How Painful is Gum Grafting?
Prior to establishing the level of pain or discomfort you might encounter after a gum grafting newark oh procedure you first need to accept that pain itself is relative. When a physician asks about our pain experience on a scale from 1 to 10, we all have subjective responses. Pain is relative to our own experiences, our mental and physical makeup. With that being said, you will have some discomfort following gum grafting. At first, we’ll discuss the reasons for considering gum grafting, the surgical procedure itself and then the healing process.
Why Consider a Gum Grafting Procedure?
Gum grafting is the result of gum recession. This is a common result of aging and can be accelerating by personal habits. Gum recession is when the root of the tooth becomes exposed. The root does not have the hard enamel surface of the exposed crown so this can result in the discomfort of increased sensitivity to hot and cold and lead to bone loss. It can also result in the loss of a tooth. Gum recession also impacts your smile. Happening over time you will not immediately see the change, but the perception of balance between tooth and gum is changing. Gum grafting can have both positive health implications as well as improved mental implications with the improvements made in your smile. If you do not exercise good oral hygiene you can allow plaque to form on your teeth which will then infect the gums creating periodontal disease. This is the primary cause of gum recession. Smoking is not healthy for your gums either. Diabetes will advance gum recession and even aggressive brushing with a firm-bristle tooth brush will have a negative effect. Finally, there is your own genetic makeup.
The Gum Grafting Procedure
Most often the graft will come from the roof of your mouth. Then this soft tissue will be added to the receded area with surgical sutures. The graft can also come from another gum tissue area that has an excess or occasionally it may come from a tissue bank. Thanks to local anesthesia you will experience no pain or discomfort during the procedure. When the anesthesia wears off is when you will be dealing with some unpleasantness.
The Recovery and Healing Process
You indeed will be sore for a day or two and may encounter some minor swelling. The level of discomfort most often is neutralized with just over the counter pain medication. If the pain is elevated your dentist can prescribe an additional pain medication. Sometimes an antibiotic might be prescribed to control the possibility of infection. You will be advised to NOT brush your teeth near the sutures. You will be also given a list of food and drink to avoid. Mostly this is about eating soft foods to minimize biting and chewing. Hot beverages should be avoided as well. This will only last about a week and then the restrictions will begin to be removed, again based on the amount of work done and your ability to heal. Remember, the discomfort is short lived, and better than the uncomfortable sensitivity daily from the exposed tooth roots.
More on Gum Grafting : How Long Does it Take to Heal After Gum Grafting?