Receding gums is one of those dental issues you might not hear about until you’re in your 40s. As a normal part of aging, gums incrementally pull away from teeth, slowly exposing more of each tooth and its roots over time. However, you may not notice it’s happening until it starts causing other oral health problems like sensitivity and tooth loss.
If you think you have receding gums, make an appointment to see us at Burnaby Mountain Dental Centre. Dr. Nasim Mitha, Dr. Imran Mitha, Dr. Mostadam, or Dr. Tejani can help you with treatment and tips for treating or preventing your gum recession from worsening.
Causes of Gum Recession
Before we cover the ways your dentist can address receding gums, let’s talk about what causes it. Time and age, certainly, but gum recession can also happen because of other reasons. If your gums and teeth are healthy, your receding gums could be caused by aggressive tooth brushing. Other causes include:
- Gingivitis and periodontal disease
- Genetics
- Lackluster oral care at home
- Tooth grinding and clenching
- Crooked or misaligned teeth
- Tobacco use
- An unhealthy diet
What happens if you don’t seek treatment for receding gums?
One of the biggest oral health issues from gum recession is gum disease. Yes, gum disease is both a cause and complication of receding gums. How? Gum disease destroys gum tissue, creating pockets between gums and teeth for bacteria to gather. If left untreated, this disease-causing bacteria can further recede gums, leading to the breakdown of more gum tissue, as well as weakening your teeth and the bone structures that hold them all together.
This can result in your teeth getting looser and eventually becoming non-savable. In turn, remaining teeth might start to naturally shift to fill the gaps. Crooked teeth can then lead to difficulties with eating and chewing, or contribute to a higher likelihood of tooth decay and cavities from the difficulty of brushing and flossing.
Ways to treat receding gums
So what can you do to treat receding gums? Once your dentist has diagnosed the issue, professional treatment for receding gums includes several options.
Here are 6 ways your dentist in Coquitlam can treat receding gums:
- Root planing/tooth scaling: For mild gum recession, this deep cleaning gets rid of bacteria hiding under the gumline. With the option to be performed using local anesthetic, this procedure involves using specialized instruments to clean the teeth roots underneath the gums, where toothbrushes cannot reach. Depending on the extent of your disease, referral to a periodontist may be offered.
- Gum graft surgery: When too much gum tissue has been lost for successful regeneration, your dentist might recommend gum graft surgery. Tissue for the graft is typically taken from other parts of your gums or from the roof of your mouth.
- Regeneration surgery: Your body can’t regenerate gum tissue on its own. Regeneration surgery uses tissue or synthetic material inserted into your gums to encourage tissue and or bone regeneration. This treatment involves adding the regenerative material to the area of recession before placing your gum tissue back over the roots.
- Dental bonding: If you don’t have active gum disease, your Burnaby Mountain Dental Centre doctor might recommend camouflaging receded areas with tooth-colored composite resin. This resin covers your exposed tooth root, making your gum recession less noticeable and can help alleviate sensitivity.
- Orthodontics: As mentioned earlier, crooked teeth and an unhealthy bite can cause gum recession. Straightening teeth with braces or Invisalign® helps since aligned teeth are less likely to wear on gums and cause further recession.
- Topical antibiotics: Your dentist or periodontist might suggest applying an antibiotic gel under the gumline to kill hard-to-reach bacteria and treat gum disease. This step can happen as part of a root planing/tooth scaling procedure.
Can you reverse gum recession?
Your doctors can’t really reverse receding gums unless you pursue regeneration surgery. And how about on your own? Are you wondering how to reverse receding gums at home? Again, you can’t.
But the good news is that there’s plenty you can do in your daily routines to prevent gum recession from happening too quickly or severely.
Here are some tips:
- Practice gentle yet bacteria-fighting oral hygiene – try an electric toothbrush with soft or ultra soft bristles, gentler brushing, and a bacteria-targeting mouthwash
- Visit Burnaby Mountain Dental Centre twice a year for checkups and professional cleanings
- Ask about your oral health and treatment of orthodontic issues to create an optimal oral environment for healthy teeth and a healthy bite
- Eat nutrient-rich foods that strengthen your teeth, supporting bones, and soft oral tissues such as yogurts, cheeses, carrots, celery, leafy greens, apples, lean proteins, and nuts
- Stop smoking to minimize oral bacteria and minimize dry mouth
Treatment for receding gums from your neighborhood dentist in Coquitlam
If you suspect you have receding gums that need treatment, the expert team at Burnaby Mountain Dental Group are here to help with exceptional, friendly service.
Contact your Coquitlam dentist today to book an appointment.
