If you look in the mirror and find your teeth looking different from usual, chances are you may steadily be developing receding gums. The reason why you may not be entirely aware that this is happening is that the process is subtle. As a result, you may have an inkling that something is not right but you cannot put your finger on why your teeth appear strange to you. Nevertheless, it would be advisable to see your dentist so they can determine whether this is happening and have it remedied before it escalates. So what are some of the factors that would put you at risk of developing receding gums?
You have undetected gum disease
One of the main causes of receding gums is progressive gum disease, typically referred to as periodontitis. Periodontitis should not be confused with gingivitis, as the latter is inflammation and does not pose a high risk to your oral health if caught early.
Periodontitis, on the other hand, can lead to permanent damage to your gums. As a result, your gums start to detach from your teeth, which comes about due to the recession. If the receding gums are not treated, bacteria makes its way under the gum line and begins to disintegrate the jawbone. Over time, this could lead to tooth loss, as the roots of your teeth will not be secure.
One thing to note about tooth loss and bone loss is that it does not exclusively affect your oral health. If the problem is severe, your facial features could also be compromised and you could develop speech impediments, problems with chewing and so on.
Improper dental practices
Your oral health is largely dictated by how well you care for and maintain your teeth. For some people, investing their time in oral hygiene is not a priority. As a result, they will do the bare minimum, which would be brushing their teeth once a day. You may assume that this would be sufficient to keep your teeth clean, but what you do not realise is that bacteria starts to accumulate in your gum line.
Moreover, improper dental practices will also put you at risk of developing cavities and other oral ailments, which would put you at risk of symptoms such as gum recession.
Lastly, routine cleaning from your dentist is crucial to ensure that plaque does not develop into tartar, which also poses a high risk of gum recession. Therefore, it would be advisable to seek routine dental checkups and cleaning to prevent oral problems, rather than only visiting your dentist when your oral health is severely compromised.
Share23 February 2018
When I had my first child, I was a nervous wreck. Every book I read gave different advice, and I just wanted to be right! By the time I had my third child, some of the stress had abated. I now realised, there were tons of different perspectives on everything related to raising children including dentistry. To help parents, I have created this blog dedicated to unraveling dental myths about children. I am including posts that weigh both sides of issues such as thumb sucking, dental caries, breastfeeding, flossing and any other topic I can think of. I hope you find the information you need to unravel dental myths, but most importantly, I hope you find some peace of mind. With kids and dentistry, there can be more than one right answer, and I want you to be able to relax and go with the answer that's right for you.
