A Gummy Dilemma: Can Gums Grow Back After Receding?

As you may know, gum disease can often cause gum recession. This symptom persists as long as the gums are irritated and infected. So, you may find yourself wondering: can gums grow back after receding? It’s easy to think the tissues would recover once you’ve treated their disease. Even so, the truth is that receded gums can’t grow back; you can only keep the recession from worsening. Learn more about the matter in this primer from your Azle dentist.

Some Context: What are Receded Gums?

Per its name, gum recession refers to when gum tissue pulls away from your teeth. The process slowly exposes your tooth roots, causing you to look “long in the tooth.”

While it may seem harmless, gum recession damages oral health. Having the roots of your teeth exposed means they could be affected by harmful bacteria. Should that happen, you’ll likely develop tooth decay, tooth infections, or worse. It’s only natural to have this problem treated as soon as possible.

What Causes Gums to Recede?

Gums can recede for various reasons, but the most common ones are:

• Bad Oral Hygiene – Gums tend to recede when the gumline suffers a large plaque buildup. This substance has a lot of bad oral bacteria, which triggers inflammation and gum recession.
• Overbrushing – Whatever you may have thought, brushing your gums forcefully will damage them. This harm and pressure will then make them recede.
• Teeth Grinding – Aside from causing enamel loss, grinding your teeth can also trigger gum recession.
• Tobacco Use – Tobacco products elevate your risk of gum disease, which tends to result in gum recession.

Can Receded Gums Grow Back?

Sadly, receded gums can’t grow back even if their cause is addressed. The best you can do is prevent the problem in the first place or get dental care.

You can often prevent (or stop) gum recession with good oral habits. By brushing and flossing daily, your gum tissue will be cleaner and less exposed to harmful bacteria. They’ll then be less likely to recede.

If good oral habits aren’t enough, dentists can also keep receding gums from getting worse. Their go-to method is scaling and root planing – a “deep cleaning” that removes plaque under the gumline. With this treatment, your gums would become healthier and less likely to recede further.

Gums can’t grow back after receding, but you can still keep them fairly healthy. Just talk to your dental provider for help!

About the Practice

Rubal Dentistry Azle is based in Azle, TX, and is led by Drs. Frank and Jodie Rubal. Over the years, our practice has strived to offer honest and precise dental care. That means we work with our patients to provide preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments for unique smiles. Depending on your needs, we’ll tailor our efforts to make your grin healthy and beautiful! For more details or to book a visit, please reach us on our website or by phone at (817)-444-2585.