Gum Grafting: Is This Procedure Painful?

Most people usually focus on the teeth’s health and almost always forget that gum health is critical. That’s why gum disease catches most people off-guard. Gum disease affects the gums causing them to recede, leading to loose teeth, exposed tooth roots, and eventually bone loss. However, gum disease isn’t the only cause of gum recession; activities such as vigorous brushing can also lead to gum recession.

Whatever the cause of gum recession or gum damage, you need to seek proper treatment by undergoing gum grafting. Our dentist performs gum grafts to repair gums that have receded. Gum grafting is essential in preventing tooth decay and further gum recession.

But if you are scheduled for a gum graft procedure, you must wonder whether the procedure will be painful. Without further ado, let’s get acquainted with the procedure to explore what happens.

A Sneak Peek Into the Gum Graft Procedure

When your gums recede, you will deal with oral health issues such as tooth and root decay. However, your smile will also be affected since your teeth will appear longer and, at times, crooked. That’s why visiting our cosmetic dentist near you is key to restoring your smile to its former glory.

Our dentist performs the procedure by removing healthy tissue from another area of your mouth and using it to cover the exposed root. Our dentist in Merrifield, VA, uses either of the three types of gum graft:

• Free Gingival Graft – The donor tissue is taken directly from the roof of your mouth (palate). It is the best option if your gums need more support.
• Connective Tissue Graft – Our dentist gets the donor tissue from the right beneath the surface of the palate. A connective tissue graft is the most used gum graft
• Pedicle Graft – This donor tissue comes from the area close to your neighboring tooth. Our dentist considers this option only when there is enough healthy gum tissue.

Pain During the Gum Graft Procedure

Gum grafting is a minor periodontal surgery, and our dentist cannot commence without numbing the area. Therefore, you can expect to receive local anesthesia moments before the procedure to give the anesthetic time to kick in.

Once our dentist confirms that the anesthetic has taken effect, removal of the donor tissue will begin. So, you can expect not to feel pain the whole time our dentist is repairing your gums. However, it doesn’t mean that you might not feel anything. You can expect to feel pressure or movement as our dentist performs the procedure. In the off-chance that you begin to feel pain during the procedure, alert our dentist.

In a nutshell, you will not feel pain during the procedure. But you will experience pain or tingling sensations when the anesthesia starts wearing off, usually after a few hours.

Pain After the Gum Graft Surgery

When you feel pain, soreness or even discomfort after the anesthetic wears off, don’t panic. It’s quite normal since the procedure involved some incisions on various parts of the gingival tissues. But the pain tends to reduce in intensity as each day passes.

Most patients experience mild pain, which can easily be managed using non-prescription painkillers. Very few people experience moderate and severe pain. In any case, pain after the surgery should last about two days.

However, if you undergo periodontal plastic surgery and gum grafting is involved, there is a chance that the pain might be a bit intense.

On the flip side, some patients also experience very minimal pain, and the pain levels significantly drop after the first day.

Remember that the pain level depends on your pain tolerance, the type of medication you use after the procedure, and the type of gum graft your dentist uses.

Pain Management After Gum Graft Surgery

The moment anesthesia wears off; there will be a cascade of feelings that you will experience. Therefore, you will need to manage the pain and decrease the levels of discomfort. You can use non-prescription pain medications. In other cases, our dentist in Merrifield, VA, may prescribe pain medication to help you cope during recovery.

Besides taking pain medication, our dentist near you recommends that you do the following:

• Adhere to all the post-surgery instructions concerning dental hygiene
• Don’t disturb the surgical site by prodding or poking with your tongue, fingers, or other objects
• Eat soft foods like jello, mashed potatoes, and yogurt
• Avoid spicy, acidic, and hard foods that could irritate the area

Visit a Dentist Near You

The bottom line is that the gum graft procedure is painless since it’s performed under local anesthesia. Pain comes after the anesthesia wears off. In any case, if you need to know more about getting gum grafting in Fairfax, VA, contact us at Drummond Dental Care.