Keeping things clean
The swelling is finally starting to go down. This is now an awkward part where I feel fine and want to go out, but my diet is still restricted and I still have scary-looking stitches in my mouth.My top arch looks much, much more terrifying than my bottom arch. I believe this is because the Gengigel I've been using to help speed up healing (more on this below) can sit there longer against the gums due to gravity, whereas it's harder to keep it up against the top arch.
Let's look at pictures and you can decide for yourself.
*** Warning! Look away now if you don't want to see post-op pictures!! ***
I figured that since my periodontist asked me to send her photos of the loose stitch, we are now at a stage where the graft is a bit more stable and I can take other photos.
I'm sorry if these are gross, but as I said, a healing graft is not pretty. Hopefully these will help someone else who is looking in horror at their own graft site.
Bottom arch: The gums are darker pink/red rather than the pale anaemic pink from before. The gum contours are starting to settle back down but are still a bit higher than where they will end up. You can still see a little bit of the white from the AlloDerm around the edges of some of the gums, but most of it seems to be incorporating nicely. The gums are definitely still puffier than usual. Some of the stitches are now looser because the swelling has gone down.
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| Bottom arch - day 6 |
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| Top arch - day 6 |
Today's theme: Mouthwashes
I found that using Gengigel Gel really helped to soothe my mouth whenever it was feeling hot, tight, dry or sore. The gel is easy to use and thick enough that it seems to last in the mouth for a good while. Gengigel has been shown to help speed up healing and reduce inflammation - as I mentioned above, my bottom arch looks so much better than the top, and I think it's because of this (it is much easier to keep the gel against the gums in the bottom arch).I also used the Gengigel Mouthrinse to make sure I could get the product into all nooks and crannies. This stuff helps to heal gums! I would not be without the two Gengigel products.
Antimicrobial rinses
You should be given some kind of medical mouthwash to use, since you won't be brushing your teeth for a while. According to my surgeon, this is the part that patients find the hardest.
For my first surgery in 2012 I was given Corsodyl mouthwash. The active ingredient is Chlorhexidine, which is considered the gold standard in antimicrobial rinses. Most normal mouthwashes only kill surface bacteria and don't last in your mouth. Chlorhexidine is different in that it binds to your tooth surfaces so it remains active for longer.
The main drawback is that it stains your teeth! This can be easily removed with a normal cleaning at your dentist though. It can also make food taste weird.
Enter this guy - Curasept which I was given for my second surgery in 2017. Soooo much better! Definitely ask your surgeon if you can have this instead, or buy it for yourself if they give you Corsodyl. Seriously, it is so much better.
It has the same active ingredient as Corsodyl, but includes an anti-staining system so that your teeth stay white.
For both mouthwashes, you shouldn't use toothpaste at the same time because the sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) can neutralise the active ingredient.
Other rinses
You should be given some kind of medical mouthwash to use, since you won't be brushing your teeth for a while. According to my surgeon, this is the part that patients find the hardest.
For my first surgery in 2012 I was given Corsodyl mouthwash. The active ingredient is Chlorhexidine, which is considered the gold standard in antimicrobial rinses. Most normal mouthwashes only kill surface bacteria and don't last in your mouth. Chlorhexidine is different in that it binds to your tooth surfaces so it remains active for longer.
The main drawback is that it stains your teeth! This can be easily removed with a normal cleaning at your dentist though. It can also make food taste weird.
Enter this guy - Curasept which I was given for my second surgery in 2017. Soooo much better! Definitely ask your surgeon if you can have this instead, or buy it for yourself if they give you Corsodyl. Seriously, it is so much better.
It has the same active ingredient as Corsodyl, but includes an anti-staining system so that your teeth stay white.
For both mouthwashes, you shouldn't use toothpaste at the same time because the sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) can neutralise the active ingredient.
Other rinses
Aside from the medical rinses, you can use good old salt water (1/2 teaspoon in a cup of warm water). This can help with swelling and is a natural disinfectant. I find it quite soothing and like to alternate with the Gengigel.
Don't use regular mouthwashes though - especially not anything with hydrogen peroxide in it (like Peroxyl), as this can interfere with the blood clots and slow healing.
When did you get the stitches out? I am on day 7 post gum graft and the stitches seem to sometimes get caught on my cheek when I talk.
ReplyDeleteI got mine removed 4 weeks after, but they probably could have come out before (and a few fell out on their own). The dr was just being extra cautious because it was alloderm. They did catch, especially on my front lower lip, and so I tried to avoid talking too much.
DeleteThanks!! Glad I found your post.
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. I am 7 days post op on a Connective tissue graft, and I did 7 teeth. The gum around some of my teeth are red and puffy and look loose. the gum around a couple have a white flaky skin and the gum around 2 of them looks nice and pink. did you experience this? at day 6 or 7 when your gum looked red, did it look loose and puffy? Did it eventually firm up nice and pink aginst your tooth?
Yes, I had some red swollen/spongy feeling bits which did tighten up. I also had strange notches in my gums after everything healed from where the stiches were pressing down. Those eventually smoothed over too (maybe 6 months later). The human body is an anazing thing.
DeleteThanks so much for your response. I was freaking out over these red swollen spongy gums. It is good to talk to someone that has done this before and has experience.
DeleteHey, One more question. I am now 13 days post op and I have been seeing those yellowish white skin around my gum line for the last few days. Specially around where the recessions were it looks like a layer of slimy yellow skin covering the recession area. I am too scared to try to touch it at this point, but it kinda looks like how your upper arch looks. Did those slimy yellow skin ever turn pink and got incorporated in to your gumline? How long did it take?
ReplyDeleteFor me, the top layer sloughed off like a layer of dead skin and the rest underneath was pink. Don't be tempted to try to remove it, but at the same time it may come off naturally. This is the gross stage - I posted my after pics and you can see it all turned out well - best of luck to you!
DeleteI am not going to peel it off eventhough tempting. How long did it take for that skin to slough off? I have areas of yellow for 4-5 days or so and am wondering how much longer they would take. Thanks a lot
DeleteMine were all gone by the time my stiches came out. I guess it varies for everyone though - I also went to see my surgeon for a check up at about 14 days and she did a bit of cleaning for me (which I was very grateful for).
DeleteHey, I saw your after pictures and where you said there was recession on your bottom teeth. In the picture above 6 days post op, the bottom tooth looks covered. Did the tissue recede later? How long did it take for it to recede?
ReplyDeleteYes, it was the swelling that made the gum look very high (and also very lumpy!). Things shrank back down and smoothed out once the swelling went away. It's a very slow process though - even after a month my gums were still red and swollen.
DeleteDid you experience sensitive teeth to cold after surgery? I am 2.5 post op and still have sensitive teeth to cold.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I don't remember having sensitive teeth but it would make sense that it could happen. I use a sensitive toothpaste anyway so perhaps that helped.
DeleteHi there, I want to thank you for this blog! It has helped ease so many worries I have been having with my recovery. I wondered about day 6-- did you have pain? I still have to take two advil every six hours to keep the sore pain at bay. It's sort of a bruised face feeling and it's there when I talk or touch my face.
ReplyDeleteI stopped taking painkillers a little earlier, I think... It might just be residual swelling but I always advise to call your doctor if you're concerned.
DeleteThank you for your blog! It was super helpful1 I had an allograft 1 month ago on my bottom 4 center teeth. Some parts still look red at this point. In addition, one area seems like not much gum tissue grew and looks like a little cave where food tends to get trapped and I still see the tooth's root exposed. I have a few questions: 1) Will the red color subside and my normal pink gum color return? 2) How much gum will continue to grow after one month in the area I still see the tooth's root? I'm concerned about the area with little gum growth. 3) How many months post-op do you think no more changes occur and it has completely stabilized? I appreciate your help. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the blog helped you! The redness definitely goes away in time, but it can take a long time... I think my gums gradually went back to pink in about 6 months from memory... at that point the swelling had gone down and things had stablised. I didn't experience pockets but it sounds like you should check that with your surgeon. I didn't get full root coverage in all areas but the important thing was to stabilise the gums at their previous level so that no more recession would occur. The amount of coverage depends on the level of bone support. Let us know how you do!
DeleteThanks so much for your quick response! I'm glad to hear that the redness will go away. With regards to gum coverage, the surgeon said to try to keep it clean to encourage growth, but I could tell that he was not so confident if it would. I'll cross my fingers and let you know in a few months! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteMy gum graft went well but 5 days later, a small hole has developed on the right side of the graft, I'm worried it's failed
ReplyDeleteIt might be a stitch - best check with your doctor if you are worried, and be extremely gentle with the site. Rinse it out very well (but gently) with your medicated mouthwash. Fingers crossed for you.
DeleteHi! I'm on my 2nd grafting. I had the lower left area done about 8 weeks ago. I'm a week into the lower right side. 2 teeth. The tissue looks white, not red or pink. Is this normal? Will it turn pink? Or is this a sign of failure? I'm not a patient patient. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is probably too early to tell for your second graft, but it sounds like you should check with your doctor for reassurance. Best of luck!
DeleteHey Miss G! I recently had a soft tissue graft done on my two front bottom teeth, and I'm about five days in. I decided to take a little peak and couldn't help but notice that the gums on my bottom right tooth are a little receded...? more than the other? it's also a little swollen and pink, is this a sign of failure? btw the other tooth is completely fine!!
ReplyDeleteHi there! Pink and swollen is good at this stage :). The best thing you can do is be really gentle and keep everything meticulously clean. Even if the gums are a bit receded now, things can change a lot over the next few weeks, it's too early to tell right now if it's failed. Longer term you can also get something called "creeping attachment" where the coverage increases. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this reassurance! I just got back from my first post-op checkup and the dentist said everything looked good and I did a good job taking care of it the first week. I have another question, did your gums look a little weird after the first checkup?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, they went through all kinds of weirdness and took a while to get back to normal. If your dentist is happy then that's great :)
Deleteahh thank you! i tend to worry a lot so this was really reassuring :) i just want to make sure everything is going good
DeleteI wasn’t given any guidance about eating or drinking except to not drink fruit juice. My graft area is completely white, but I just had surgery two days ago. What foods should I avoid? And what should I rinse with?
ReplyDeleteI took care to avoid crunchy or hard foods. You'll know if it's bad because it will hurt!
DeleteI had gum graft surgery today. I will have to go back again later for both of my lower molars. The teeth today were my center bottom teeth. What has surprised me is that they just did the outside side of the teeth. I think I expected that inside and outside of the teeth would be grafted. What was your experience?
ReplyDeleteIt's technically possible to do the inside, but there's no cosmetic benefit so it's not done very often. I was told by one surgeon that it was possible but healing would be "hell". I guess that makes sense as it would be so much harder to avoid knocking it by accident!
DeleteI only had my center bottom tooth done on the inside and it's extremely hard to keep my tongue away!!! One piece of stitching has come loose but the graft still looks good. I'm just about 5.5 days out and it's pink and swollen still but not too bad. When i went for my consult a few months ago the surgeon said nothing of after care so the month they quoted me for soft foods and next checkup was shocking especially since its 1 day before I fly out for a much anticipated 2 week vacation. Not to mention Christmas and my birthday next week. I've been told to get a graft for a few years for very low gums on back of bottom center tooth but finally decided to pull the trigger.. had I known the extent of aftercare I would have booked it after the holidays and my vacation. I ordered everything you suggested, gengigel gel and rinse and coq10 ubiquitous. Please pray with me that this will be Magickly healed at my 1 month checkup just 1 day before my 2 week vacation!!!!! 🙏 😮😬
Deletehi so i’m a bit worried it’s been about 2 months since my gum graft and i’m feeling pain and it looks yellow instead of pink, should i be worrying?
ReplyDeleteSounds like it is worth a checkup with your surgeon, even if just to put your mind at rest. Hope it's all fine for you!
Deletehi so i’m a bit worried it’s been about 2 months since my gum graft and i’m feeling pain and it looks yellow instead of pink, should i be worrying?
ReplyDeleteSo many scary stories. My Dr told me to stop looking up horror gum graft stories... i am 2 wks post op. Had 3 front bottom teeth done. My one has a little saggy pocket area but my dr told me it all looks good. I'm am concerned but was told to not pull lip to look anymore cause it messes up healing. Hopefully it all merges, either way the tissue should be thicker than it was. Do you know if its common practice for Dr to redo failed grafts for free or would I have to pay a gazillion dollars again?
ReplyDeleteThe amount of root coverage depends on the underlying bone support, so another graft probably won't fix that if it didn't take the first time. You're right that either way, the remaining tissue will be tougher and hopefully last a lifetime. I'm afraid I haven't heard of Drs redoing grafts for free, but I guess that depends on the Dr and your relationship with them.
DeleteHi, I had my gum graft 3 weeks ago on front lower teeth. Teeth looked the same after stitches came out but doctor says graft looks good. Also he over lapped the donor graft over gums and no it feels like there something in my mouth always because gums are so lumpy. Am I being over concerned as it’s only been 3 weeks
ReplyDeleteDefinitely give it a bit more time as you will have residual swelling for a few months. Do check with your doc if you need reassurance!
DeleteWhat was tour go to food Options and how long were you on soft foods?
ReplyDeletePlease see my blog post for day 4, which is all about food options
DeleteOh my gosh..so glad I found your post. I had gum graft 12/23/20. I saw white spots in between 2 teeth and used a tissue to try to gently wipe it and it bled. Glad I saw your post..duh..it is healing tissue! I'm only 2 days post op and so bored! Sick of smoothies, scrambled eggs, etc. already..ugh!
ReplyDeleteI'm so frustrated with this process. I am on day 8 and the graft is on the tooth 3 which is upper right so I can't see the surgical sight. I feel like I have food stuck over there, stitches feel loose and my teeth in the area feel so dirty. Called the doc and they said not to brush the area just to go the salt water rinse. So hard not to run my tongue over it.
ReplyDelete