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Gum flap and bone graft question

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Sandij

Junior member
Joined
Jun 23, 2021
Messages
2
Location
Texas
Can anyone share their recovery stories from gum flap and bone graft surgery? Thanks so much!
 
Can anyone share their recovery stories from gum flap and bone graft surgery? Thanks so much!
Do you mean a gum flap with bone grafting? Or the gum flap as a separate procedure? I have had both, and bone grafting without the gum flap as well.
I had a gum flap done with an apicoectomy, both on a molar and a front upper tooth. I have had bone grafting done on the front tooth as well. I had a rather large abscess that had to be cleaned out manually and then bone grafting, and a bone block graft, placed. The gum flap is not too bad of a recovery. Gums heal quickly and it was sore a few days, then it was just more of an annoyance with the stitches until they came out. The bone grafting really doesn’t hurt at all. It is just that you need to be careful not to put pressure on the area. I had implants put in after the graft had healed.
 
Thanks for your response. I meant gum flap with bone grafting. I’m getting the grafting around existing teeth, so I just don’t know what to expect From either procedure.
 
Do you mean a gum flap with bone grafting? Or the gum flap as a separate procedure? I have had both, and bone grafting without the gum flap as well.
I had a gum flap done with an apicoectomy, both on a molar and a front upper tooth. I have had bone grafting done on the front tooth as well. I had a rather large abscess that had to be cleaned out manually and then bone grafting, and a bone block graft, placed. The gum flap is not too bad of a recovery. Gums heal quickly and it was sore a few days, then it was just more of an annoyance with the stitches until they came out. The bone grafting really doesn’t hurt at all. It is just that you need to be careful not to put pressure on the area. I had implants put in after the graft had healed.
How long to heal your graft? I got graft in tooth 30 q molar and its only been 2.5 weeks
 
How long to heal your graft? I got graft in tooth 30 q molar and its only been 2.5 weeks
I was told that the graft is pretty much good after two months, but it takes 4 months to fully be filled in with bone. Did you have a membrane stitched over, or a collagen plug, or both?
 
I was told that the graft is pretty much good after two months, but it takes 4 months to fully be filled in with bone. Did you have a membrane stitched over, or a collagen plug, or both?

I had dissolvable suture and dissolvable stitches, but nothing dissolved aftetlr 2 weeks and 2 days. They removed it couple days ago. No pain at all. Now waiting and hoping for the top of graft to be completely covered by gum.
 
I had dissolvable suture and dissolvable stitches, but nothing dissolved aftetlr 2 weeks and 2 days. They removed it couple days ago. No pain at all. Now waiting and hoping for the top of graft to be completely covered by gum.
When you say top of graft, do you mean that there is no covering over the grafting material?
 
When you say top of graft, do you mean that there is no covering over the grafting material?

The top of the bone graft was covered with a suture and stitches originally. After removing stitches about 18 days later, attached is a photo of how it looks now. I am hoping or assuming the gums need to grow over the top still? Sometimes food gets traped but rinsing cleans it. I wish the top gets covered by gum so I can eat soft foods in peace. Let me know your thoughts...
 

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The top of the bone graft was covered with a suture and stitches originally. After removing stitches about 18 days later, attached is a photo of how it looks now. I am hoping or assuming the gums need to grow over the top still? Sometimes food gets traped but rinsing cleans it. I wish the top gets covered by gum so I can eat soft foods in peace. Let me know your thoughts...

I am not a dentist so I can’t tell by the picture if you had a membrane sewn in or a collagen plug. It kind of looks like you have something covering the graft, either collagen plug or membrane. I have had three bone grafts on molars, all done by different surgeons/dentists, each with a different technique.
The first was done with a collagen plug and a membrane stitched on, and it was the fastest to heal. After about a month the gums were good to go and I had no more issues with food getting caught. The stitches were around the extraction site in a circle, stitching the membrane down.
The second one had no membrane or plug. It was with a dentist and he just packed the socket with stuff that felt like styrofoam. It kept coming out in pieces and throughout the entire four months until I got the implant it never had the gums fill in. I just kept losing bits of graft here and there and it got food stuck in it constantly. That one ended up having to have another graft with the implant.
The third and most recent one had a collagen plug and was stitched but no membrane covering it. The stitches were mostly across the top of the hole. When the stitches dissolved, it left an indentation and you could see grafting material but there was a clear/yellowish layer covering it. Then after a few weeks, the plug was gone and the gums filled in. It never completely filled over the top, and I had bits of grafting material trickling out through the gums up until I had the implant. The graft was fine, though and had grown bone perfectly.
So you will probably battle food getting in the site the whole time, but it won’t be bad. My surgeon told me that at around two months the graft was pretty much set and I could stop worrying about it so much, just continue to avoid eating crunchy stuff on that side. I was told that I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted after a month, as long as I avoided chewing anything hard or crunchy on the graft side.
 
Thanks for the detailed experiences. I will reference them along my healing process. Mine had two stitches in each side of gum with a loop/circle of stitches on top of graft. No more tiny bone graft white particles coming out after first week. They use a chemical synthetic compound and not real bone. Bone graft alone is $575 not covered by ins. Couple times a olive or food slides into empty space when biting down and caused minimal bleeding for few mins. Its the most annoying thing. Food does easily rinse out since its not a hole but things like advocado get in. I even went to in and out burger no bun and eat w fork and knife. Many times I wish I optd for bridge. Food choices suck. This thing is a very long wait...
 
It is annoying while you wait, but the end result is definitely worth it. With a bridge, you have to get the two adjoining teeth shaved down for crowns, which damages them and weakens them, making them potential issues later. Plus, you have issues with eating as well. One of my friends has a bridge for her first molar, as she had a weird condition where the permanent tooth never grew in. She had a bridge placed back when she was a teen and implants were not even an option. She gets food stuck in it and has ended up having to get root canals on both the adjoining teeth as they became very sensitive over time.
When you get the implant crown eventually, it is just like a real tooth. No restrictions for eating and no pain.
Thanks for the detailed experiences. I will reference them along my healing process. Mine had two stitches in each side of gum with a loop/circle of stitches on top of graft. No more tiny bone graft white particles coming out after first week. They use a chemical synthetic compound and not real bone. Bone graft alone is $575 not covered by ins. Couple times a olive or food slides into empty space when biting down and caused minimal bleeding for few mins. Its the most annoying thing. Food does easily rinse out since its not a hole but things like advocado get in. I even went to in and out burger no bun and eat w fork and knife. Many times I wish I optd for bridge. Food choices suck. This thing is a very long wait...
 
Happy Friday!

Sorry Sandij for highjacking your post. I hope our grafting experiences are of interest.

MountainMama, you have been the best in advising due to your experience w molar grafts. My molar next door in pic is a crown. As such, I dont worry about tooth shaving nearby teeth, but the possible bridge drama is a concern for long term. I just cant wait for this all to be done. Will keep you posted w any updates in my journey to getting an implant.
 
Happy Friday!

Sorry Sandij for highjacking your post. I hope our grafting experiences are of interest.

MountainMama, you have been the best in advising due to your experience w molar grafts. My molar next door in pic is a crown. As such, I dont worry about tooth shaving nearby teeth, but the possible bridge drama is a concern for long term. I just cant wait for this all to be done. Will keep you posted w any updates in my journey to getting an implant.
I wish you the best of luck! I am currently in the waiting phase between implant and crown. I will say that eating gets much easier once the implant is placed. You don’t get food stuck in there anymore and are not as restricted on eating. I can’t wait to get the crown and be able to chew again on that side. I am missing the second molar on the top, and the lower first is an implant with no crown yet so I have no chewing surface with my molars on that side. I had premolars removed for braces as a kid and had my wisdom teeth out as a teen so my number of teeth is less than usual anyway.
 
I wish you the best of luck! I am currently in the waiting phase between implant and crown. I will say that eating gets much easier once the implant is placed. You don’t get food stuck in there anymore and are not as restricted on eating. I can’t wait to get the crown and be able to chew again on that side. I am missing the second molar on the top, and the lower first is an implant with no crown yet so I have no chewing surface with my molars on that side. I had premolars removed for braces as a kid and had my wisdom teeth out as a teen so my number of teeth is less than usual anyway.

I also had all wisdom teeth removed as a teen. I wonder how you had the courage to try again w the one you had a failed bone graft. The extra wait must have been a real let down. I ate cheese enchildas earlier today to feel food!
 
I also had all wisdom teeth removed as a teen. I wonder how you had the courage to try again w the one you had a failed bone graft. The extra wait must have been a real let down. I ate cheese enchildas earlier today to feel food!
My surgeon was able to put bone grafting material in at the same time as the implant, so I didn’t have to wait any longer. He said he could put the implant down one of the holes of the root and then fill in around it.
I have learned many new recipes and foods that I can eat. I have basically been eating mostly soft foods for almost two years now as I have had four implants put in over that time. I still eat chips occasionally, on the side I have the finished implants. I eat a lot of fish, thick stews, and things like enchiladas and soft tacos. The only things I really miss are really crunchy fried foods, which are not really good for me anyway.
 
Wow 2 years. I have deep fillings or crowns on almost all my molars so I know I will eventually go through more of these. 2 years of soft food, wow, but they say crunchy food damages teeth faster so there is some good in it. I am a big bbq person so all that has stopped except sliced hot dogs. Everytime I eat I keep mirror to check site isnt damaged or food in area couple times. If so I rinse w/ water and keep eating. I am going to vegas next month. (first vacay after covid) I am gonna bring all my dental maintenance stuff and debating to get pocket sized mirror. Stay positive and keep building up your food options. Spaghetti was not good for me cause it goes everywhere but elbow pasta is doable.
 
Wow 2 years. I have deep fillings or crowns on almost all my molars so I know I will eventually go through more of these. 2 years of soft food, wow, but they say crunchy food damages teeth faster so there is some good in it. I am a big bbq person so all that has stopped except sliced hot dogs. Everytime I eat I keep mirror to check site isnt damaged or food in area couple times. If so I rinse w/ water and keep eating. I am going to vegas next month. (first vacay after covid) I am gonna bring all my dental maintenance stuff and debating to get pocket sized mirror. Stay positive and keep building up your food options. Spaghetti was not good for me cause it goes everywhere but elbow pasta is doable.
I love BBQ! I can eat most of it now, especially pulled smoked chicken and pork. I can eat burgers without a problem but have to chew on opposite side. I do miss crunchy tacos. Soft tacos just are not the same. I also can’t eat popcorn anymore.
 
I love BBQ! I can eat most of it now, especially pulled smoked chicken and pork. I can eat burgers without a problem but have to chew on opposite side. I do miss crunchy tacos. Soft tacos just are not the same. I also can’t eat popcorn anymore.

Happy 4th! Pulled smoked chicken and pork is the cream of the crop. Yum! The only prob w burgers is if I bite in symmetrically in the front, burger food slides into lower molar cap. Today we are cooking: sausage, chicken skewer, wings, and two steaks. I declined to eat steak as I am worried about the chew, but will make for friends. While I am only a month in the bone graft, I wanted to check your status with the implant no crown tooth. How long do you wait between implant and crown?
 
Happy 4th! Pulled smoked chicken and pork is the cream of the crop. Yum! The only prob w burgers is if I bite in symmetrically in the front, burger food slides into lower molar cap. Today we are cooking: sausage, chicken skewer, wings, and two steaks. I declined to eat steak as I am worried about the chew, but will make for friends. While I am only a month in the bone graft, I wanted to check your status with the implant no crown tooth. How long do you wait between implant and crown?

It is also four months. However, once the implant is in, they put a healing cap over it (round metal piece that screws in to the implant), so at least you don’t have to worry about food getting in, and it is a lot more secure than a bone graft. You can eat softer food with that side, just avoid crunchy stuff on it. It isn’t as worry-inducing though. You can brush it with your toothbrush and it is much easier to eat with!
I get impressions taken next month for my implant crown. I have had the implant and healing cap in now since mid April and I can eat easily. I still avoid crunchy stuff for the most part out of habit, but I had grilled shrimp tacos for lunch and Korean beef lettuce wraps for dinner. Yum!
 
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