Gum Recession, Things You Need to Know

Gum health is often overlooked and many people assume that as long as they look after their teeth that their gums are somehow irrelevant. In fact this couldn’t be further from the truth as gums are vital for good dental health. If you take a look at your gums, you’ll see they are designed to protect your tooth roots, and healthy gums should fit snugly around your teeth and they should feel firm to the touch.

However all too often gums can begin to pull away from the teeth. This might be due to genetics or more frequently to poor oral health. You may notice your gums don’t seem to fit quite as nicely around your teeth as they used to and they could have begun to pull back, exposing your tooth roots.

 

Gum Pockets and Gum Recession

This can take place quite gradually so you may not even notice your gums are receding. As gum recession progresses, it can lead to the pockets forming in between the teeth and the gums where bacteria can build up. At this stage treatment is vital as without specialized care from a periodontist such as Dr. NavidRahmani, your gum recession will continue, eventually affecting the tissues supporting your teeth as well as the bone.

 

What Causes Gum Recession?

There are a number of different reasons why gums may recede, but the most common is poor oral health. If you have poor dental health then you’re much more at risk of developing a condition called gingivitis, where the gums become inflamed due to a buildup of bacteria.

Gingivitis causes the gums to become red and swollen and they can frequently bleed when brushed. If you don’t get treatment, gingivitis can quickly develop into periodontitis, a condition that affects nearly half of all adults aged over 30 in the US. Periodontitis is much more serious and is where the gum recession begins to create deep pockets in between the teeth and the gums, creating ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply.

While most cases of gum recession are due to poor oral health, some people are predisposed towards developing gum recession, or they may brush their teeth too aggressively, literally wearing away the delicate gum tissue. Other reasons can be due to hormonal changes that create increased sensitivity towards gum disease causing bacteria and if you use tobacco you’re more at risk of receding gums. Tooth grinding and clenching can also cause gum recession.

 

Getting Treatment for Receding Gums in New York

Initially, your best rated periodontist in Midtown NYC will want to concentrate on removing the gum infection. One of the most widely used treatments for doing so is called scaling and root planing, a nonsurgical procedure that deep cleans the gums as removing excess bacteria helps them to heal more easily. For more severe cases of periodontitis, Dr. Rahmani may recommend more sophisticated surgical treatments.

These can help reduce the depth of any gum pockets and can help regenerate lost gum tissue through using gum grafts or will even use tissue stimulating proteins and bone grafts to help repair some of the damage caused by gum recession.

In: General Periodontal Topics | Gum Disease | Periodontal Disease

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