Receding gums are one of the most common dental problems – especially after the age of 40. So if your dentist tells you that you have “receding gums,” don’t feel bad – you are not alone!

Receding gums, similar to a receding hairline, means that your gums are slipping backward, away from their regular position.  This is a problem because the nerves of your teeth are exposed, which can lead to pain and infection.

Common Causes of Receding Gums:

  Overly aggressive brushing: When you brush too hard, it pushes your gums away and forces them to recede.  This can lead to the same dental problems that you were trying to avoid by brushing.

- What you can do: Lighten up. Use a toothbrush with softer bristles. Or buy an electric toothbrush that will provide a steady, consistent brushing motion.

   Not enough brushing and flossing: At the opposite end of the dental care spectrum, if you don’t brush and floss often enough, bacteria can build up between your teeth, leading to problems with the underlying bone structure of your mouth.

- What you can do: Brush, brush, brush – and floss, too. A lot of people neglect to floss because they feel like they don’t have time, or because they don’t know how. You’ve got to discipline yourself to make oral hygiene a regular part of your day.

   Gum disease: Receding gums can often be a sign of a more serious problem, like gingivitis or other diseases of the gums.

- What you can do: See your dentist regularly – every six months for a checkup.  At these appointments, your dentist and/or hygienist can help you keep track of the health of your gums, and can help to correct any serious issues. If you do have gum disease, you might need to be referred to a periodontist, a dental professional who specializes in diseases of the gums.

Other causes: Do you have braces? Or are you undergoing other orthodontic work? This can contribute to receding gums, especially for older adults. Do you have any piercings in the lip or tongue? These piercings can rub against the gums, causing the gums to recede. Do you chew tobacco? This can be harmful to the gums as well.  Finally, receding gums can also be a sign of an eating disorder – repeated vomiting can damage the gums and cause them to recede.

- What you can do: Talk to your dentist.  If any of these causes sound familiar, receding gums can be caused by a number of complex factors; it’s not always just a matter of changing to a softer toothbrush.

If your receding gums are creating severe discomfort and inconvenience in your life, and none of the other solutions seem to help, you might ask your dentist about “gum grafts.”

Gum grafts are a type of surgical treatment for extreme cases of receding gums. In a gum graft surgery, a periodontist takes some tissue from the roof of the patient’s mouth and implants it onto the area of the gumline that is receding. 

So if you have receding gums, don’t worry – it’s a common dental problem and there are a number of options for treatment.

To book an appointment or a free consultation to discuss receding gums, contact our office today at (416) 751-4290 or click here to request a time.  Also, be sure to join the Warden Eglinton Dental Centre on Facebook to keep up with things happening in our practice that effect you and your family’s oral health and wellness!

                                                                    - Dr. Jules Litwin

For more information, visit us at http://www.wedental.ca.