Learning you have gum recession can come as quite a shock.
It can creeps up on you after years of brushing twice a day and in between
meals, flossing, and the morning ritual rinse of Listerine. But sometimes, it
just happens, it can develop over time for a variety of reasons. There are many
other factors that can cause someone to develop gum recession including,
hormonal changes, certain illnesses like diabetes or cancer, excessive teeth
brushing, being a chronic smoker, to a history of family dental diagnoses. In
fact, according to the American Academy of Periodontology, thirty-percent of
Americans are susceptible due to their genetic make-up.
There are signs that occur before someone develops full
onset gum recession. And it is important to pay attention to these signs, as it
can lead to gum disease. Simple signs of recession are tooth sensitivity,
sudden notice of the difference in size of a tooth, to a bump that can be felt
at the gum line. These are not signs someone wants to ignore, and should go for
a consult right away to rule out gingivitis, or inflammation of the gums that cause
bleeding easily while brushing your teeth. But, you also should rule out gum
disease as recession is a starting sign of it. Gum recession is treatable,
without doctor intervention, if no damage to the bones in the gums has
happened, yet. You can start by brushing your teeth further towards the gum
line, helping rid the plaque that has built up. Another easy step is rinsing
with an anti-gingivitis oral rinse, like Listerine. The best way to prevent gum
recession is to watch out for the warning signs and to do what you can to make
sure it doesn’t turn into full fledged infected gums. But, some people are not
so lucky with warning signs, or they may have started their efforts too late,
or they simply did not notice and were already susceptible to gum disease with
their family dental history.
If gum recession has reached the step of gum disease, there
are warning signs for that, as well. Signs and symptoms include bleeding gums
when brushing at every brush, tender or receding gums, constant bad odor from
your breath, loose teeth to changes in how dentures fit or how your teeth come
together when you clamp them together. These are all possible warning signs of
treatable, or severe gum disease and a sure fire sign to call your dentist. But
gum disease doesn’t come down to the bi-annual cavity check; an action plan
needs to be taken, and treatment is usually done by a periodontist.
