Gum recession is a common condition among patients that, most of the times, feeling overwhelmed by the situation they are forced to deal with, due to receding gums.
There are several causes of recession. These can be:
- inflammation attributable to plague,
- excessive tooth brushing,
- periodontal gum disease, and even
- orthodontic movement.
Important Note: If the cause of the recession can be eliminated, other future treatments could be avoided.
What can I do when my gums recede?
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See a Hygienist Regularly
Gums mainly recede because of plaque, which, in turns creates an inflammation of the gums that could result in gum disease. If the recession is due to gum disease or inflammation due to plaque, it is critical to understand that everyone should be seeing a hygienist every 3 or every 6 months, depending upon their risk factors. This allows the bacteria to be reduced and controlled, to avoid recession of the gums, among other issues.
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Mind your Oral Hygiene Yourself
Besides regular visits to your hygienist, you could also help maintain a very good oral hygiene yourself. This means brushing twice a day, and using floss and mouthwash to get into those areas where a toothbrush can’t.
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Opt for Root Coverage
Root coverage is a procedure used in cases when the mouth is healthy, the oral hygiene is good, and the patient is seeing a hygienist, but still has recession on some of their teeth. If the patient so wishes to, they can correct this issue with root coverage.
Root Coverage Techniques
There are various different root coverage procedures that can be used for the treatment of recession. Some distinguishing techniques are:
- The Placement of Connective Tissue Graft- To treat the recession by using this technique, we take a section of tissue from the palate and use it to cover the exposed root, of the tooth where the recession has occurred.
- AlloDerm- In some cases, if the patient does not wish the tissue from the palate to be used, then an option is a product called AlloDerm. This is a procedure where natural tissue is processed in a way that eliminates the rejection probabilities and creates a regenerative tissue matrix. It is a form of treatment that has been crowned with success and has been documented for more than 10 years of dental applications.
So, either tissue from the palate or AlloDerm can be taken and be placed on the area where the recession has occurred, and then be secured by sutures. The patient is given instructions as to how to look after this site, while healing usually takes a few weeks for it to heal up.
SameDay Teeth Suite in Nottingham has a fully updated clinic and a knowledgeable team of dentists to deal with all dental problems and answer all questions in regards your oral health. Just give us a call on 01509 323420, or contact us, and on your first free consultation, you will get much more than just a superficial chat.
Let’s discuss any dental problem you may have, and give you a lovely wide smile back; a smile like you never had before!