Gum recession: what I never knew

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#1 Post by **cowlypso** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:59 pm

I've just been doing some reading up on gum recession. I learned some stuff that I never knew before.

What I thought I knew: Gum recession only happens to people who don't floss, or who have a ton of bacteria in their mouths and don't take care of their teeth.

What I learned: Gum recession can be caused by periodontitis, but it can ALSO be caused by other things. It's probably not really my fault that my gums are receding. I don't have to hide my face in shame when I walk in to see the periodontist. Apparently, gum recession can be caused by fragile tissue, protruding roots (both not any fault of the patient), or by brushing too hard or wrong. It has nothing to do with bacteria or poor oral hygiene.

Wow! I've always been so ashamed and worried about my gum recession, thinking that I was just a really bad patient. When I was young, the oral hygienist was really mean and would yell at me for not taking care of my teeth. I actually left the office crying several times (including once only 4 years ago).

It occurs to me that there is probably some genetic basis to my problem, as my father also has gum recession for no good reason. It may also have to do with overbrushing. I don't ever remember the dentist or my parents teaching me how to brush (I'm sure that somebody did at some point). For many years, I thought that the only parts of the teeth that needed to be brushed were the parts you chew with (probably explains the plethora of interproximal cavities I have now!). Then, I finally figured out that there's an inside and an outside surface of the tooth, too. So I proceeded to brush back and forth on those. Nobody ever bothered to look at my brushing and tell me that I was doing it all wrong.

So, although I'm not happy about my gum recession, and I know that it may need treatment at some point, I feel a bit more relaxed. I feel like I can go to the periodontist and not just get yelled at for being a bad patient and ruining my teeth (hmm... think my hygienist scarred me just a little....?).

I guess most of this isn't braces-related, but it was a total revelation for me and I wanted to share, as it appears to be a mostly adult problem and we are mostly adults.

Now I guess the big question is, will the perio approve me to go ahead with the braces? Anybody with this type of gum recession have any experience?

#2 Post by **cowlypso** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 6:10 pm

No need to be ashamed. That's the other thing that I realized. Even if it is periodontitis, and not fragile gum tissue, I still did the best I could. It's not my fault that nobody ever taught me exactly what to do and how to brush. So I'm just going to walk in there with my head held high and find out what's going on and what needs to be done.

And, hopefully I'll learn that whatever is going on won't affect my b-day timing!

#3 Post by **katmc_tx** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:54 am

I've been meaning to ask my ortho/dentist but it slips my mind when i'm at their offices. Does that gum tissue ever grow back on its own?

#4 Post by **Delag** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:06 am

I have a small bit of gum recession as well, and my ortho told me that a traumatic bite also is a factor in this. When you bite is off, it puts more pressure (or impact) on parts of the tooth that are not designed to take it, or are at an improprer angle to handle the load. This in turn can lead to problems with the gums. (That is MY understanding of what he told me at any rate).

#5 Post by **Delag** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:09 am

Forgot to say....when teeth are out of alignment it may be very difficult to clean properly and that might also lead to problems. All more reasons to be happy with our braces

#6 Post by **jcdamon3** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 1:31 pm

I have some gum recession on my lower canine from brushing too hard. I knew how to brush correctly but sometimes, especially at night you are kind of on autopilot and it always seems that the harder you brush the cleaner your teeth will be, correct? I brushed sideways instead of up and down and this is mostly what caused the problem. Like I said, I was taught how to brush correctly but bad habits are hard to break.

This is why I love, love, love my sonicare. I does not allow me to abuse my teeth that way.

I also have gum recession in the back of my bottom front teeth. No matter what I do I collect plaque there. I can collect in as little as one day, even with brushing and flossing. The more I try to remove that plaque the worse my gums seems to be. Right now they are not sensitive and it can't be seen, so it doesn't matter too much to me. I am thankful for that. I will have to have the dentist keep an eye on that though.

#7 Post by **grinning** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:25 am

katmc_tx - I asked the hygenist that very question when I had my teeth cleaned last month and sadly, gum tissue never regrows. She said "once it's gone... it's gone." Apparently has something to do with attachment to the tooth surface?? I also asked about grafts to fix the problem and was told that the tissue comes from the ROOF OF THE MOUTH!!! Ouch!!

#8 Post by **ellebee** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:54 am

Speaking of gum grafts, I had one about 2 years ago. Yes, the tissue comes from the roof of your mouth. After the graft (during which I had IV sedation, I had a splint (a waxy gummy cover material) on the graft site for a couple of days. I had almost no pain at the graft site. But the roof of my mouth felt like I have a pizza burn the size of Michigan.

It was a good 10 days before I could speak or eat normally. Speaking hurt because the temperature change from just opening my mouth was painful. Eating was more difficult than with braces, because both hot and cold food was agony, anything that touched the donor site was agony. Liquids spread out, soft foods spread out. The best thing I could find to eat was bread, which I could control and keep away from the raw site (which was on the right side of the roof of my mouth).

I had the graft because my lower right canine had a lot of gum recession. The graft "took" (they don't always) but it did not seem to make any difference in the amount of exposed root. One of the goals of my orthodontia is to pull that canine (as well as the opposing one) further back into the bone. The ortho says I have plenty of bone, but the tooth just isn't sitting solidly within it.

Just my experience, for what it's worth.

Elle