How Long do Stitches Stay in after Gum Graft Surgery? Detail
Gum Graft Surgery
Gum graft surgery is a dental procedure that is used to treat gum recession, It is also known as periodontal plastic surgery. Gum recession is occurred when the gums leave the surface of the tooth root and expose them. it can cause high sensitivity and sometimes cause pain. The purpose of gum graft surgery is to restore the shape of gums and to enhance the outer beauty of smile.
To perform this surgery, dentist take small piece of tissue from the roof top to graft it into the gum to restore their shape. The sutures are used to place the graft tissue pieces to cover the tooth roots. This not only help in the enhancement of the appearance of smile but also protect from the future complications.
Role of stiches in healing process
After the gum graft surgery is performed, stitches play vital role in the process of healing. The stitches that are used to perform multiple purposes.
- They hold the grafted pieces at their place.
- They help in the start of initial wound healing.
- They help to keep the proper alignment of the tissues while they are healing.
Stitches that replied and very essential for the success of the surgery. They help to prevent the shifting or the dislodging of the graft from their place.
For how long do stiches stay in after gum graft surgery?
One of the most important question that came in everyone’s mind is that, for how long do stitches stay in after the gum graft surgery is completed? The answer to this question is very simple, This duration depends upon various factors.
- The oral hygienic condition of the patient.
- Overall health condition of the patient.
- The healing response of patient’s body towards that surgical wound.
Basically there are two types of Sutures. The first one is short term suture and the other one is long term suture.
Short term suture
These are the types of sutures that are absorbed within the body after 7 to 14 days. Short term suture are mostly dissolvable suture, they get dissolve in the body.
Long term suture
On the other hand long term suture are not dissolvable, they are manually removed by the dentist after 1 to 2 week. The time of removal of the sutures depends on the healing progress that is made by the patient.
Factors Affecting stiches healing duration
There are many factors that can affect the time duration of stiches healing after successful gum graft surgery.
Type of graft used
The healing duration is influenced by the type of graft is used in the surgical procedure. There are several types of grafts used in the gum grafting,
- Connective tissues graft.
- Pedicle grafts.
- Gingival grafts.
They have different kinds of tissues and have different abilities of healing. How long a suture remain on the surgical site depends on the type of graft used in the grafting surgery.
Healing response of individual
How an individual healing response to the surgical procedure after successful surgery greatly effect the time for which stiches are removed form the site. Factors which includes,
- Genetic
- Overall health
- Immune response
- Systemic condition of the patient.
These are the factors that greatly effect the time of healing from person to person. Patient with good health and faster healing procedure may get the stiches removed earlier, as compared to the person whose healing process is slower.
It is very important for the dental expert to examine the surgical site completely before going for stiches removal step.
Technique used by the surgeon
The person who is performing surgery should be skillful and expert in his field. A skillful and experienced dentist uses such a perfect technique that minimize the duration of stiches removal. On the other hand, if the dentist is inexperienced and have poor technique of performing surgery causes trouble for patient. It depends on the patient, which kind of surgeon they choose. It is always recommended to choose dentist with high qualifications and experience with better technique. Because they can help to save your time of healing and help you to get stitches removed in lesser time.
Overall health of the patient
One of the most important factor that effect the healing time of stiches is overall health of the patient. If there are any health issues like infection or poor health condition, it can cause difficulties in the normal healing process. Normal and healthy healing speed is very necessary for the timely removal of the stiches. It is very important to keep your gum graft surgical site away from the infection or bacterial accumulation to keep the proper healthy healing procedure.
Typical duration of stiches removal
The typical duration of the stiches for which they remain at the surgical site are discussed below.
Duration for common graft procedures
The duration of the stiches mainly depends on the type of tissue graft used in the surgery.
Connective tissue graft
One of the most common grafting material that is used, the duration of stiches in this type of graft is 7 to 14 days
Free gingival graft
This is almost similar to the connective tissue graft, it also require 7 to 14 days before they are removed from the surgical site.
Pedicle graft
These are the type of graft in which the nearby gum tissue are used in the process of grafting. These kind of graft heal after almost 7 to 10 days.
Post operative care affecting suture duration
The post operative care done by the patient greatly affect the sutures time duration. If patient follow the post operative instructions that are provided by the dentist, which include oral hygiene and avoiding various foods that are harmful for oral cavity. It will help in the quick recovery and removal of the stiches that are applied after gum graft surgery.