Avoid Gum Recession: Techniques, Products and Solutions

If you’ve noticed your teeth looking longer or your gums seem to be pulling back from your teeth, you have gum recession. In a healthy mouth, the gums are pink, and the gum line is consistent around all teeth. With gum recession, the gums often look red and inflamed. The gum line also looks lower around some teeth than others.

Gum recession can happen slowly, so it’s important to closely monitor your gums during daily oral hygiene routines. If you notice receding gums and you haven’t been to the dentist in a while, make an appointment soon. There are several things you can do to manage and avoid your gums receding further, depending on the severity of your gum recession.

Causes of Gum Recession

Gum recession has many causes, including:

• Old age
• Poor oral hygiene
• Medical conditions such as diabetes
• Brushing your teeth too hard
• Smoking
• Prominent tooth roots
• Misaligned teeth
• Poor-fitting partial dentures.
• Teeth grinding while sleeping
• Sports injury or other trauma to the mouth. For example, piercings on the lip or tongue can rub against the gum tissue.

Preventing Gum Recession

Reduce your risk of gum recession through preventative dental care. This includes a great daily oral hygiene routine and preventative dental care check-ups at the dentist. Brush at least twice per day, for at least two minutes every time. Floss once a day and use mouthwash to further boost oral health. Use a soft toothbrush instead of one with hard bristles. Brush gently, letting the bristles do the work, not your arm muscles.

A healthy lifestyle will also help prevent receding gums. This means eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as quitting smoking. If you grind or clench your teeth, speak to your dentist about getting a protective mouthguard or exploring other treatments. Avoid mouth piercings and get treatment for misaligned teeth.

Treatment for Gum Recession

Receded gum tissue won’t grow back. However, you can keep the problem from getting worse. Treatment usually depends on the cause of the gum recession. It may involve changing brushing and flossing behaviours or using a daily mouth rinse that fights plaque. You may need to have deep cleaning treatments called scaling and root planing to treat your gum recession.

During scaling and root planing, your dentist will clean tartar and plaque from the surface of your teeth and the roots of your teeth. If gum recession is serious, a procedure called gum grafting can restore lost gum tissue. This involves taking gum tissue from somewhere else in the mouth and grafting it to an area that’s lost tissue around a tooth. Once the area heals, it can protect the exposed tooth root and restore a natural look.

Schedule a Check Up with Dentist on the Gold Coast

If you have gum recession you’d like looked at or simply need a regular check-up, schedule an appointment today by calling Dentists on the Gold Coast on 07 5531 2053 or make a booking online. Our dedicated team provides a range of general, cosmetic, emergency and preventative dental care.