Receding Gums: Treatment and Causes

What You Should Know About Receding Gums

Patients who have receding gums are often involved in a painful and scary situation. While this is a common feeling, it is important to know there are some simple steps one can take at home that may act as an adequate treatment for this condition depending on how severe the condition is. Patients should always begin by consulting a dental health professional to find out what steps need to be taken to help rectify the situation and if treatment outside of the home is required.

What Causes Receding Gums?

Gum recession, often referred to as gingival recession, happens when gum tissue has recessed and lowered its position on the tooth, exposing the tooth’s roots. There are a number of causes of receding gums, and many of them are life habits. Treatments for this condition are often based on what is causing it. Common causes of receding gums include:

• Aggressive flossing or brushing
• Genetics
• Bruxism or grinding of the teeth
• Abnormal positioning of the teeth
• Poor oral health
• Trauma to the gum tissue

Regardless of the cause of one’s receding gums, there are treatments to remedy the issue.

What are the Treatment Options for Receding Gums?

Those patients who are only slightly affected by receding gums are in the best possible position for treatment. Early detection of the issue means patients are less likely to require professional treatment to cure the condition. Dental professionals can help these patients identify what is causing their receding gums and provide instructions on how the condition can be addressed. This may require patients to reevaluate their flossing habits, use a mouth guard, and possibly use a different type of toothbrush.

For those patients who do require additional treatment, dental professionals can work with a gum specialist or periodontist to help decide what the best course of treatment is. Along with working to adjust patient habits that caused the condition, dentists also determine whether or not their patients will benefit from deeper, special cleaning, which is often called scaling – often times, this is the solution for receding gums that are caused by a condition known as periodontitis.

Depending on what is causing the gum recession, it may be required for patients to have surgical treatment as well. This is done by a periodontist and referred to as a “gum graft.”

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