Gum recession and grafting
Whether receding gums need a graft, what the consultation checks, graft options, recovery and what the estimate covers.
- Gum recession and grafting
Tunnel gum grafting: a patient's guide
Tunnel gum grafting covers exposed tooth roots by sliding a graft into a small pocket under the gum instead of cutting and lifting a flap. The gum between the teeth…
- Gum recession and grafting
When can you brush and floss near a gum graft?
Usually you keep brushing and flossing the rest of your mouth from day one but leave the grafted teeth and the palate wound alone until the surgeon clears them, often…
- Gum recession and grafting
What does a healing gum graft look like?
A healing graft changes color and texture in a fairly predictable order: pale on the day of surgery, often grayish-white or dull in the first days while it survives on…
- Gum recession and grafting
A gum graft looks white: expected healing or a reason to call?
A whitish or grayish look in the first several days is commonly part of normal healing: the graft has no working blood supply yet and its surface forms a pale protective…
- Gum recession and grafting
The donor site hurts more than the graft: what should you report?
Yes, when tissue is taken from the palate the donor site is often the sorer of the two, because it heals as an open wound while the graft is covered by gum. Reviews of…
- Gum recession and grafting
Toothbrush pressure and gum recession: changing habits before surgery
Forceful brushing, long horizontal scrubbing and stiff bristles have been associated with gum recession and notched root wear in observational studies. The evidence…
- Gum recession and grafting
Thin gums and visible tooth roots: what do measurements tell you?
The measurements describe four things: how far the gum edge has moved from where enamel ends (recession depth), how much firm, keratinized gum remains below it, how…
- Gum recession and grafting
How are gum graft results measured beyond the before-and-after photo?
Clinicians judge a graft by measurements, not by a photo: how much of the exposed root is now covered (complete versus partial), how much firm keratinized gum was…
- Gum recession and grafting
What can you eat after gum graft surgery?
In the first days most patients are asked to eat cool or lukewarm, soft foods that need little chewing, to chew on the side away from the graft and away from the palate…
- Gum recession and grafting
Can gum grafting help protect roots that are developing cavities?
Exposed root surface is softer and less mineralized than enamel, so it decays more readily. Covering it with gum tissue can protect it in selected cases, but a graft…
- Gum recession and grafting
Gum grafting around an implant: how it differs from grafting a natural tooth
The tissue around an implant attaches differently from the tissue around a tooth: there is no periodontal ligament, the soft-tissue collar is held by a weaker…
- Gum recession and grafting
Can gum recession come back after a graft?
It can. Long-term follow-up studies report that most of the coverage gained is usually maintained, but some sites lose part of it over the years and a smaller number…
- Gum recession and grafting
Graft material questions for patients who avoid animal-derived products
Graft tissue used for root coverage falls into three categories: your own tissue, usually from the roof of the mouth; processed human donor tissue (an allograft); and…
- Gum recession and grafting
A second opinion on gum grafting: the questions that clarify necessity
A second opinion is most useful when you ask both offices the same questions and compare the answers, not the personalities: is the recession progressing or stable, is…
- Gum recession and grafting
Palate tissue versus donor tissue for gum grafts: compare the tradeoffs
Both are established ways to cover an exposed root. Your own connective tissue, usually taken from the palate, tends to produce more firm, keratinized gum and has the…
- Gum recession and grafting
One receding tooth or several: how graft planning differs
A single recession and several adjacent recessions are planned differently. Adjacent sites are often treated in one procedure with a flap or tunnel that spans the teeth…
- Gum recession and grafting
Why root coverage is not guaranteed after a gum graft
A gum graft often covers most or all of an exposed root, but complete coverage cannot be promised. The achievable result is set largely by the bone and gum between the…
- Gum recession and grafting
When can you exercise after gum graft surgery?
There is no universal date. Oral-surgery guidance is to avoid strenuous exercise, heavy lifting and sports for at least the first few days, because raised blood pressure…
- Gum recession and grafting
Does gum recession make teeth more sensitive?
Often, yes. Recession uncovers root surface that has no enamel. Its thin covering of cementum wears easily and exposes dentin, whose tiny tubules carry cold, air, sweet…
- Gum recession and grafting
Gum recession after orthodontics: what should be assessed before grafting?
Before a graft is planned after braces or aligners, the dentist usually assesses where each root now sits relative to the bone and gum, how thick the gum is, whether…
- Gum recession and grafting
Gum graft recovery: what to expect from day one to week six, and whether you can drive home
Usually, yes. A gum graft done with local anesthetic alone does not by itself impair your ability to drive, so most patients can drive themselves home, including a 30 to…
- Gum recession and grafting
Tunnel gum graft versus flap techniques: what does the difference mean for you?
Both are ways of covering an exposed root with your own gum tissue, usually together with a connective tissue graft. A coronally advanced flap uses small incisions so…
- Gum recession and grafting
How much does a gum graft cost, and why can the estimate vary?
There is no single price for a gum graft because the procedure is planned tooth by tooth. Most variation between estimates comes from five things: how many teeth or…
- Gum recession and grafting
Gum graft surgery in Santa Barbara: what happens at the consultation?
Expect an assessment visit; treatment is not usually done the same day. The dentist measures each area of recession, from the line where enamel ends to the gum edge…
- Gum recession and grafting
Do receding gums always need a graft? What determines the decision?
Not necessarily. Many cases of gum recession are stable and are managed by removing the cause and monitoring, not by surgery. A graft is considered when the recession is…