We often ignore our oral health, but we do not realize how crucial it is. The state of your mouth can reflect the overall health of the rest of your body.
It is essential to maintain the health of your teeth and gums. You should also know the signs of some problems in your teeth and gums to learn to look for treatments and remedies.
Receding gums is one such problem that affects your oral health. Read on to find out about this condition.
Table of Contents
What Are Receding Gums?
Gums, also known as the gingiva, are the fleshy part of the jaw that anchors the teeth in your mouth. Receding gums or gingival recession is when your gum tissue pulls down from its natural place, leaving the root of your teeth exposed to infection and weakening the foundation of your teeth in the jaw.
When gums recede, they leave empty spaces that bacteria can inhabit and cause infection. The inner bone of the tooth that is exposed is also made vulnerable.
Symptoms of Receding Gums
Gum recession commonly occurs due to aging in individuals over 40 years of age, but it can happen earlier. You can identify if you have receding gums at home by noting these signs:
- Your teeth seem longer than usual.
- You have increased tooth sensitivity.
- You can feel a slight indentation above your current gum line.
You can also look for the receding gum stages that point to gum disease as infection inevitably occurs if gum recession is left untreated:
- Healthy teeth and gums.
- Gingivitis occurs when there is a bad taste in the mouth, bleeding gums during brushing, and red, swollen gums.
- Early periodontitis, in which the symptoms of gingivitis continue with the addition of tooth mobility. This means your tooth may start to come loose from its place in the gums.
- In moderate periodontitis, besides the earlier symptoms, the root of your teeth begins to be exposed. The tooth’s root often has a slightly darker color than the top portion.
- In advanced periodontitis, infection in gums is at its most advanced stage. The tooth would be very shaky in its place, and tooth loss may occur.
What Causes Receding Gums?
There is no single answer to the question of why are my gums receding. Gum recession could occur due to any of the following causes:
1. Gingivitis
Poor oral hygiene can cause a build-up of plaque and gingivitis, which can make your gums prone to recession. Gingivitis can also occur if you have diabetes or are a smoker.
2. Aggressive Brushing
Brushing teeth too forcefully can cause your gums to move back from their natural placement.
3. Grinding Your Teeth
The force of grinding your teeth can cause your gums to weaken and detach, causing gum recession.
4. Genetics
You may be prone to gum recession despite great oral care due to inherited factors like the thickness of your gums.
5. Hormonal Changes
During puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, hormonal fluctuations can make women’s gums more susceptible to recession.
6. Aging
Gum recession occurs naturally with age, even if you practice good oral hygiene.
How to Fix Receding Gums?
If you’ve identified that you have receding gums, you may be wondering about how to stop receding gums. Luckily, nowadays, there has been a lot of research about how to stop receding gums from getting worse and even reversing the recession.
If your gum situation is not critical to the point of high tooth mobility, you can try these natural treatments to reverse gum recession:
1. Saltwater Rinse
Rinsing your gums with salted water two to three times a day can aid in slowing gum recession. Salt is antibacterial. It would heal gum inflammation and thus prevent further gum recession.
2. Hydrogen Peroxide
Rinsing with a solution of hydrogen peroxide is a good treatment for swollen gums. You can use this remedy to prevent further receding gums by making the solution equal to 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and water. Use this rinse two to three times a week.
3. Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is an ayurvedic practice that has been proven with research to reduce the gingivitis that causes receding gums.
Swish some good, cold-pressed coconut oil around your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes before spitting it out. You can rinse and brush your mouth after oil pulling to gain the benefits of this remedy.
4. Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus oil can also treat gum inflammation and may stimulate gum tissue regeneration. To prevent gum recession, you can dilute a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a tablespoon of water and massage it on your gums.
5. Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties that help to protect gums from being infected. Treating gum disease is a surefire way of stopping receding gums.
6. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties that help control bacterial activity in the mouth and prevent plaque buildup. This prevents periodontal complications that result in gum recession.
7. Thyme Oil
Thyme oil contains compounds that prevent gum inflammation and tooth decay. Using thyme oil to control gum disease can stop gum recession if done regularly.
8. Turmeric Gel
Turmeric gel has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that can reduce gum inflammation and gum disease,x a significant cause of gum recession.
9. Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays a major role in promoting gum health. Consuming vitamin C from natural sources and supplements can prevent periodontal diseases and risk chances of gum recession.
10. Septilin
Septilin is a herbal preparation including many beneficial herbs like Guduchi, guggul, and licorice. Septilin has improved gum health benefits by reducing the pockets between gum and teeth. This prevents bacteria from infecting gums and slows gum recession.
Septilin is available in the market as a syrup and tablet form.
11. Aloe Vera Gel
Applying aloe vera gel directly from the plant to your gums has been shown to reduce symptoms of periodontal disease, including receding gums.
12. Green Tea
The many benefits of green tea include good gum health. Green tea contains many phytochemicals and antioxidants that prevent plaque buildup and gum inflammation.
Drinking two cups of green tea daily can naturally reverse receding gums.
13. Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Research has linked consumption of a high omega-3 fatty acid diet to a lowered risk of gum disease. It is likely that adding omega-3 rich foods to your diet or taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements will stop gum recession.
Dental Treatments
If natural receding gum treatment does not seem to be effective, there are some methods you can opt for to treat gum recession. Laser gum treatment, gum grafting, open flap scaling, and root planing all have the common goal of preventing tooth loss and protecting the tooth’s exposed root.
Your dentist may recommend bone and tissue regeneration if gum recession has damaged the bone supporting your teeth.
Bonding techniques using dental resin are also used to shield the root of the tooth from exposure and infection.
Conclusion
Gum recession is a prevalent condition. Its occurrence does not necessarily point to neglected oral health. Even if you brush, floss, and use a mouthwash, you could still have receding gums.
If you notice signs of gum recession, you can judge what stage the condition is at. You can try natural treatments to stop and reverse gum recession in the early stages. If your situation is severe, your dentist can guide you about the different treatment options available for receding gums.
