Patient Education

I Think My Gums Are Receding!

Patient during treatment for receding gums.

At TrueSmiles, we focus on the health of our patients’ gums just as much as we do on their teeth. We understand the critical nature of the gums and the role they play in keeping teeth healthy, strong, and intact. Through regular dental care, we will work to prevent gum disease. In certain situations, regular dental care is all a patient needs.

However, if you do notice that your gums begin to recede, call 786-733-6209 and schedule an appointment with our Miami, FL dental office. Since gum recession can lead to further health challenges, it is important to address the issue right away.

Why are gums receding from my teeth?

There can be several reasons for this, and some of them may have to do with lifestyle. For example, it is important to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss once a day. However, if you use a hard toothbrush or brush too aggressively, you can actually irritate your gums and cause them to recede. This is why we recommend that you use a soft or electronic toothbrush whenever possible. You want to make sure you are gentle when brushing near your gums, regardless of what you are using.

Your gums can also recede due to gum disease. This is actually the most common reason for the condition. At TrueSmiles, we find that gum disease can impact patients of all ages, and when it does, it is critical that you come in for a dental cleaning and treatment. Otherwise, you can begin to see the gums recede or pull away from the teeth. The cause is plaque that becomes trapped between the teeth and gums. Since you cannot clean this area, it remains in place, turns into tartar, and irritates your gums. The irritation will get to the point that the gums swell, bleed, become irritated, and eventually recede.

Genetics can also give you receding gums, so if your parents had this problem, you may as well.

If your teeth are crooked and your bite is out of alignment, additional strain could be placed on some of your teeth. As a result of abnormal wear patterns, your gums could begin to suffer and eventually recede.

Why are my gums receding only on one side?

If your gums are only receding on one side, it could be simply because plaque just happens to have built up in this area of the mouth. Plaque does not discriminate, but there is a chance that you could have brushed or flossed better on one side of your mouth, or it could be a simple fluke that plaque became trapped in one area but not the other.

Another plausible reason is that this mirrors standard wear patterns. If your teeth are crooked and your bite is off, your gum health will also be impacted disproportionally.

Why are my gums receding on one tooth only?

While this could be related to the other causes listed above, it is most likely to do some type of dental trauma. Perhaps this particular area of the mouth was cut or suffered a severe abrasion. Whether the injury was caused by eating something sharp, your nail scratched it, or an outside force cut you, gums can sometimes have difficultly healing and may recede as a result of that injury.

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