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Gums Receding? Stop These 5 Things Before It Gets Worse · SmileMoreDentistry with Mariliza LaCap, DDS

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: If your gums are starting to pull away from your teeth and the teeth look longer than they used to, there are a few things I want you to stop doing before that recession gets worse.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because receding gums can turn into a much bigger problem than the little sensitivity at the gum line.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: If the tissue and bones supporting a tooth continue to break down, that tooth can eventually become loose, and in more advanced cases, you can lose it altogether.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: And once that happens, treatment becomes a lot more complicated and a lot more expensive.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: I've been a dentist for 35 years and I'm going to walk you through the five things that can make gum recession worse, including a couple most people would never connect to their gums.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, stop brushing so aggressively.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: The first thing I look at is how somebody is actually brushing, especially when the recession is worse around certain teeth.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Some people are very diligent about cleaning their teeth, which is great, but they are also putting way too much pressure against the gum line twice a day for years.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: If you're using a hard toothbrush, scrubbing back and forth or pushing down so hard that the bristles are flattened after a couple of weeks, that tissue can get traumatized over time.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: I've had patients proudly tell me, oh, I brush really hard.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Please don't.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Your gums don't need to be scrubbed like a dirty pan.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Use a soft bristle toothbrush and enough pressure to remove plaque without grinding the bristles into the tissue.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you use an electric toothbrush, many of them will even give you a warning sign that you're brushing too hard.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Buy one of those.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: But aggressive brushing is only one possible cause.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: If the gums are also red, swollen, or bleeding, now I'm thinking about something completely different.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, stop ignoring bleeding gums.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people assume their gums are receding because they are getting older.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Then I look in the mouth and the gums are bleeding.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: There is plaque around the teeth, and sometimes there is hardened buildup underneath the gum line.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now we may be dealing with inflammation or bone disease affecting the tissue and bone that support these teeth.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Healthy gums should not consistently bleed every time you brush or floss.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: And once plaque hardens into tartar underneath the gums, you are not going to scrub that at home with a toothbrush.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: If periodontal disease or bone disease keeps progressing, you can lose more of the tissue and bone that hold the tooth in place.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: So if your gums are receding and they are also bleeding, swelling, or you are noticing persistent bad breath, I would not just buy a sensitive toothpaste and assume you handled it.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Before anybody talks about covering an exposed root, I want to know whether there is disease underneath it.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're looking in the mirror right now thinking, okay, my gums are definitely receding and I have no idea why, that is exactly where an exam becomes useful.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Our team can look at the gums, the bone support, where the teeth are positioned, how you bite, and whether there is inflammation or another pattern that explains why the recession is happening.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're in New York or New Jersey and you want one of our doctors to take a look, you can contact one of our office through the link in the description below.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because once we know what is causing the recession, we can make a much smarter decision about what actually needs to be treated.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: And one reason people wait too long is pretty simple.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing hurts.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, stop waiting for it to hurt.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Gum recession can progress without giving you much warning.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you notice one tooth looks a little longer than it used to.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's a small notch near the gum line or cold water suddenly hits one spot and makes you jump.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Or you may not notice anything until somebody points it out during an exam.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: That is why I would not use pain as the test for whether recession matters.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: When the gum moves away from the tooth, more of the root becomes exposed.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that root surface is more vulnerable to sensitivity and decay.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Sensitive toothpaste can help with the discomfort, but it still does not explain why the gum receded.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: I want to know whether there is inflammation, brushing trauma, very thin tissue, or a badly positioned tooth or too much force hitting that area.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Because what caused the recession is what tells us how to keep it from getting worse.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes the cause is the position of the teeth itself.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, stop assuming crooked teeth are only cosmetic.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes one tooth is losing gum faster because of where that tooth is sitting.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: If a tooth is crowded, rotated, or pushed too far forward or towards the outside of the supporting bone, the tissue around it can be thinner and more vulnerable to recession.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: So if one tooth keeps looking longer while everything around it looks relatively normal, I want to look at whether that tooth is sticking out further than the others, whether it is rotated, and whether its position is making the area harder to clean.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is one reason I have never looked at Invisalign as purely cosmetic.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Straighter teeth can look better, of course, but tooth position can also affect how easy those teeth are to clean and how healthy the environment is around the gums and bone.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: That does not mean everybody with gum recession needs Invisalign.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: But if the recession is concentrated around a crowded or badly positioned tooth, I want that position considered before somebody simply treats the exposed root.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And position is only one kind of force that can affect the area.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: The way you bite, clench, or grind can matter too.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, stop ignoring clenching and grinding.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Some people put an enormous amount of force on their teeth every day and have no idea they are doing it.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: They may clench while they are working, grind at night, wake up with a tired jaw, or notice that certain teeth are getting flatter or shorter over time.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: If I see recession around a tooth that is also taking a tremendous amount of force, I want to know whether those things are connected.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm looking at the bite, the wear pattern on the teeth, whether you grind and whether certain teeth are carrying more pressure than they should.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because if we repair the gum and leave the same forces pounding that area every night, we may not have solved the whole problem.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: And once people understand that, the next question is usually the same.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Can the gum grow back?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Can receding gums grow back?
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Once gum tissue has truly receded, it generally does not just grow back on its own.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: If the recession is mild, sometimes the goal is simply to stop it from getting worse.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: But if a lot of root is exposed or the tissue is very thin, a periodionist may recommend a gum graft to cover and protect that area.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: The important part is figuring out why the recession happened in the first place.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because the graft is only one part of the solution if the same inflammation, force, or tooth position problem is still there.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: What should you look for at home?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Start by noticing whether the recession is happening around one tooth or several.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: If it is one particular tooth, look at whether that tooth is crowded, rotated, or sticking outward compared with the teeth next to it.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Pay attention to whether the gums are bleeding or swollen, whether the area is sensitive to cold, and how much pressure you're using when you brush.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you wake up with a tired jaw, know that you probably grind your teeth.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or notice certain teeth getting flatter or shorter.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Mention that when you have the recession evaluated.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: You do not need to diagnose yourself.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: What you can do is notice the pattern because that gives your dentist much more useful information than simply saying, My gums are receding.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: After 35 years in dentistry, that is how I look at almost everything.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: If something is breaking down, I want to know why before we keep repairing it.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: If your gums are starting to recede, do not wait until a tooth gets loose before you pay attention to it.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Ease up if you are brushing aggressively, take bleeding seriously, do not wait for pain.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Pay attention to crowded or badly positioned teeth and tell your dentist if you're clenching or grinding.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Then figure out which of those things is actually affecting you before the problem gets harder to fix.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've been considering a smile makeover, be sure to watch this video next.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you there.