Brushing teeth after gum surgery? - Dental Health Message Board

tigger67 · 03-03-2007, 03:54 AM

How long before it's ok to brush the teeth that had the gum surgery? It's been a week and I have a lot of plaque buildup already because I haven't been able to brush them. I don't see the doctor for another two weeks.

Junebug08 · 03-03-2007, 06:58 AM

I was told to use a q-tip to kinda massage the area and clean it during the second week. I was not supposed to actually brush with a toothbrush and toothpaste until the third week after surgery.

tigger67 · 03-03-2007, 01:42 PM

Well, it'll be interesting to see what happens when I see the doctor again. I've gotten more advice on how to take care of my mouth from this board and the internet than from the doctor. I have read that you should still brush the rest of your teeth, just not the ones you had surgery on, which is what I've been doing.

Junebug08 · 03-03-2007, 03:20 PM

Exactly.....I made sure to brush the rest of my teeth, just avoided the grafted area. This board is definitely helpful! I got a lot of info here before I had my first gum surgery.

ke2 · 03-03-2007, 04:34 PM

I was also told to brush the side without the graft, starting the day after the surgery. It has been nearly two weeks since I had mine done and I was only able to start cleaning the graft with a q-tip a couple of days ago. My follow-up is this Wed so we will see what he says!