Dental question about taxonomy:condition:receding-gums
Receding gums expose more tooth root and may result from gum disease, brushing trauma, tooth position, or local factors.
The short answer
Gum recession means the margin has moved toward the root, exposing cementum and sometimes dentine. Causes include periodontal attachment loss, forceful brushing, thin gum tissue, tooth position, a frenum pull, tobacco use, or local trauma.
What is the direct answer?
What does this question mean?
Causes include periodontal attachment loss, forceful brushing, thin gum tissue, tooth position, a frenum pull, tobacco use, or local trauma. The dentist measures gum levels, pockets, bone support, and inflammation.
What can you do next?
Use a soft brush with light pressure and clean carefully along the gumline. A desensitising toothpaste may help when advised.
When should you seek dental care?
Seek care for increasing recession, bleeding, pus, looseness, troublesome sensitivity, or a notched or darkening root surface.
What should you ask the dentist?
Ask whether recession is stable, whether bone loss is present, and whether monitoring, periodontal care, or root-coverage surgery is appropriate.
Frequently asked questions
Can gums grow back?
Lost gum tissue usually does not regrow spontaneously, though selected defects may be surgically treated.
Is brushing always the cause?
No. Periodontal disease, tooth position, thin tissue, and trauma can contribute.