Annapolis Dental Care will help you prevent gum disease caused by receding gums.
Receding gums are no joke, and can cause a lot of dental complications. When gum tissue moves away from where they meet the tooth, the roots are often exposed. There are a number of things you can do to prevent gum recession based on lifestyle choice. We can take a look at the causes, preventative methods, and treatment to ensure your dental health.
Causes of Receding Gums
- Keeping it too clean– Often times aggressively brushing or flossing will cause receding gums. This is especially relevant when you’re using a hard toothbrush, brush more often than necessary, or floss more often than necessary. Being committed to dental hygiene shouldn’t be painful.
- Grinding your teeth– If you’re waking up everyday with sore jaws, or headaches you might be grinding your teeth at night. This causes receding gums as well, and you should tell your dentist immediately. Luckily it’s an easy, low-cost fix, just invest in a mouthguard to wear at night and your receding gums will thank you.
- Poor Oral Health– If you do not brush and floss at least twice a day, you could be more prone to receding gums. Gum Recession could be the result of periodontitis which is a serious gum disease, so make sure you are getting cleanings every 6 months. Your dentist will be able to identify and keep you updated on the health of your gums if you do this.
- Genetics– If your parents struggle with receding gums, you may be more prone to them as well. This is unfortunate, but frequent visits to the dentist will keep your genes from causing bigger dental problems.
- Tooth Positioning– Crooked teeth can cause a lot of oral complications including receding gums. If they are positioned in such a way that your gums have no room to surround the root properly, gum recession will occur.
How Do you Treat Receding Gums?
Receding gums can be treated quite easily. Your dentist will likely help you identify the cause and address it professionally. Your diet may need to change, you could need a mouthguard, or you might need to increase your flossing habits.
If it’s too late, and you let your receding gums go untreated, your dentist may need to refer you to a periodontist (a gum specialist.) If they determine that your gum recession is caused by periodontitis, a gum graft surgery may need to be done. Don’t neglect your teeth for this long though! If you feel you have receding gums, talk to your dentist about what’s causing it, and how you, as an individual, can work to fight off periodontal disease.
Dental Care with Annapolis Dental Care
If you want to schedule your next visit, please contact Annapolis Family Dental Care by calling (410) 267-0766 or visit AnnapolisDentalCare.com today! We can give you more information, or schedule your appointment. Our diligent knowledge of all dental treatments and extensive experience in all fields of dentistry, ensure Annapolis Dental is best suited to care for your oral health. You can also follow Annapolis Dental Care on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.