The NHS doesn't cover gum grafts. Your insurance probably doesn't either. Here's what 25,000 Britons are doing instead for £39 a month.

20 to 30% of gum grafts fail within the first year. The NHS doesn't cover the procedure. And your dentist probably won't give you that number before you sign the quote.

I've been a periodontist in the UK for 15 years.

I've billed hundreds of gum grafts. £900 to £1,500 per tooth. Patients paying out of pocket because you won't get it on the NHS.

Some of those grafts held. Others didn't.

And for years, when the tissue detached after 12-18 months, I used the same line as all my colleagues: "It happens. The tissue doesn't always take."

It took me 15 years to understand that "it happens" wasn't an explanation. It was an admission of ignorance.

The reason no one tells you when a graft fails

A gum graft takes tissue from the palate and attaches it to the area of recession.

But no one asks the fundamental question: why did the gum recede in the first place?

If the gum receded because the collagen — which makes up 89% of gum tissue — degrades with age, then attaching new tissue onto a crumbling foundation, how long is that going to hold?

The answer: 12 to 18 months, on average, for the 20-30% that fail.

The new tissue has nothing to attach to. The foundation underneath continues to degrade. The tissue detaches.

The NHS, your insurance, and the £1,200 no one wants to pay

Here in the UK, it's just as bad.

Gum grafts and periodontal surgery simply aren't available on the NHS. They're classed as non-essential — cosmetic, in the eyes of the system — so they're entirely private.

And that's if you can even get seen. Finding an NHS dentist taking on patients has become a national problem, with waiting lists running into the thousands and whole regions where there's no place at all.

You can have receding gums, blood every morning, exposed roots — the NHS will tell you it's not covered.

Your private insurance? If you still have one. Many employers cut dental plans back in 2023-2024. And even those that still have them rarely cover grafts in full.

What's left?

£1,200 out of pocket. Per tooth.

Payment plan? £100 per month for 12 months. Per tooth.

For a treatment that fails in 20-30% of cases.

What your dentist never explained about your gums

Your gums are made up of 89% type I collagen.

That's not an opinion. That's biology.

Collagen is the foundation. It's what holds everything together. It's what protects your roots. It's what keeps your teeth stable.

After age 25, your body produces 1% less collagen each year.

By age 50, you've lost 25% of your production.
By 60, it's more than a third.

Your toothpaste kills bacteria. That's it. It doesn't feed collagen.
Your mouthwash disinfects the surface. The problem is underneath.
Your electric brush scrubs. It doesn't repair the structure.

None of these products address the root cause.

And collagen capsules? The stomach acid in your gut destroys 80% before it reaches your gums. Studies show that only 1 to 3% of oral collagen makes it to the periodontal tissue.

You swallow collagen for your skin and your joints. Your gums get almost none of it.

The £39 solution that does what the £1,200 graft is trying to do

If the problem is degrading collagen, the solution is to feed collagen directly. Not through the stomach. Not through digestion. Directly onto the gum.

Topical application of type I collagen delivers the peptides exactly where they're needed.

85% absorption in 2 minutes. Compared to 1-3% with capsules.

It's like putting medication directly on a wound instead of swallowing it and hoping it gets there.

30 seconds. Twice a day. After regular brushing.

How GenciVie restores your gums naturally

Discover GenciVie — Collagen powder for gums

Janet, 57: "After a failed £1,200 graft, here's what happened"

When the product arrived, I didn't believe in it. Not after everything I'd tried.

£39 a month. After £1,200 of failed graft. After £160 of useless capsules.

The choice that could save your smile — and your wallet

Right now, you have two options.