Do you notice that your gums are receding? Are your gums pulling back? If so, you don’t want to ignore it. Receding gums can become a major issue if left untreated. With gums receding, you will notice that your teeth start to look longer. Why is that? Well, when your gums recede, more of the bottom portion of your tooth is exposed. You may notice other symptoms in addition to your receding gums. Here are some of the common symptoms you might experience with them.
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Symptoms of Receding Gums
Common symptoms you might experience with receding gums:
- Bad Breath
- Inflammation In Your Gums
- Darkening Of Your Gum Tissue
- Teeth Getting Loose
- Gums Getting Tender
- Teeth More Sensitive
- Changes In Your Bite
One of the main causes of this issue is periodontal disease. This is also commonly referred to as gum disease. Unfortunately, many people have early signs of it. The stats show that the majority of adults over the age of 30 have some sort of gum disease. Unfortunately, the rate only increases as you look at those who are older.
Gum disease can occur when there is a major buildup of plaque on the teeth. Plaque is a sticky substance found on teeth, and it’s filled with bacteria. What happens is the buildup causes inflammation in the fibers that would normally hold your gums into place. As a result, it can cause your gums to pull away from the root of your teeth. This can develop small pockets that bacteria can get into. And this can cause bacteria to fester as you cannot easily get rid of them through brushing or flossing.
A professional dentist will measure the depth of the formed pockets when looking to see how bad gum disease is. You will have different ranges based on how deep the pockets are. You can have mild gum disease, and it can range from basic to serious. In the more severe cases, the inflammation can spread into supporting ligaments. These ligaments are essential for holding your teeth in place and attaching them to your jawbone.
When you suffer from this severity, you could experience tooth loss as your teeth start to detach and fall out. This makes severe gum disease one of the major causes of tooth loss.
The good news is there are different ways to treat gum disease and the resulting recession that’s caused by it. While you may be able to make some dental hygiene changes to improve your gum health, you might need more assistance. In moderate cases, you might need deep cleaning and scaling to get rid of the deeper bacteria and plaque hidden beneath your gum line. This will smooth out the deeper surfaces of your teeth to ensure that bacteria are more difficult to root themselves on your teeth and inside your gums.
The more complex stages of gum disease could end up requiring you to get surgery. You may need a bone or gum graft if things are really bad.
Some Causes Of Receding Gums Outside Of Gum Disease
- Brushing Too Hard
- Age (gums naturally recede as you get older)
- Improper Dental Hygiene
- Not Visiting The Dentist Enough
- Hormonal Changes
- Smoking
- Genetics
You Cannot Ignore Receding Gums
You don’t want to ignore many dental issues. However, one of the issues you simply cannot ignore is receding gums. It’s not a problem that is going to simply disappear. It won’t go away without you getting treatment for it. Unfortunately, it will only become an increasingly worse problem if you ignore it. You don’t want it to get too bad, so you put yourself at risk of losing your teeth prematurely.
Not only that, but your gum health is also closely correlated to your overall health. Plenty of studies show that those with gum disease have a much higher risk of suffering from heart issues, a heart attack, and a stroke. One of the underlying reasons for this has to do with the inflammation it can cause. Whenever you have inflamed gums, you’re likely to have inflammation elsewhere in your body. This is why it’s so important to maintain optimal dental health. Always go to a dentist for routine checkups and cleanings.
Conclusion
If you notice that you are suffering from receding gums, it’s time to visit a dentist. You want to visit a dentist to get your mouth evaluated. They can tell you what’s causing it and give you a treatment plan to correct it. If you have moderate or severe gum disease, they will likely refer you to a periodontist to get specialized treatment. Luckily, there are effective treatments to ensure you can enjoy a healthy smile, but you do have to be proactive about it. If you are ready to schedule your next appointment, you can call the friendly staff at J Street Dental Group to set one up.