Treatments for Gum Recession

If you are experiencing swelling or redness in your gums, bleeding when flossing or brushing, inflammation, loose teeth, or a lessening of gum tissue around the teeth, chances are you may have receding gums and should contact your dentist right away.  Receding gums happens slowly over time so it is vital that patients routinely monitor their teeth and gums in order to catch any progression early.  While gum recession is not able to be reversed, there are ways to help the problem from getting worse.  Should you be diagnosed with receding gums, there are a number of treatment options available that will be discussed here.

One way to minimize gum recession is to adopt sound oral hygiene practices.  Everyone should floss and brush their teeth at least twice daily but the way you brush can contribute to gum recession.  Brushing your teeth too aggressively or using a toothbrush with hard bristles, can damage the gum tissue and aid the progressions of gum recession.  Patients should review their flossing and brushing routines with their dentists to ensure they are not doing anything to accidentally damage their teeth and gums.  The daily use of mouth rinse or a water pick can also be beneficial to remove plaque between the teeth and keep difficult to reach areas clean and free of debris.

Because periodontal diseases, such as gingivitis, are a major contributor to receding gums, treating the underlying disease is another method to combat the condition.  If you have bacteria forming in pockets around affected areas, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics to fight the infection and associated inflammation.  In other cases, periodontal diseases are treated by occasional deep cleaning treatments.  Scaling and root planning procedures, where your dentist cleans tartar and plaque buildups from the roots and surfaces of your teeth, are one such deep cleaning procedures that may be needed.

When gum recession is advanced, surgery is sometimes needed.  Surgery typically takes on one of two forms: gum grafting or flap surgery.  With gum grafting, gum tissue from another area of the mouth is grafted or attached to the lost gum tissue surrounding a tooth.  Grafting aims to restore gum tissues or bone and its long-term success depends on proper oral care post procedure.  Flap surgery involves a periodontist surgically lifting up the gums, performing a deep clean to remove bacteria or tartar buildup within the gums, and replacing the gum tissue upon completion of the procedure.

The final options we will discuss are less of a treatment but more preventative maintenance or avoidance techniques that can be used to minimize gum recession.  Smoking and the use of chewing tobacco both increase your risk for gum recession and should be avoided at all costs.  Preventing injuries or trauma to the mouth are also recommended as these can cause recession.  Piercings of the lips or tongue can cause recession by rubbing against gum tissue so patients should consider this when getting these done.  And if you grind your teeth while sleeping, the excessive force on the teeth can lead to gum recession so the use of a nightguard may be warranted to minimize any negative effects.  Should any of these activities be applicable to them, patients should discuss treatment options with their dentist right away.

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