What Does Gum Grafting Surgery Entail?

Once Periodontist Dr. Denine Rice recommends that you have gum graft surgery she’ll have you schedule another appointment where you can come in and get the surgery completed. Gum grafting surgery may be recommended if your gums have receded to the point where the roots of your tooth are exposed or if your teeth are loose in your mouth. While this is not a cosmetic surgery, it may be recommended to enhance your original smile. This secondary benefit improves your smile by extending your gums back to where they should be.

There are three different types of gum graft surgeries and they depend on how much root you have that the periodontist can work with.   Connective tissue grafts use tissue from under the palette of the mouth. Once the flap has been cut and the correct amount of tissue has been removed, it will be placed in front of the area that needs tissue.  The tissue will then be stitched around the tooth in order to connect the tissue to the area in front of the tooth. Once the surgery is complete the dentist will reconnect the flap on the palate of the mouth to allow for healing. 

The second type of gum grafting surgery is called a Free Gingival graft. This procedure may be recommended if you need additional tissue to enlarge the gums. The tissue is taken from the palette of the mouth instead of underneath the palette. If you have thin gums, this procedure will allow the tissue around the gum to be built up.

The third kind of gum graft surgery is a pedicle graft. Dr. Denine Rice, one of Inland Empire’s top rated dentists, recommends this type of surgery to patients when patients have enough tissue by the tooth but it just needs to be pulled up to cover the tooth.  This surgery allows for tissue to be taken from around the tooth instead of taken from the palette. Once the tissue is placed in the correct spot it will be grafted on.  And the healing process will begin.

For more information contact Dr. Denine Rice & her team today.

What To Expect After Flap Surgery:

Flap surgery is recommended when your periodontal disease is severe and root scaling and planing is no longer an option.  Once gum recession has begun the tissue does not grow back. More aggressive surgeries may be necessary to cleanup the infection. After Flap surgery is completed you may feel some discomfort because your periodontist has to cut and pull away the gum in order to scrape the bacteria away from the roots.

Once flap surgery alone may not be enough to treat your disease. Other procedures may be necessary to restore your dental health. For example, you may need a procedure called bone grafting. Bone grafting is when bone is removed from one part of your body, sometimes the hip, and placed in the jawbone. When this procedure is completed it allows for a more stable jawbone in order for implants to be fully supported.  While bone grafting is considered a fairly simple procedure it does require a local anesthetic and bone needs to be harvested prior to the appointment.  

If you are missing teeth due to periodontal disease implants maybe the best way to restore full functionality. However, this procedure cannot be completed unless there is enough stable bone. 

After flap and bone graft surgery you may experience some discomfort, swelling and bleeding. It may also take awhile for the bone graft begins to grow. If you experience excessive discomfort or bleeding you should contact Dr. Rice’s office immediately.