedure. The specialist can also provide you with general anesthesia to make you unconscious during the gum grafting. However, general anesthesia is rarely recommended because of the risks associated with it.

Depending on your specific needs, the specialist performs one of the following procedures:

• Free Gingival Graft: in this variety, the specialist removes a tiny piece of tissue from your mouth’s roof to stitch it to the area needing grafting. Free gingival grafts are helpful if your gums are thin and need extra tissue to avoid future recession.
• Connective Tissue Graft:This variety requires the specialist to open a tiny flap in your mouth’s roof to remove a piece of connective tissue from under the top layer of tissue. The tissue removed is stitched to the area needing the gum grafting. Connective tissue grafts are the most common variety provided by dentists.
• Pedicle Grafts:This requires the specialist to create a flap of tissue from an area neighboring the gum recession to use it to cover the area of receding gum tissue. If you have sufficient gum tissue around the areas where gum recession has occurred, pedicle grafts prove beneficial because it doesn’t cut blood flow in any part of your mouth.

Gum grafting procedures are finished quickly, and after the specialist has sutured the grafting, they will likely provide an antibacterial mouthwash to wash your mouth.

How to Recover from Gum Grafting?

You can return home from the dentist’s office shortly after completing the procedure. If the specialists want to observe you, they may request that you wait for a couple of hours in the office. During the first couple of weeks, you must exist on soft and cold foods to ensure you don’t damage the graft. Eating hard or scorching foods can burn or irritate the graft.

Foods you can choose during your recovery include scrambled and soft-boiled eggs, yogurt, cooked vegetables to make them soft, cottage cheese, ice cream, gelatin, et cetera.

Our Kingwood dentist recommends antibacterial mouthwash for a couple of weeks to prevent infections and plaque buildup on your teeth. Brushing or flossing in the area is restricted until our dentist recommends it is safe to proceed. If you encounter any pain or discomfort, you can find relief from over-the-counter painkillers. You must stay away from strenuous activities until our dentist confirms you are safe to indulge in them.

You recover from the gum grafting procedure in a couple of weeks, but you must schedule follow-up appointments with our dentist a week after the process so they can ensure you are healing correctly. Your complete recovery requires a month or more, relying on your overall health and how well you care for your mouth during the recovery.

If you are convinced about the information provided in this article and are affected by gum recession, do not hesitate to contact Houston Oral Healthcare Specialists to find relief from having gum grafting surgery.