No pain gum grafting ... pleasantly surprised!

[Anonymous]

I just had gum grafting (traditional, not pin hole) yesterday on 6 teeth. The periodontist used allograft (donor grafting, they did not take it from another place in my mouth).

Everyone I talked to before, and everything I read prior to this procedure, and every person at the dentist office/periodontist indicated that I would be in pain... and here I am, No pain! It was non-negotiable for me to use the allograft so that I'd have one less pain location. And given the vigorousness of the procedure (pressing, pulling, pushing on my jaw), I thought it was certain it would hurt alot when the novocaine wore off.

So, I just want to let people who might be considering gum grafting, and who are hesitating because you've heard how painful it is going to be, know that it might not be painful if you use the allograft.

[Anonymous]

Can you recommend the doctor who did this?

[Anonymous]

You can see the periodontist's bio on this site. He goes to various dental offices to provide periodontist services. This is not the office I use, but it has the bio for Dr. Suwid.

https://sweetsmiledentistry.com/about-us/meet-our-specialists/

[Anonymous]

Most of the people complaining of pain used their own tissue. That’s the main source of the pain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the people complaining of pain used their own tissue. That’s the main source of the pain.

Yup. When they take tissue from the palate it’s like a hot food burn but worse, and it lasts a lot longer.

-dentist

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing where you went! I need this done also. I had a previous allograft and was pleasantly surprised by how okay it was. Hope you heal well!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for sharing where you went! I need this done also. I had a previous allograft and was pleasantly surprised by how okay it was. Hope you heal well!

Thanks.

The link isn't the dentist office where I went. But, it is the name and bio of the periodontist who did the work. He works in many different dentists' offices a couple days a month in each.

[Anonymous]

Regardless of the practitioner gum grafts performed using donor tissue are a walk in the park compared to gum grafts using tissue from the patient’s palate.

[Anonymous]

I’d feel weird about using donor tissue. Gross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d feel weird about using donor tissue. Gross.

That's fine for you. But, for all the rest of the people reading this who want to be informed and not just make ignorant comments, "Allograft tissue, which refers to tissue from the same species, is harvested from cadaver skin that has been sterilized to remove all living cells, proteins, viruses, and bacteria. Following the gum graft procedure, the donor tissue will blend well with your own gums." https://sdperio.com/gum-graft-donor-tissue-vs-own-tissue-for-gum-recession/#:~:text=Allograft%20tissue%2C%20which%20refers%20to,well%20with%20your%20own%20gums.

Allograft is basically a scaffolding upon which your own tissue grows. And for the lack of pain that has been involved with grafting 6 teeth (and another 6 will need it when I get around to it)... you can bet I'll use allograft again. But, if you prefer to endure pain as a result of your anxiety... then go for it. It's your mouth and it doesn't take as much surgical skill with your own mouth skin.

[Anonymous]

See pictures here of gums before and after allograft as well as autograft.

https://southernrootsky.com/cosmetic/gum-grafting/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d feel weird about using donor tissue. Gross.

That's fine for you. But, for all the rest of the people reading this who want to be informed and not just make ignorant comments, "Allograft tissue, which refers to tissue from the same species, is harvested from cadaver skin that has been sterilized to remove all living cells, proteins, viruses, and bacteria. Following the gum graft procedure, the donor tissue will blend well with your own gums." https://sdperio.com/gum-graft-donor-tissue-vs-own-tissue-for-gum-recession/#:~:text=Allograft%20tissue%2C%20which%20refers%20to,well%20with%20your%20own%20gums.

Allograft is basically a scaffolding upon which your own tissue grows. And for the lack of pain that has been involved with grafting 6 teeth (and another 6 will need it when I get around to it)... you can bet I'll use allograft again. But, if you prefer to endure pain as a result of your anxiety... then go for it. It's your mouth and it doesn't take as much surgical skill with your own mouth skin.

It’s my opinion and it’s certainly not “ignorant.” I didn’t provide any false information. It’s simply how I would feel using allograft. It creeps me out. That said, I am a wimp with pain and probably would not want to harvest it from my own palate. I’m not sure what I would do - I would really have to think about it. I have some recession on a few teeth but don’t need a gum graft at this point. This surgery is one that scares me a lot so I have done a lot of research on it and learned about the pros/cons of using allograft vs your own tissue. The other issue with allograft is it requires more skill in the surgeon.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this. I have to do one in September and I was told it’d be relatively painless, glad to know that’s true.

[Anonymous]

Just out of curiosity since I need to have about six teeth done- cost? Trying to plan ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just out of curiosity since I need to have about six teeth done- cost? Trying to plan ahead.

Op here. It's expensive! Seriously. But....dental implants are also expensive when your tooth's root fails. So it's one thing or the other.

For my procedure it was about $4500. And lucky me...I'll get to do something similar on the other side when I'm ready to go through it again. My insurance rejected it out of hand 6 mos ago (I understand that is common). I'm not expecting them to approve it now (although the dental office will resubmit the bill). Given that two teeth were "too far gone" to be fully restored, it seems that (a) it IS necessary and (b) my insurance should pay something on the claim. But I was going to take care of my teeth whether they approved it or not. I'm the only who will live with the consequences if I didn't do it.