Gum Graft: Types, Surgery, and Recovery

A gum graft is periodontal surgery that covers exposed tooth roots with palate or donor tissue, and recovery takes one to two weeks on average. At our London and Somerset offices, the graft we choose depends on why your gum pulled back and how much healthy tissue is left around the tooth. We measure both at your first visit.

Who Needs a Gum Graft?

A gum graft is for anyone whose gum has receded far enough to expose part of a tooth root, or whose gum tissue has grown too thin to protect the tooth. Exposed roots are more prone to sensitivity, decay, and bone loss around the tooth.

The early signs are small. A tooth looks longer than its neighbors, a notch appears at the gumline, or ice water sends a sharp twinge through one spot.

Recession has several possible causes, including gum disease, brushing too hard, and naturally thin tissue. Knowing what’s causing your gums to recede shapes the treatment plan as much as the graft choice does.

At the first visit, our periodontists measure the pockets and the recession on each tooth. Some patients leave with a plan to monitor the area and skip surgery for now.

Is a Gum Graft the Same as a Deep Cleaning or LANAP?

A gum graft and a deep cleaning do different jobs. Scaling and root planing and LANAP laser therapy treat the gum disease that drives recession. A graft adds tissue over a root that is already exposed. Many patients need the disease under control first, so non-surgical treatments that stop recession often come ahead of the graft.

Is a Gum Graft a Serious Surgery?

A gum graft is outpatient surgery done under local anesthesia, and a single graft usually takes about one hour. Patients typically return to work or school within one to two days. Grafts on several teeth take longer in the chair, and recovery can stretch past two weeks when multiple areas are treated.

What Are the Types of Gum Grafts?

The three gum grafts we perform are the connective tissue graft, the free gingival graft, and the pedicle graft, and each one takes tissue from a different place.

The connective tissue graft is where most root-coverage cases start. A 2018 Cochrane review of 48 randomized trials involving 1,227 adults recommended it as the gold standard when the goal is covering an exposed root.

For a tooth whose problem is thickness, the free gingival graft is the usual pick. It builds a wider band of firm gum around a tooth whose tissue is too thin to hold up on its own.

A pedicle graft skips the palate entirely, so there is one healing spot instead of two. It only works when enough healthy gum sits right beside the tooth.

All three grafts are available at both of our offices, including our location for gum and tissue grafts in Somerset, which serves Pulaski County, Russell Springs, Monticello, and Burnside.

What Happens During Gum Graft Surgery?

Gum graft surgery follows five steps, from numbing the area to stitching the graft in place.

1. The periodontist numbs the teeth and gums with local anesthesia. Patients who feel anxious can add Nitrous Oxide, Oral Sedation, or intravenous sedation.
2. A small flap is opened at the gumline, and the exposed root is cleaned.
3. For a connective tissue or free gingival graft, tissue comes from the roof of the mouth. For a pedicle graft, the tissue comes from the gum beside the tooth.
4. The graft is laid over the exposed root.
5. Sutures hold everything in position. Some dissolve on their own, and others come out at a follow-up visit.

A single graft takes about one hour. The same surgery can treat one tooth or several, with more chair time for each added site. Patients who choose sedation need someone to drive them home.

Does a Gum Graft Hurt?

A gum graft does not hurt during surgery because the area is fully numb. Mild soreness afterward is normal and is managed with the medication and instructions your periodontist provides. When tissue comes from the palate, you have two spots healing at once, the graft site and the roof of your mouth, so expect tenderness in both for several days.

Who Performs Gum Graft Surgery at Commonwealth Periodontics and Implant Center?

Every gum graft at Commonwealth Periodontics and Implant Center is performed by a periodontist, a dentist who completed three years of specialty training after dental school.

Say your general dentist spots root showing on a lower front tooth during a routine cleaning. The referral sends you to a specialist who measures that recession to the millimeter, checks how thick the surrounding tissue is, and picks the graft type from those numbers.

Dr. Susan Ballou Gibson, DMD, MSD, founded the practice in July 1991, and her work there began limited to periodontal surgery and dental implants. Our periodontists today include Dr. Gibson, Dr. William Carroll, DMD, MS, who completed his specialty training in 2002, and Dr. Lucy Belcher, DMD, MS, a Board-Certified Diplomate of the American Academy of Periodontology.

Our periodontists in London and Somerset measure each tooth’s recession at the first visit, and that exam shows if a graft is the right step at all.

See gum graft care in Somerset or in London

What Does Gum Graft Recovery Look Like?

Gum graft recovery takes one to two weeks on average, and it runs longer when several areas are treated at once.

A new graft behaves a lot like fresh sod on a lawn. Sod has to grow roots into the soil underneath, and a graft has to grow a blood supply into the tissue beneath it. You would never mow new sod in its first week, and brushing directly on a graft can damage it the same way.

How Long Does a Gum Graft Take to Heal?

A gum graft takes one to two weeks to heal for most patients, with the first check at about day 7. Bleeding usually stops within 48 hours, and swelling settles within four days. Healing takes longer when several teeth are grafted in one visit, and your periodontist confirms when brushing and normal foods can resume.

What Can You Eat After a Gum Graft?

After a gum graft, eat soft, cool foods such as yogurt, pudding, and smoothies on the first day. Through the first week, add eggs, pasta, fish, and cooked vegetables. Keep hard, crunchy, and spicy foods off the menu until your periodontist clears them, since chewing on the graft side can disturb tissue that is still attaching.

What Does a Failing Gum Graft Look Like?

A failing gum graft usually shows up as a large patch of white tissue coming away from the tooth, a sign the graft has lost its blood supply.

Red flags:

• A large white patch of tissue pulling away from the tooth
• Pus at the surgery site
• Heavy bleeding that keeps going
• A fever over 101°F (38.3°C)

Call your periodontist right away if any of these appear. Our guide to the signs of a failed gum graft covers how a graft that isn’t taking gets treated or redone.

What Do Gum Graft Results Look Like, and How Long Do They Last?

A gum graft covers the majority of the exposed root, and in a 20-year study most treated sites held their improved gumline for the full two decades.

The study, published in the Journal of Periodontology, followed 45 patients who received connective tissue grafts on upper teeth between 1990 and 1997. Average root coverage was 74% after one year and 68% after 20 years.

Complete coverage of every root is the goal, and the study shows it is not guaranteed. How far coverage can go depends largely on the gum and bone between the teeth. Teeth with no tissue loss between them had about five times the odds of reaching full coverage.

Recession returning was linked to three factors: less than 2 mm of firm attached gum, notches worn into the root surface near the gumline, and smoking.

Patients treated for gum disease also stay on a schedule of periodontal maintenance visits, where we recheck grafted teeth along with the rest of the mouth.

Gum graft before and after photos show the change most clearly at the gumline. A tooth that looked long, with root surface showing, can sit much closer to even with its neighbors once the graft heals.

TL;DR: Gum Graft

• A gum graft covers an exposed tooth root with tissue from the roof of the mouth or from the gum beside the tooth.
• The three types we perform are the connective tissue graft, the free gingival graft, and the pedicle graft.
• A single graft takes about one hour under local anesthesia, with sedation available.
• Recovery averages one to two weeks, and exercise waits at least seven days.
• In a 20-year study, average root coverage went from 74% at one year to 68% at 20 years.

A periodontal exam with Dr. Belcher, Dr. Gibson, or Dr. Carroll measures the recession and tissue thickness on each tooth, and those numbers decide if you need a graft, a deep cleaning, or both.

Find out if you need a gum graft

Your first visit comes with no commitment to surgery.

FAQs About Gum Grafts

How Much Does a Gum Graft Cost?

The cost of a gum graft depends on how many teeth need treatment, which graft type fits each tooth, where the tissue comes from, and your sedation choice. We quote the price after the periodontal exam, once the plan is set, and our financial coordinator can review the estimate and your insurance benefits with you.

Does Dental Insurance Cover a Gum Graft?

Dental insurance coverage for a gum graft depends on your plan and on whether the graft is medically necessary, such as covering an exposed root that is sensitive or at risk. Plans differ on how they classify periodontal surgery, so the answer comes from your specific policy. Our team can check those benefits for you.

Can You Get a Gum Graft on More Than One Tooth at Once?

Yes. A gum graft can treat one tooth or several teeth in the same surgery. Each added site means more time in the chair, and recovery can run past the usual one to two weeks when multiple areas are grafted together. Your periodontist plans the number of sites per visit around your comfort and healing.

When Can You Brush Normally After a Gum Graft?

You can brush your other teeth from the first day after a gum graft, as comfort allows, and the graft itself stays off-limits until your periodontist clears it, usually in the second week. Until then, rinse with the prescribed antibacterial mouthwash and brush gently near the site, keeping the bristles off the graft.

When Can You Exercise After a Gum Graft?

Skip exercise, heavy lifting, and other strenuous activity for at least the first week after a gum graft. A higher heart rate can bring back bleeding, swelling, and soreness at the graft site. Work and school are usually fine within one to two days. Check with your periodontist ahead of your first workout.