Can Gums Grow back?
Most Canadians visit their dentist at least once a year, and they often go home with the news that their gums are receding. Since receding gums are common among Canadians, there are different ways you can treat and fix them. Cleaning and antibiotics are some of the ways you can do so.
While we’ll be discussing these methods later, it’s important to answer a few questions first. To start off: can gums grow back?
The short answer is: no. Gums can’t grow back once they’ve receded, at least not naturally.
So how do you fix receding gums? Can you fill receding gums? What type of dental care is common for addressing gum recession?
That’s what we’re here to look at today. Read on to find out more about ways you can fix and prevent receding gums.
What Is Gum Recession?
So what is gum recession and why can’t your gums grow back? Gum recession is the process where the margins of the gum tissue surrounding the teeth pull back.
This causes your tooth or the tooth’s root to become exposed. Once this occurs, the gaps between your receded gums and your teeth are more susceptible to bacteria.
Why Do Gums Recede?
There are multiple reasons why your gums recede. One is due to periodontal diseases. These are diseases that destroy your gum tissue and support the bones that hold teeth in place.
Genetics is another cause of gum recession. Some people are predisposed to gum recession no matter how well they take care of their teeth.
However, people who don’t take good care of their teeth are also susceptible to gum recession. The excessive plaque often leads to gum recession. Tobacco use also causes plaque buildup and subsequent recession.
Excessive teeth brushing also causes recession. Crooked or misaligned teeth and jaws also cause too much force to be put on your gums and bones. This also contributes to gum recession.
How To Stop Receding Gums From Getting Worse
Once your gums start receding, it’s time to prevent them from getting worse. There are ways you can stop the issue from worsening or spreading to other parts of your mouth.
First, brush your teeth softer. We mentioned how excessive, harsh brushing can lead to gum recession. Use a soft-bristled brush and apply less pressure.
Mouthwash also helps your gums from receding, as does eating better and avoiding tobacco products. Scheduling dental checkups to get an expert look at your gums is another key way to prevent worsening gum recession.
How to Fix Receding Gums
While preventative methods help, some need more involved treatments to fix their gum recession. Luckily, there are avenues you can pursue to fix your receding gums, starting with deep cleaning.
Deep Cleaning
Mild gum recession treatment often starts with your dentist cleaning the area that’s affected. Also known as tooth scaling and root planing, a deep clean involves removing plaque and tartar.
Once that’s done, the exposed root area is smoothed to make it less susceptible to bacteria. A deep cleaning may be effective for those experiencing mild gum recession and who catch it early.
Antibiotics
Dentists may also provide antibiotics to prevent bacteria from attaching there. Antibiotics commonly used for this treatment include tetracycline, macrolide, and metronidazole.
Dental Bonding and Fillings
Dental bonding is a procedure in which a dentist applies a resin material that matches your tooth colour to your teeth. The light hardens the resin after application, and the dentist trims the material.
It’s a non-anesthetic procedure that takes from half an hour to 60 minutes. It closes the gap caused by gum recession and prevents additional bacteria from touching your gums.
Dental fillings are another form of treatment for receding gums. Filling for receding gums works by filling in any exposed gums through fillings usually reserved for damaged or decaying teeth.
Orthodontics
Orthodontics is another option for fixing and treating gum recession. We mentioned earlier how misaligned jaws or crooked teeth cause gum recession due to unnatural force being placed on the teeth.
Getting braces or another treatment for aligning your teeth is an effective way of reducing gum recession. On top of the other benefits that orthodontics provides, your gum health will improve with straighter teeth.
Surgery
There are multiple surgeries you can pursue for gum recession. An open flap scaling procedure folds back the gum tissue, removes bacteria, then secures the gum in place to get rid of any pockets in your gums.
Procedures to regenerate lost bones and tissue are also another option. A membrane, skin graft, or protein is used to encourage the body to regenerate bone and tissue in the affected area.
A connective tissue graft is another common surgical procedure for treating gum recession. Here, a flap of skin is taken from the roof of your mouth, and connective tissue is taken from that opening.
That tissue is placed in the gum tissue that surrounds the exposed root. Once that’s completed, the flap on the roof of your mouth is covered up.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It
Receding gums have heavy implications for your dental health. Your gums are the supporting structures for your teeth, which increases the risk of losing your teeth at an early stage.
Teeth sensitivity is also another consequence of gum recession. The softer exposed roots that come as a result of gum recession also lead to dental decay.
The Takeaway for Fixing Receding Gums
It’s safe to say that gum recession causes more dental issues outside of just exposed teeth. There are ways to police yourself to prevent gum recession, but the best option is to schedule an appointment with your dentist.
There aren’t ways you can naturally get your gums to go back to where it was, but treatments are out there. Whether you’re in the early stages of gum recession or have a more severe case, a reliable family dentist should be able to help you out. Contact us today, and we’ll get you started on a solution right away!