Tips to Make Healing After Your Gum-Tissue Graft Surgery Easier

It's common for people to not notice their gums receding until it becomes a problem because it's such a gradual process. However, when your gums recede to the point that the root of the tooth starts to become exposed, your teeth may become overly sensitive, and the bone supporting your teeth could become damaged. To correct receding gums, you need to have oral reconstructive surgery—specifically gum-tissue graft surgery. The process and recovery can be difficult for some people to deal with, but following these tips makes it easier.

Graft One Tooth at a Time

The more teeth you have grafted at once, the longer and more difficult your recovery. So instead of getting all of your teeth grafted at the same time, talk to your dentist about working on each one individually. At the very least, you should only have one half of your mouth grafted at once so that your entire mouth isn't out of commission during the recovery process.

Avoid Talking After Surgery

The more you talk, the more the inside of your mouth stretches. While talking shouldn't harm your stitches or reverse the effects of your oral reconstructive surgery, it could cause you to heal slower and make your recovery more painful. So keep talking to a minimum, at least for the first few days after your surgery.

Get a Stent, If Possible

Most oral surgeons will provide a dissolvable dressing to protect the stitches on the roof of your mouth until the area heals. However, it can be very hard to resist messing with the dressing with your tongue, and that could cause the area to bleed more than normal. If your dentist offers to make a stent for you to use during your recovery, you should consider getting it. A stent looks like a thin plastic retainer. It sits at the roof of your mouth over your stitches and dressing to prevent excess bleeding.

Don't Exercise

You shouldn't exercise for up to seven days after your oral reconstructive surgery. This includes both cardio and strength-training exercise. You'll be on a diet of soft foods during the healing process, so you won't be consuming enough calories to have enough energy to exercise. Additionally, exercise can worsen the bleeding, bruising, and swelling, which in turn will lengthen your total healing time.

Like with any oral reconstructive surgery, it's extremely important to follow your surgeon's aftercare instructions to make the healing process easier. If you have any questions about the specifics of your aftercare, you should discuss them with an oral surgeon from an organization such as Central PA Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons LLC before having your oral reconstructive surgery.


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