Most of us spend the bulk of our time focused on our teeth. After all, our pearly whites give us our irresistible smiles. However, our gum tissue requires just as much attention.
When you have receding gums, the delicate pink tissue surrounding your teeth pulls away or deteriorates, leaving more of your white tooth exposed. As this issue worsens, it can impact the appearance of your smile and the stability of your teeth.
That’s where good oral hygiene and regular dental visits can help. At Gulf Coast Periodontics & Implants in Gulfport, Mississippi, our expert providers can detect the signs of a problem and design a treatment plan to stop the problem from getting worse.
In this blog, our team shares the telltale signs of gum recession, so you can get treatment as soon as possible.
The problem with gum recession is that it often occurs gradually, so it can be easy to miss the signs unless you’re watching for them.
In many cases, the most obvious sign of a problem involves your smile. As your gums recede, your smile can appear “toothier.” However, there are more subtle signs you shouldn’t ignore, such as:
Without treatment, gum recession only becomes more pronounced, leaving your teeth even more exposed. When this occurs, your teeth can start to develop cavities, feel loose, and even fall out, and you can also experience jawbone loss.
In addition to recognizing the signs of gum recession, it’s also important to know your risks, so you can pay closer attention to this delicate tissue in your mouth.
Generally speaking, anyone can have receding gums. However, it affects approximately 88% of people over age 65. Other factors that increase your chances of developing gum recession include:
Your genetics can also increase your chances of developing gum recession.
At Gulf Coast Periodontics & Implants, we rely on the LANAP laser system to address gum recession. This cutting-edge procedure treats receding gums by destroying bacteria and diseased tissue, creating a clean surface on the tooth root for the gum tissue to reattach to. This procedure also triggers regeneration to the jawbone and gum tissue, helping to restore healthy tissue in the area.
For cases of severe gum recession, including those with jawbone loss, we may recommend grafting procedures. These treatments help rebuild areas in your mouth by adding more tissue. For example, we could cover an area of receding gum tissue with gum tissue taken from another part of your mouth.
And, if you have jawbone loss, this procedure would involve bone grafting to restore bone density in the area. Once you heal, we may suggest dental implants to restore your tooth and prevent additional problems in the future.
If you have receding gums and want treatment, or if you want your gums examined to see if they’re receding, we can help. To learn more, call 228-868-9615 or request an appointment online with Gulf Coast Periodontics & Implants today.
