Anybody had a gum graft?

[kwolfsheimer]

Well, went to the dentist yesterday.  Of course, my dentist always loves me because he says that I have such impeccable oral hygiene...  I really do, but it hasn't stopped this horrible disease from working on my mouth. It has been SO dry. At night I wake up choking because I have absolutely no moisture in my mouth.  Anyhow, I have severe gum recession.  My gums themselves and the teeth are really healthy,  but on the left side, they are so exposed that the top ridges of my teeth are totally exposed.  He said that he is going to put some bonding material on them next week, but it's so severe on one side-- and starting on the other that he may recommend me to an oral surgeon to have a gum graft.

Has anybody had one of these?  What is the procedure and does it work?

[irish]

You betcha!!!

My hubby had gingivitis quite badly back in the seventies and had months of teeth cleaning every 2 weeks, etc. The teeth didn't look bad but several of the roots were visible. We didn't know he had Celiac disease then but later on after diagnosis we knew that is why his guns disease had developed.

Anyway, he had several surgeries and one of them was a gum transplant on one of the bottom front teeth. It took well and is still working to this day. They sew it so it is over the exposed root and sewn on each side. The top and bottom of the graft are open so that debris will be cleaned out when eating and drinking. Really worked well. Did you ask the dentist if he thought there would be any delayed healing?

I would think it would be ok as I had all my teeth pulled and they healed in well. Good luck. Irish

[Daisy1234]

Hi:

Yes, I have had 7 separate gum grafts and bone grafts (dental surgery) over the past 10 years or so.  The last one I had was just last year (2010).  I always opt for anesthetic instead of a local with mine and so for me the procedure is a piece of cake.  My mouth is usually sore for the next week, day 3 always seems to be the worse for me.

I use a prescription mouthwash after the surgery to help with the soreness.  They also recommend a salt/warm water rinse, but this is too drying for my mouth.

Depending on the extent of the gum graft, it takes a couple to about 4 months for it to heal completely for me.

As for the procedure itself, the oral surgeon involved should explain it in detail to you, including what type of material he is using for the graft.

If you have any specific questions, please just ask, I have alot of experience on the receiving end of this procedure.

Daisy

[dry2010]

Yes  I have had this done in the 80's on the bottom front and it is still going strong today. It was not the easiest but after it healed I have never had a issue with it.

Dry2010

[Butterfly]

My daughter had this done when she was 8. She had a tooth come in at an angle behind another tooth. It caused severe gum damage. She did great. I gave her pain medicine once when the sedation medication was wearing off and never had to give it to her again. It healed very well. They took a small section from the roof of her mouth for the graft. Neither site has ever given her any trouble. Hope this helps and that everything goes great with your procedure

[DSPeter]

I have had 3 grafts in the same area!!!  And a bone graft!  Didn't think of it being because of Sjogrens.

[kwolfsheimer]

Thank you guys. That is good to know.  I read up on it a bit.  Was also wondering about the anesthesia vs. the localized-- may opt to be out completely, although I'm pretty good on pain and noise. I may try to do it this summer while I'm off work.

What about eating and drinking?  Did you experience any issues after a few days of healing?

[Autoimmunity]

You betcha!!!

My hubby had gingivitis quite badly back in the seventies and had months of teeth cleaning every 2 weeks, etc. The teeth didn't look bad but several of the roots were visible. We didn't know he had Celiac disease then but later on after diagnosis we knew that is why his guns disease had developed.

Anyway, he had several surgeries and one of them was a gum transplant on one of the bottom front teeth. It took well and is still working to this day. They sew it so it is over the exposed root and sewn on each side. The top and bottom of the graft are open so that debris will be cleaned out when eating and drinking. Really worked well. Did you ask the dentist if he thought there would be any delayed healing?

I would think it would be ok as I had all my teeth pulled and they healed in well. Good luck. Irish

Celiacs causes gum disease?  I have never heard of that.  I went from perfectly normal gums to gum recession (just in a few spots) OVERNIGHT.  Nobody can tell me why.  Every time I ask the dentist about it I get the same "you are brushing too hard".  When I point out that I purchased an expensive toothbrush that indicates if I brush to hard and I clearly am not, I get the response that he didn't think that was it or I would have it all over.  When I asked about a deep cleaning I was told no as I do not have gum disease.  Ok, what do I have then??  No idea what is going on and nobody can tell me.  With all my other autoimmune issues, going to research celiacs as I know the endocrinologist brought it up quite some time ago.

[irish]

Celiacs get gum disease because of the malabsorption issues. When my hubby was diagnosed with gum disease he was not diagnosed with Celiac disease so his small intestine was not absorbing the vitamins and minerals from his food. With Celiac disease left untreated one can die from malnourishment or starvation even though one is eating.

Of course, having a gut ache and diarrhea all the time would probably hasten ones death when not following the gluten free diet. After getting on the gluten free diet the small intestine is usually able to heal on its own and start to absorb the nutrients again. Sometimes with delayed diagnosis not all the small intestine will return to normal or fairly normal condition. Irish

[irish]

kwolfsheimer, I just remembered that my hubby also had gum grafts to 2 different areas on the back teeth. These were packed with a substance that protected them for a while. Don't remember how long, but things change. He had this done with novacaine if I remember correctly. Also, he lived on malts and hot cereal for a couple of weeks. Irish