It is always said that
‘be in the pink of health’. In case of oral
care, it literally means so. The pink tissue that surrounds
your teeth is called ‘gums’ which plays
an important role in holding the teeth in the jaws.
The color of this tissue is usually pink but it maybe
black in some people. It is very important that these
tissues remain in good health and care should be taken
to see that the gums don’t inflame and recede
or shrink from their actual position.
Causes of Receding Gums
There are various causes of receding gums; the most
common are:-
Accumulation of Dental Plaque:
Dental Plaque is a sticky, soft, colorless film of
bacteria that constantly builds up on the surface
of teeth and gums. Failure to remove this film causes
formation of a layer which accumulates many bacteria
that produce acids. These start causing irritation
to the gums and thus produce gum inflammation where
the gums become red, swollen and bleed easily.
Tartar Formation:
If oral hygiene is not maintained properly, the tooth
plaque continues to build up and can become mineralized
to form tartar or calculus. Thus, you can see it as
a layer of yellow or brown hard mineral deposits on
the teeth surface. It maybe present above and below
the gums. It is full of bacteria and can cause severe
irritation to the gums and in self defense, the gums
become severely inflamed and start shrinking or ‘receding’
from their original position.
Other Causes:
There can be some other causes like thin gums, prominent
frenum pulling the gums, if a restoration is impinging
on the gums, trauma due to biting forces and toothbrush
trauma.
Effects of Receding Gums
- Gums become inflamed, swollen and bleeding and
pus discharge maybe seen.
- The root surface gets exposed which causes a
lot of sensitivity, esp. while having food of extreme
temperatures like cold water or hot tea.
- It causes bad breath and it definitely looks
unesthetic in case of anterior teeth.
- In extreme cases, if the tartar is accumulated
for a very long time, there is loss of bone around
the tooth that is present below the gums, this causes
loosening of the teeth.
Sometimes, due to neglect and lack of awareness,
people think that tartar is a part of their tooth. In
such cases, big tartar deposits remain, which cause
gums to recede further. This is what we call ‘gum
disease’ where pus discharge and loosening of
teeth is prominently seen.
How to prevent Receding Gums?
- Brush thoroughly at least twice a day, with a
fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque from teeth
- Use dental floss daily to remove plaque from
between your teeth and under your gums.
- Rinse your mouth properly after every meal esp.
on having sticky food.
- Control your diet. Limit sugary or starch foods,
esp. sticky snacks.
- Check your teeth in the mirror to look for any
stains or yellow brown tartar deposits.
- Visit your dentist regularly for professional
dental cleanings and dental examinations.
Treatment of Receding Gums
Receding gums are treated by placing a ‘soft tissue
graft’ over them and stitching or suturing it
in place-this procedure is called Grafting. Placing
a soft tissue graft involves taking a soft tissue from
the donor site - e.g. the roof of mouth and moving it
to the recipient site - e.g. where the gums have receded.
Different types of soft tissue grafts are performed
to treat or prevent further gum recession or bone loss
and for cosmetic reasons like making the gum line more
even. In case of severe bone loss, bone grafts maybe
performed to help rebuild an area of bone. A dressing
is placed on the graft area which is removed after a
week and then gentle cleaning of the area is allowed.
Gums begin to look normal in 1month and heal in 2-3months.
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