Friday, June 10, 2011

Gum Graft Experience Two Weeks Later


Finally, over two weeks have passed! According to those online sites, my gum graft wounds should be pretty nicely healed now.

Let's look back at Day 13!


On day 13, I went in early for my follow-up appointment with my periodontist. I was scared that the gum graft had fallen off, but I was assured that the gum graft was still there. It just looked so much like my original gums in colour that I couldn't tell if it was the new gums or the old gums - not bad!

As you can see from the picture, some of the stitches are still attached. Those fell out about a day or two later.
The periodontist told me that the "bandage" was still attached to the roof of my mouth where the gum graft donor tissue was taken from. I was surprised to hear that I had a bandage up there. I thought it was just the scab. I realize now that those pale coloured edges in the earlier pictures is actually the bandage she painted on.

She told me that there would be nice, new tissue on the roof of my mouth when the bandage fell off.
Sure enough, the bandage fell off today on Day 16! There really is nice, pink new tissue underneath!
This is the highly disgusting yet strangely fascinating bandage that fell off. It's thin like a crust and hard like a shell. Ewwww!
And, ta da, here is the gum graft so far. There are no more stitches and everything is smooth and pink. The graft is slightly lighter in colour, but there are no ugly edges. Everything blends in pretty well.

I am quite satisfied with how this gum graft experience turned out so far.

Best wishes for a good experience for you too if you ever need to get a gum graft!

Take care!

20 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 21, 2011 at 2:20 AM

    Hello, you've got a very nice blog. I was wondering if you would like to make a link exchange with my tutorial blog: http://how-to-tuts.blogspot.com/, just leave a comment with your answer on my blog and I will add your blog to my blogroll.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Totally TimmyJuly 4, 2011 at 10:57 PM

    Wow..have I been missing out on reading this blog..I'm off to catch up on this gum graft!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mytutorlist.comJuly 5, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    Hi Totally Timmy,

    I feel like you've been gone for a very long time. Where have you been!?!?

    Now I'm off to check your blog to see if you're back :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. dentist Fort LauderdaleAugust 5, 2011 at 6:28 AM

    Your blog was just amazing and I enjoyed reading the blog. Yeah, you are right about the gum grafting. If the gums are stronger, your teeth will also be strong and you will have a beautiful smile. The gum grafting provides gum coverage to the exposed roots of the teeth. Your own cellular network migrates over the framework of the graft and forms into a new tissue.

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  5. KendraAugust 30, 2011 at 11:23 PM

    Thank you so much for posting the story of your gum graft. I am at day 14 and I just looked at the roof of my mouth and was worried by the black colour of the wound. I'm really relieved to find out that it's just a bandage with a bit of blood on the underside. whew! The pictures you added are reassuring to me. Mine was done a bit differently with the graft added under the gum tissue rather than over, so I didn't have the ugly white sides like you did... although I did have a bandaid on my gum for about 10 days which looked like a piece of chewing gum so who knows what it looked like under there. Thanks again for the detailed posts. I feel much better knowing that mine is around the same amount of healing that yours was at the two week mark. I go for my post-op appointment in a week.

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  6. Dental Implant New JerseySeptember 6, 2011 at 3:13 AM

    Thank you for sharing your experience in detail. This is a very good blog. It’s good that you were strong during the surgery. I liked the way you shared your experience blog by blog. Your gum is looking nice, & you are right, the bandage looks really bad. But the best thing is your gum is looking good.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dentures ChicagoSeptember 6, 2011 at 3:23 AM

    Wow, you had a great experience. I hope now you can easily win your fears. I went through all the blogs & I loved them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mytutorlist.comSeptember 6, 2011 at 8:03 PM

    Hi Kendra,

    I'm so glad that you benefited from my posts and the photos! It's nice to know that the black part on the roof of your mouth is normal, huh? I know how worried I was when I first saw it. I hope everything will go well during your post-op! The graft under your gums will look so good! I would have gone for that type of graft just based on looks alone, but the free gingival graft was all that I needed.

    Take care!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mytutorlist.comSeptember 6, 2011 at 8:06 PM

    Hi dentist Fort Lauderdale, Dental Implant New Jersey, and Dentures Chicago,

    Thank you for your positive feedback! I'm so glad that you like my blog and find it worthwhile to read.

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dental ImplantDecember 19, 2011 at 9:41 PM

    Your blogs are very Nice!

    Gum grafts

    ReplyDelete
  11. StephanieFebruary 18, 2013 at 1:12 AM

    Thank you so much for sharing your Gum Graft experience. I'm scheduled to have one in March. I'm wondering what toothbrush & toothpaste do you use now to keep your gums healthy?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mytutorlist.comFebruary 18, 2013 at 1:39 AM

    Hi Stephanie,

    Good luck with your gum graft in March!

    I am using a soft bristled toothbrush with a small head to brush with. The softness helps to prevent damage to my gums and the small head makes it easier to fit at the back teeth at the top of the gums where it is harder to clean.

    Make sure to floss every day, and get your peridontist/dentist to teach you the best way to brush to help keep your gums healthy.

    When I start to feel tartar build up on my teeth, I use an electronic toothbrush that day. (The round spinning kind by Oral B.) It takes off most of the build up. I don't use the electronic toothbrush daily because I think the soft hand-held toothbrush is gentler and it fits better in the back teeth area.

    I find that removing the tartar regularly makes my teeth less sensitive, and the gums seem healthier too. Just be gentle on your gums.

    Of course, after your gum surgery, you will need to stick with the most gentle options first and let the dentist take care of removing tartar.

    My favourite toothpaste right now is Colgate MaxFresh with Breathstrips mostly because it's refreshing, kind of sparkly, and a blue gel :)

    However, when I notice staining on my teeth, I will use Crest 3D White with Enamel Renewal that day and use it with the electronic toothbrush with the whitening head. It seems to take the staining off quite nicely. It's handy for special events :)

    I hope your gum surgery goes smoothly! Best of luck!

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2013 at 2:54 AM

    I appreciate this posting. Very nice indeed. Awesome blog post. The graphic material shown here is definitely of pretty substantial quality.A big thanks..

    ReplyDelete
  14. gummyinrenoJune 28, 2013 at 3:21 PM

    Thanks SO MUCH for this!!! I am on day 4 and am pretty miserable. Although today is much better than yesterday. Today i was scared when i looked at the graft. Yesterday, it was nice and white and oval shape. Today its grayish and looks like its falling apart. Thanks to all your info and pictures im not so panicked anymore!!!

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  15. Mytutorlist.comJune 29, 2013 at 11:11 AM

    Thanks, gummyinreno! I'm glad the blog postings helped you. I hope it all goes well for you.

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  16. UnknownDecember 30, 2013 at 2:53 PM

    Thanks for your story! I'm heading to get my gum graft tomorrow and of all the "nightmare" and "Hell" stories there are out there yours gave me a very positive outlook!

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  17. Mytutorlist.comDecember 30, 2013 at 6:15 PM

    Hi Renee,

    Good luck with the gum surgery! I hope it turns out perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2014 at 2:00 PM

    Thanks for posting this, was encouraging to read as I'm preparing for my gum graft tomorrow! Glad yours went so well, I'm hoping for a similarly good result :)

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  19. UnknownMay 19, 2015 at 2:06 PM

    I am so glad I found your blog. I am scheduled for gum grafting on 5/28 and it will be on 4 of my teeth. I have been so anxious about it but sounds like it's not too major, just a minor inconvenience. Heck, I'll probably lose some weight from not snacking. I will probably keep a log book of my experience also for the Periodontist. Thank you! - Jenny

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  20. UnknownMarch 21, 2022 at 9:25 AM

    In a week I will be having gum surgery to fix a failed implant.. very nervous but trust my oral surgeon..is there anything I should know about the procedure or recovery and does this have a good success rate

    ReplyDelete

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