Dr. Katie ToThe Wellness Dentist, CEO and Founder of Center for Wellness Dentistry and Wellness Dentist Institute.

Does Gum Graft Surgery Hurt? Here's My Honest Answer

25 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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In this video Dr. Katie To addresses the most common patient question about gum graft surgery: does taking tissue from the roof of the mouth hurt? She answers honestly, describing the sensation as similar to a severe pizza or hot chicken wing burn on the palate. She explains that the discomfort is generally mild unless the area is disturbed—touching it with the tongue, eating crunchy foods, or any rubbing can irritate the site and increase pain. The overall message reassures viewers that the pain is manageable and largely dependent on post‑procedure care.

Chapters

The most common question I get asked is, when you take this tissue from the roof of the mouth, does it hurt? I'm going to be completely honest, okay? This is what patients tell me. I tell them that it feels like a really bad pizza burn. You ever bitten into a pizza, a hot chicken wing, you burn the roof of your mouth, it's annoying as heck, right? But it's only annoying if you mess with it, which means if you're not messing with it, maybe it's throbbing a little bit, but if you're touching it with your tongue, if you're eating chips after that, If you're continuing to eat and something is rubbing on it, it's going to irritate it.