Home Living Healthy Aging Well No time to Waste: Receding Gums Require Immediate Action

No time to Waste: Receding Gums Require Immediate Action

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In terms of oral health, receding gums can often be a very worrying experience for a lot of people. Sometimes, the causes of receding gums can be completely out of your control, with many people not even realizing they have receding gums as it can be a very slow process.

No matter what the cause may be, if you feel like you may be suffering from receding gums it’s vitally important that you take action as soon as possible. The earlier you catch it and treat it, the less likely you’ll need to have unpleasant dental treatment such as gum tissue grafting, bone regeneration, and even surgery.

What Are Receding Gums?

In simple terms, receding gums are a result of gum tissue slowly wearing away. This gum erosion will then expose the surrounding teeth, which can cause the appearance of unsightly gaps for disease-ridden bacteria to settle. This can lead to gum-line inflammation and, if untreated, a continuous deterioration of overall oral health.

There are many symptoms that are associated with receding gums such as swollen or bleeding gums and tender redness surrounding teeth. However, this condition is often painless for many sufferers. This is why it’s vital to be aware of less painful signs, including persistent bad breath or a bad overall mouth taste.

What Causes Receding Gums?

There’s a huge variety of different causes that can contribute to the cause of receding gums, with some being completely out of an individual’s control. For example, factors such as genetics and hormonal fluctuation can significantly increase a person’s chance of developing this condition through no fault of their own.

But there are also plenty of other causes that can be controlled, making receding gums preventable if an individual is aware of these causes and what they should avoid doing. Vigorous tooth brushing can be very harsh on gums, leading them to recede, and insufficient flossing, mouthwash rinsing and lacklustre brushing makes it much easier for bacteria to settle if gum erosion has already begun.

Treatment For Receding Gums

Luckily, no matter what the cause, receding gums can always be easily treated as long as it’s caught early. Using good quality electric toothbrushes is a great step to take, as electric toothbrushes are likely to clean difficult-to-reach areas of the mouth much more thoroughly than a standard manual toothbrush. If you aren’t already, incorporating regular flossing and anti-bacterial mouthwash rinses into your brushing routine will help to reverse early signs of receding gums, and successfully prevent the condition from returning.

Receding gums is an extremely common problem amongst Americans, with many sufferers not even realizing they have it. Exploring possible symptoms is a key step in diagnosing the condition and, if it’s progressive and having an adverse effect on your everyday life, contact your local dentist who will be happy to discuss further treatment options with you.

Joe Boyle writes articles about teeth and oral hygiene. He uses his knowledge as a dental assistant to come up with topics that his online audience can learn from.