Welcome to my site! My name is Verity. I work as a receptionist in a dentist office. Every day for the past 20 years, I have come in to the office, worked on paperwork, and greeted patients. I love my job, because it has helped me meet a lot of really wonderful people. I have seen families grow up! But an added benefit from my job is that I have also picked up some small information about dentistry. I'm not one of the dentists, but I do know quite a bit about simple procedures and basic dental hygiene. Hopefully this blog can teach you something, but remember to always consult with your actual dentist for real professional advice!
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Tips For Recovering After A Gum Graft
Eleanor Crawford
Are you scheduled to have gingival grafting, often referred to as a gum graft, performed in the near future? One thing that you'll definitely want to know about is the recovery process. Here are a few tips that you'll definitely want to follow.
Avoid Touching The Area
There are going to be several things that you should not do after a gum graft to ensure that it recovers properly. You should avoid touching the area for a couple of weeks after the procedure. As tempting as it may be to see how it is healing, pulling back on your lips and putting stress on your gums can cause problems. In addition, you shouldn't even touch the area where you had the surgery, including massaging the outside of your face.
Avoid Applying Pressure
You should also be careful with putting pressure on the surgical site. This means that you need to avoid using a straw, spitting, and aggressive rinsing until your dentist says it is OK. If you do need to rinse, it should be done by gently moving your head back and forth and letting the water fall out of your mouth.
Use Cold Packs To Help With Swelling
While you can't touch or massage the surgical site, you can use cold packs to help reduce the swelling. Rotate between having a cold pack on and off your face for short amounts of time, which helps get the blood moving through your circulatory system. Do not apply heat to the area, as this can actually make the swelling worse.
Do Not Smoke
Have a smoking habit? It will be best to cut out smoking during the recovery process, and potentially consider quitting smoking completely. This is going to improve the health of your gums over time, as well as the overall health of your body.
Know The Proper Oral Care Routine
You are not going to be able to jump right back into your normal oral care routine. Your dentist will give you instructions for how long to avoid brushing or flossing the surgical site. You should also avoid using a water flosser since this can disrupt the surgical site as well. Make sure to still brush and floss all the areas that are safe and not recovering from the surgery.
These are just a few helpful tips that will assist with recovering from gum graft surgery. Ask your dentist if you still have questions about other things you can do.
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