Receding gums: Is it too late for treatment?

Receding gums are a common condition that affects the teeth. Typically, if your gums are receding you’ll notice that your gums are retreating away from your teeth. As a result, exposing more dental surfaces than is normal.

For many people, receding gums are a cause of concern. It severely affects the appeal of a smile and by extension the person’s self-esteem. Not only does gum recession cause aesthetic problems, but they can also impact your oral health. Imposing tooth loss and cavities are just a few examples of how this problem can affect your dental tissue.

What are receding gums?

Gum recession is a dental condition that develops gradually. A form of periodontal disease, gum recession affects every 1 in 4 people. The condition impacts the gum where they begin to slowly retreat upwards. Because receding gums progress slowly, many patients don’t notice they have gum recession.

But as side effects such as tooth sensitivity can help patients identify the problem early on. Likewise with the aesthetic aspect of the smile, where patients can notice their teeth are looking abnormally long.

Are receding gums a problem?

Many patients may dissolve the problem down to a cosmetic issue. But in truth, gum recession is a threat to nearby teeth and can develop into serious dental health problems.

For this reason, if you think your gums are receding you shouldn’t want to ignore it. As it can develop into serious problems that can be hard to reverse.

Read more : Rotten Teeth: Risks and Treatment

Symptoms

If you think you have this problem, your best bet is to visit a dentist. Most of the tell-tale signs of gum recession include the following:

• Constant bleeding when flossing or brushing your teeth
• Gums that are abnormally red or swollen
• Bad oral odor
• Pain and tenderness along the gum line
• Sensitivity to hot and cold foods and drinks
• Loose teeth
• Visible tooth roots

What causes gum recession?

Receding gums develop as a result of plaque build-up. Plaque is a biofilm of bacteria that collects near the gums.

If left roaming freely, plaque will develop into tartar.  The harmful bacterial by-products from tartar will dissolve away your gum tissue.

This will take place gradually, and if you don’t seek professional help it can lead to the formation of pockets. Gum inflammation usually leads to periodontal disease.

While the most popular form of developing receding gums is plaque there are other causes. These range from habits to health conditions.

• Constant aggressive brushing and use of hard-bristle toothbrushes
•  Poor oral hygiene
• In women, periodontal disease can develop from hormonal changes
• Diseases such as diabetes and HIV can cause receding gums
• A dry mouth means less saliva to wash away harmful bacteria leading to plaque and gum recession

How to fix receding gums?

Finding a suitable treatment plan for your receding gums will begin by finding the underlying cause. It’s important to detect the root of the problem to ensure gum recession doesn’t re-occur.

If you seek treatment early on, your dentist may only need to clean your teeth. Removing plaque and tartar could be what you need to prevent your gums from receding.

In severe cases of receding gums, surgery may be necessary. There are two types of surgical approaches such as grafting and flap surgery. Which method is best for you depends on the progression of your gum recession.

In flap surgery, your dentist will clean far down the gum tissue. This effectively removes all the tartar and plaque buildup. To do this, your dentist will have to lift up your gum, do the cleaning, and then close it back down. Hence why the name “flap” surgery. 

If your receding gums are bad enough and the roots of your teeth have become visible, you’ll need grafting. The grafting procedure corrects gum recession by reviving the dental tissue or bone in the affected area.

Placing bone tissue from your body or a synthetic material near the gums, grafting can encourage your gums to grow.

Receding gums surgery cost

Surgical treatment for receding gums can cost around $1000 per tooth. But if you want affordable high-quality treatment for your receding gums consider dentistry in Turkey.

The Slow-Dentistry-certified Dentakay is a  luxury dental clinic in Turkey providing top-quality services for receding gums.

Contact Dentakay to book an online consultation.

When is it too late for gum grafting?

The timing of gum grafting depends on the individual case and the severity of the gum recession. In general, it is best to undergo gum grafting as soon as possible after gum recession is detected because the longer you wait, the more likely it is that the recession will progress and the more difficult it may be to achieve optimal results.

That being said, there is no definitive age limit for gum grafting, and many older adults can still benefit from the procedure. However, factors such as overall health, the extent of the gum recession, and the presence of underlying health conditions may affect the feasibility and success of the procedure.