You may have receding gums due to several reasons. You may experience sensitivity in your teeth or have loose teeth. Luckily, you can do some things to slow down and stop gum recession. If you still wonder, “Why are my gums receding?” and home treatment doesn’t help, make an appointment with a dentist to discover more ways to stop it.
Why Are My Gums Receding? Could It Be Gum Disease?
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is the most serious reason people have receding gums. This problem requires care from a dentist to keep it from getting worse. If you don’t stop gum disease in its early stages, you could lose teeth.
The first stage of gum disease is inflammation, also known as gingivitis. Your gums will appear red and may bleed during brushing. Often, inflammation happens before the gums begin to recede.
Next, the gums pull back from the base of your teeth, allowing bacteria to slip inside the opened gaps. These bacteria can cause infection. Your teeth will still bleed if you floss or brush.
As gum disease gets worse, the bleeding and redness progress to pain around your teeth and gums. The infection in your gums may spread to the rest of your body, and your teeth loosen as their connective tissue breaks down.
The last stage of gum disease has the worst symptoms. The bacteria around your gums will cause bad breath that doesn’t seem to go away. Brushing, flossing, and eating all become extremely painful, and you start losing teeth from your mouth.
Luckily, you can prevent the progression of gum disease with regular dental care and trips to your dentist. Your dentist can offer several services to help prevent and stop gum disease or gum recession. These services include the following:
- Gum inflammation (gingivitis) treatment
- Deep dental cleanings
- Examinations that include looking for signs of gum diseases
Other Causes of Gum Recession
While gum disease has the worst outcome, it is not the only answer to “why are my gums receding?” In fact, some things in your daily routine may contribute to your gum recession.
Age is one reason behind gum recession. This could explain the phrase, “long in the tooth,” to describe an older person. When your gums recede, your teeth appear longer because the retracted gum exposes more of your teeth.
Brushing your teeth too hard could also cause your gums to recede from the irritation. If you use a manual toothbrush, consider switching to an electric toothbrush that shuts itself off if you apply too much pressure.
Not brushing or flossing enough can also lead to gum recession. In many cases, poor dental hygiene can lead to gum disease and recession.
Smoking and tobacco use can both stain your teeth and make your gums recede. For oral health, try to quit or cut back. Talk to your doctor if you need help with quitting your tobacco habit.
Misaligned teeth may affect your bite and lead to gum recession.
What Can I Do About Gum Recession?
If you have gum recession, before making changes to your daily routine, visit your dentist. You could need a special cleaning called scaling and root planing to get deep in between your teeth. Regular exams allow your dentist to spot the early signs of gum recession before you develop sensitivity or other problems.
Good dental care is one of the best things you can do to help your gums. Dental services offered to prevent gum recession include the following:
- Regular dental cleanings
- Dental exams
- Dental x-rays
- Night guard to prevent teeth grinding
- Restorative dentistry to replace lost teeth
- Correcting misaligned bite
How Your Dentist Can Help Your Receding Gums
If you want to know the answer to “Why are my gums receding?” it’s time to visit your dentist. Gum recession indicates a problem in your mouth that needs addressing. To help you keep your teeth, visit one of our dental professionals at Greenwood Dental Care. Set an appointment for a dental checkup and gum evaluation by calling us at 855.528.3961.
