What Is Gum Grafting Surgery?
It is a dental treatment involving surgical measures to restore receding gums. Summerland dentists employ gum grafting surgery to overcome periodontitis, an advanced stage of gum disease. When you have gum disease, your gum tissue has a bacterial infection that is causing bleeding, swelling, and mouth sores. If you do not seek periodontics treatment early, it leaves room for the infection to keep spreading and worsening.
With time, the initial stage of periodontal disease, gingivitis, progresses and advances to periodontitis. The danger with periodontitis is that it manifests worse symptoms, including tooth loss. One of the major consequences of periodontitis is gum recession. It occurs when the gum tissue pulls away from the tooth enamel, exposing more of the tooth root. The um recession accounts for significant gum tissue loss, eventually compromising your teeth’ support. Part of gum therapy in Summerland, BC, necessitates surgery to restore damaged tissue.
Why Would You Need Gum Grafting Surgery?
Technically, gum grafting is done when the gum tissue is damaged. Other than periodontal disease, several other reasons can lead to damaged gums, including the following:
- Dental injury or trauma
- Eating habits
- Underlying illnesses
- Orthodontic problems
- Failed dental restoration – for instance, if you have dental implants.
What to Do After Gum Surgery for Quick Relief
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Immediately after your surgery, you will not feel anything in your mouth. The numbing will protect you from pain for a couple of hours before it wears off. When it does, you will need a few measures to provide quick relief as you approach the next few days of healing. Some of them are:
- Keep your gauze in place – for the next 40 minutes or one hour. The gauze will help control the bleeding, allowing blood clots to form accordingly.
- Refrain from speaking – keeping your mouth closed will benefit your recovery pace. Besides, your gums will be tender, swollen, and painful, which will get worse if you keep opening your mouth. Your oral surgeon will recommend refraining from talking for about three days immediately after your surgery.
- Do not poke the wound – resist the urge to use your tongue to poke and prod the wound to prevent dislodging any blood clots that are significant for healing.
- Cold compress – ice will help minimize any swelling in your gums, which then reduces your pain. Give your mouth a break after every 10-20 minutes of cold compressing for best results.
- Pain relievers – your dentist will prescribe some medication to help manage your pain levels during the first couple of days after surgery.
- Do not eat anything for at least 48 hours – it is a precaution the oral surgeon will give you. The idea is to protect the stitches from tearing and the graft from dislodging when you eat. Therefore, eat in advance, so you are prepared to wait that long for your next meal.
- Rest – even though the surgery was only in your mouth, your body will feel the impact. Resting allows your immune system to concentrate on healing instead of various tasks of the body. Besides, resting will treat some of the symptoms you may have after your surgery, including fatigue, anxiety, and being overwhelmed.
What Not to Eat After Gum Grafting?
One of the main concerns that our gum grafting patients at Summerland Dental Centre have regards what to eat after surgery. Whether it involves a small or a large part of your gums, you will have to make some adjustments to your eating habits after your surgery. Some of the don’ts of eating after gum grafting surgery are:
- Crunchy foods – they will hurt your gums and cause the stitches to tear.
- Hard foods – chewing may dislodge the gum graft.
- Chewy foods – even vegetables. Although they are healthy, they may require more chewing than is recommended as you heal from your surgery.
- Hot foods –they will burn your gums, increasing sensitivity and pain. Better yet, regulate the temperatures, so they are not too cold or too hot, which will only trouble your nerves.