Is Gum Grafting Painful?

Gum grafting is performed under local anesthesia, the same kind of numbing used for fillings. You should feel pressure and movement, but not sharp pain. If you start to feel discomfort, tell your periodontist, who can give more anesthetic.

For patients who are anxious or need a longer procedure, sedation may be an option. When it is, it is provided and monitored by an independent, licensed anesthesia group working alongside our periodontists. Whether sedation is suitable depends on your health history and the procedure.

Once the numbing wears off, soreness and some swelling are common for the first few days. How much you feel depends on the type of graft and how many areas are treated.

When tissue is taken from the roof of the mouth (the palate), that area is often the more tender of the two sites while it heals. Some grafts use donor or other graft material instead, which avoids a second site. Your periodontist will explain which option suits each area.

• Following the written instructions you receive before you leave
• Taking pain relief as your periodontist recommends
• Soft, cool foods for the first days, and avoiding the treated area when chewing
• Not brushing or flossing the graft until you are told it is safe
• Keeping your follow-up visit so healing can be checked

Call the office if you have bleeding that does not slow with gentle pressure, pain that is getting worse rather than better after the first few days, a fever, or anything that worries you. Our phone number is the same for every office: 757-461-3660.

Grafting can reduce sensitivity, protect the root surface, and strengthen a thin gumline. Not every area of recession needs a graft. At your consultation your periodontist explains whether grafting would help, which graft would suit each area, and what result is realistic, so you can decide with full information.