has anyone had a gum graft?

[Sims]

DS has to have a gum graft. The gum line is too high over a few of his teeth. The skin is taken from the roof of the mouth and grafted on the gums at the top of the teeth. How uncomfortible is this? How long before you feel normal again?

Thanks.

 

[mrsapalm]

I had a gum graft a few years ago - I never developed enough gums to completely cover the normal area on my lower jaw, so my doctor grafted tissue from the roof of my mouth to my gum in my lower jaw.
I was given enough pain meds to be able to handle it - but I wasn't able to eat or brush properly for at least a week. So I drank a lot of my foods (my blender became my best friend). The roof stays a little sore for a while (at least mine did), but it was manageable. I was afraid to brush too vigorously because I didn't want to disturb the graft, and even now it's still a bit sensitive to flossing (bleeds more easily) but it's not a problem.
Good luck with it - he won't talk well for a few days so use a notepad if you don't understand him - and be prepared for some drooling.
-AP

 

[Sims]

thanks, mrsapalm

the drooling and inability to talk well should be interesting since DS is a lawyer.

Did you only need tylenol after you got home?

 

[mrsapalm]

I took painkillers for a day after it was done, then switched to the extra-strength aspirin because I had to drive to spend Christmas Eve with my boyfriend at the time - at his parents' house!! It's a good thing they knew me well by then, otherwise I wouldn't have made a good impression!
It did hurt to smile and I didn't want to disturb the area, so don't crack any good jokes!
-AP

 

[Tony-NJ]

a couple of times too. It's uncomfortable more than anything. I just ate lots of ice cream / frozen yogurt for a few days after.

 

[jel0511]

I had one done about 9 years ago. Jeez that is a long time!!! Anyway, i only had to have two teeth grafted, since the muscle that attaches your bottom lip to your gums was pulling my gums down, so I had that cut in addition to the graft. It was painful, and I was swollen for a few days. I actually went to work the next day, but I had to leave, I was in SUCH pain (I'm a pain wimp). It lasted a couple of days, and then it was fine. I had stitches that needed to be removed, but that was for the cutting I had, not the graft. Nine years later, and everything is fine, no need for additional work!!!!

 

[nativetxn]

Never had one, hope your son doesn't have a lot of discomfort with this.

 

[Disney845]

When I was in the 5th grade I needed to get retainers, both top and bottom. My bottom gum was thin and the doc worried that with the pressure from the retainer, it might cause the gums to break. I had gum grafted out of the roof of my mouth and placed in front of my 4 front bottom teeth. The actual process was of little to no pain as I was injected with some type of pain killer in both the roof and the bottom gum line. It had dissolving stitches put into it, so I didn't need to go back to have the stitches out. I couldn't eat for a few days and was in a small amount of pain for a few days, but I don't deal well with pain, so someone with a higher threshold might not have felt more than mild discomfort. The grafted gum is very noticable if I pull my lip down to show anyone as it is a whitish color as opposed to the pink of your gums. I can still feel a small indentation in the roof of my mouth were the gum was grafted from.

 

[poohandwendy]

It is really weird that I saw this thread. Just today my dentist told me I would probably need this. He is going to refer me to a periodontist to see if I am a candidate for the procedure. My gums receded above the crown I got when I was young and the tooth is exposed, hopefully they can do something about it. Thanks for the info. Btw, how long does the procedure take?