If you are going to fix the issues with receding gums by getting a gum graft, know that the process doesn't end on the day of your surgery. You'll need to take several steps to keep your gums healthy as soon as you get home. Here are a few tips about the things you should do.
Do Not Pull On Your Lip
You likely want to take a good look at what your gum graft looks like. However, this is a very bad thing to do right after the surgery. You will be pulling at the tissues of your gum graft and can cause some damage to it. You should avoid trying to look at the gum graft for a few weeks to ensure that it has time to properly heal.
Avoid Rough Textured Foods
It's very important that you avoid eating rough foods that can rub against your gum graft while it is healing. You should intentionally try to find soft foods that are going to be gentle on your gum graft. For example, eating a sandwich with white bread is going to be better than crunchy French bread. A softshell taco is going to be a better choice than a hard shell taco.
Gently Rinse Your Mouth Rather Than Brush
You should use extreme care when performing your oral hygiene routine after a gum graft procedure. Your dentist may recommend that you avoid brushing your teeth around the gum graft, since the bristles run the risk of disrupting the graph. The key to keeping that area clean will be to gently rinse out your mouth with a mouth rinse. Make sure not to aggressively swish the rinse around in your mouth, since gently moving it around will cause the least amount of damage to the gum graft.
Use a Gentle Brushing Technique
After a couple of weeks, your dentist will allow you to start gently brushing your teeth around the gum graft. However, rather than use the traditional brushing technique that you've used for years, you'll want to roll the toothbrush over your gums. This should help keep the plaque from building up around your gums, but not damage the graft at all.
Following these tips will help ensure that your gum graft remains healthy and you do not need to take a trip back to the dentist. Ask your dentist for additional tips on what to do after the surgery.
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