What is Gum Recession and Gum Graft?
Having a healthy smile is something that everyone wants to enjoy. But there is one thing that can cause your smile to suffer, gum recession. Gum recession doesn’t happen overnight. The process happens gradually but with biannual dental visits, it can be caught and treated by your dentist.
There are several causes for gum recession. One of them is age. After age 40, you may notice that gum recession may occur even with proper oral care. But for most people, especially those who don’t visit a dentist regularly, receding gums aren’t noticed unless it starts causing other health issues. Another factor that may cause gum recession is brushing your teeth too hard. Brushing aggressively and with an improper technique can lead to both thinning enamel at the gum line and gum recession.
Gum recession can also be caused by untreated periodontal disease and gingivitis as well as eating disorders, chewing tobacco and grinding your teeth. If your gum recession is too far along, this can lead to tooth loss, infections, bad breath, root decay, and painful sensitive roots. There is a dental procedure that your dentist can perform to treat gum recession. It is called gum grafting, which is a procedure where gum tissue is attached to the recession area in order to protect your teeth.
Because gum grafts are a delicate procedure, one must be careful not to disturb the graft during the early days of healing in order for the graft to heal properly for the best results. Once the graft has healed, you are able to do things as normal. Just make sure that you treat your new and improved gum line with a proper oral hygiene regimen. This means using the correct brushing techniques that your dentist recommends in order to safeguard your gums and teeth from future gum recession.
