At this point, you likely know that gums are crucial to oral health. The pink tissues, after all, support your teeth and the rest of your mouth. However, did you know they can also pull back from your chompers? Indeed, receding gums are a severe matter that points to dental troubles. Luckily, dentists can treat the condition when they know its cause. Your Bergenfield dental practice even has proof for this claim. Read on, then, to learn about gum recession, its causes, and how dentistry can treat it.
What is Gum Recession?
Per the name, gum recession occurs when the gum tissue pulls away from your teeth. It usually leads to the exposure of your dental roots.
Aside from making your smile “long in the tooth,” gum recession can seriously harm oral health. By revealing your teeth’s roots, it puts you at risk of dental sensitivity, tooth decay, tooth infection, and similar issues. It’s thus best to treat it sooner rather than later.
What Causes It?
Ultimately, gum recession can stem from a wide variety of factors. The most common ones, though, include the following:
- Aggressive Brushing: If you brush your gums too hard, you can cause damage to them. That harm, in turn, will then make them recede.
- Poor Oral Hygiene: If too much plaque builds up in your mouth, you might suffer gum disease that leads to tooth loss or gum recession.
- Tooth Grinding: As it happens, bruxism doesn’t just wear down teeth. The problem can also trigger gums to recede.
- Tobacco Use: Well-regarded studies show that smoking tobacco leads to gum recession.
How Can Dentists Help?
Of course, dentists can help you manage gum recession. After an initial consultation, they can suggest various effective procedures.
For example, a dentist might recommend a deep cleaning. This service – also known as root scaling and planing – would clean bacteria from the pockets between your gums and teeth. Your gums would then be free of infected matter and have a chance to heal.
On the other hand, dentists may suggest you get a gum graft. The latter option would replace your lost tissue with some from another part of your mouth. As a result, you wouldn’t have the “long in the tooth” look anymore.
Ultimately, receding gums represent a danger to your smile. As such, see your dentist soon to get a proper diagnosis and treatment!
About the Practice
Washington Dental Associates is based in Bergenfield, NJ. Led a truly wonderful team of dentists, our practice gives each patient personalized dental care. To that end, we perform customized preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, as well as emergency smile procedures. Naturally, you can also count on us to help revitalize your gums! For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (201)-453-4863.