Soft, mushy skin and bad taste after skin graft. Please don't answer go to a dentist. I've been to several.

Question:

I had a receding gum on my top back tooth. I had a skin graft to cover the receding gum and it was great for 8 months. Then I started getting a funny taste. The skin graft became soft and mushy in my mouth. If I touched it with my finger it felt the same as the other side. But with my tongue it is very soft. The taste runs from bitter to sometimes sweet. Anyway after 5 months I had the oral surgeon re-do the skin graft. I still have the same problem. Then I had the tooth pulled and the graft removed. I still have the soft mushy skin and taste in my mouth. I take vitamin C and B complex. I've tried several natural healing medicines. Has anyone ever come across this? My dentist and surgeon are totally baffled. They know it is not in my head but they can't tell why the gum is so soft and mushy. Please anyone know of someone or yourself that has had this, or what can be done? Thanks.

Answers:
I was a periodontal nurse for years and we regularly did gum grafting. I have never heard of this though. Reading your description it says that the graft is no longer there. So where is the soft mushy skin? Is it the socket where the tooth was pulled from? If so, the soft area could be to do with the lack of bone underneath the gum. This is normal for a few months after the tooth comes out. This should resolve in time as the area is calcified.

The taste you are getting could be associated with a draining sinus. The roots of your top teeth come in very close proximity of your nasal sinus, and sometimes bone loss and tooth removal can cause a 'communication' between your nasal sinus and your mouth. The taste could be from nasal mucous draining into your mouth. The only other thing I can think of for this symptom is an infection and the taste being pus (sorry, gross I know). Have they put you on antibiotic before? Did the taste go away during this time? If so then it is probably an infection, and that would also explain why the graft didn't heal properly too.

Another possibility is lichen planus, a disease of the mucosal membrane which I saw presented in lots of different ways. Also have to consider some sort of cancer, as scary as that can be (not likely from the symptoms though).

I know by now that you are probably really sick of people poking around in there, but the only way to find out what the problem is is to see the specialists. I would highly recommend seeing a Periodontist if you haven't already. A Periodontist is a gum specialist. Hope something here helps you.

Other Answers:
Try going to an orthopedic surgeon. They deal with bones. I hope you get it fixed.

You might try going to a plastic surgeon, they perform skin grafts as a routine on all types of people with all levels of health. Are you immuno-compromised? If you are, this could be why you are rejecting the grafts. Are you eating protein? Protein is an essential component in cell reconstruction. Has the graft been infected? Hope this gives you a new direction to go in. Good luck.

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Soft, mushy skin and bad taste after skin graft. Please don't answer go to a dentist. I've been to several.

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