Recovering from Receding Gums
Posted on 10/20/2018 by Karl Olson |
 Receding gums happen for many reasons including poor oral hygiene, lack of dental care, genetics, hormonal changes, brushing too hard, smoking, and periodontal disease.
Gum recession causes the gum tissue to pull back, exposing delicate areas of the tooth, including the root, which would generally be protected by soft tissue. This can make teeth more vulnerable to decay because of plaque, that residue that sticks to your teeth.
If you suffer from receding gums, you probably have tooth sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures, and this is the first sign there's a problem.
Treatments for Receding GumsThe good news is that we have treatments available to correct receding gums. Depending on the size of the area affected, we can do an open flap scaling and root planing, where our doctor folds back the gum tissue, cleans the area from bacteria pockets and closes the area extending the gum tissue over the root of the tooth.
We can also treat receding gums with regeneration if the disease destroyed the bone that supports your tooth. Here we use a regenerative material that, encourages the body to regenerate tissue and bone in that area.
Another option is a soft tissue graft, in which the dentist takes tissue from another part of the mouth and covers areas with exposed teeth. We can also use a technique in which gum tissue from an adjacent area is shared with the affected gum to protect the tooth.
Recovery from Receding GumsRecovery from receding gum surgery should last one to two weeks. Following the surgery, you will have to eat a soft diet. You will also be limited in physical activity and will have to take medications to control the pain.
In addition, you will have to avoid brushing and flossing the gum tissue that was repaired until it heals, as well. Plan on having a soft diet of pudding, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, soup, soft vegetables, and drinks for the first couple of weeks. When you feel up to it, you can slowly start adding other foods and resume your normal activities. Let us know if you have any questions about receding gums.
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