Dr. Sneha Lele, Smile Care, Nashik.

It is always said that ‘be in the pink of health’. In case of oral care, it literally means so. The pink tissue that surrounds your teeth is called ‘gums’ which plays an important role in holding the teeth in the jaws. The color of this tissue is usually pink but it maybe black in some people. It is very important that these tissues remain in good health and care should be taken to see that the gums don’t inflame and recede or shrink from their actual position.

Causes of Receding Gums :

There are various causes of receding gums; the most common are :
Accumulation of Dental Plaque

Dental Plaque is a sticky, soft, colorless film of bacteria that constantly builds up on the surface of teeth and gums. Failure to remove this film causes formation of a layer which accumulates many bacteria that produce acids. These start causing irritation to the gums and thus produce gum inflammation where the gums become red, swollen and bleed easily.

Tartar Formation

If oral hygiene is not maintained properly, the tooth plaque continues to build up and can become mineralized to form tartar or calculus. Thus, you can see it as a layer of yellow or brown hard mineral deposits on the teeth surface. It maybe present above and below the gums. It is full of bacteria and can cause severe irritation to the gums and in self defense, the gums become severely inflamed and start shrinking or ‘receding’ from their original position.

Other Causes

There can be some other causes like thin gums, prominent frenum pulling the gums, if a restoration is impinging on the gums, trauma due to biting forces and toothbrush trauma.

Effects of Receding Gums :

• Gums become inflamed, swollen and bleeding and pus discharge maybe seen.
• The root surface gets exposed which causes a lot of sensitivity, esp. while having food of extreme temperatures like cold water or hot tea.
• It causes bad breath and it definitely looks unesthetic in case of anterior teeth.
• In extreme cases, if the tartar is accumulated for a very long time, there is loss of bone around the tooth that is present below the gums, this causes loosening of the teeth.

Sometimes, due to neglect and lack of awareness, people think that tartar is a part of their tooth. In such cases, big tartar deposits remain, which cause gums to recede further. This is what we call ‘gum disease’ where pus discharge and loosening of teeth is prominently seen.

How to prevent Receding Gums ?

• Brush thoroughly at least twice a day, with a fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque from teeth
• Use dental floss daily to remove plaque from between your teeth and under your gums.
• Rinse your mouth properly after every meal esp. on having sticky food.
• Control your diet. Limit sugary or starch foods, esp. sticky snacks.
• Check your teeth in the mirror to look for any stains or yellow brown tartar deposits.
• Visit your dentist regularly for professional dental cleanings and dental examinations.

Treatment of Receding Gums :

Receding gums are treated by placing a ‘soft tissue graft’ over them and stitching or suturing it in place-this procedure is called Grafting. Placing a soft tissue graft involves taking a soft tissue from the donor site - e.g. the roof of mouth and moving it to the recipient site - e.g. where the gums have receded. Different types of soft tissue grafts are performed to treat or prevent further gum recession or bone loss and for cosmetic reasons like making the gum line more even. In case of severe bone loss, bone grafts maybe performed to help rebuild an area of bone. A dressing is placed on the graft area which is removed after a week and then gentle cleaning of the area is allowed. Gums begin to look normal in 1month and heal in 2-3months.