Gum recession can happen from a number of things. It can happen from sometimes some sort of braces can cause some mild form of gum recession. You can have gum recession from periodontal disease when the bone is lost in the area.
The gums tend to follow the pattern of the bone and whatever direction the bone is going, the gum is going to follow. So the more bone is lost, the more gum is going to be lost over time and that tends to expose the root structure of which is the bottom portion of the tooth and that is the most sensitive part of the tooth. And once that root exposure happens, a number of sensitivity issues can occur.
It can make the patient more susceptible to getting cavities, having even more bone loss down the line, having a lot of sensitivity when they’re drinking hot or cold or eating hot or cold foods, and it can just cause a number of issues down the line and it’s like a domino effect. One will lead to the other. So we like to make sure that when we see gum recession, especially if it’s in a mild form, that we treat it early because if we treat it early, it can stop progressing to a more severe form.
But if it’s left untreated, it’s only going to become more severe over time and just cause more issues down the line, which can cause sometimes the tooth to move. It can cause something called mobility where the tooth starts to move in a certain direction and then tooth loss will happen. And so, like I said, one thing causes the other.
If we catch it early and we make sure that we do things that we can do to prevent even more recession, then we will do that. There are a number of procedures available depending on the type of candidate that you are, but usually we have procedures like gum grafts or deep cleanings and stuff that can help alleviate the gum recession or repair the gum recession. Our periodontist will work with you to set up a consultation and see what options are available to you in terms of gum recession.
