Free tools

Free tools for the bathroom-mirror question

The same stage, zones and verdicts the GumScout app uses, written out so you can check by eye with a mirror and good light. No sign-up, nothing uploaded.

• Gum recession stage checker: seven questions about where root shows, how many teeth, triangles, notches, sensitivity and bleeding. Ends in a GumScout stage from 0 to 4, what a dentist might call it, and the one next step.
• Receding gums or normal?: six questions that sort recession from a naturally long tooth or normal gum shape, with the reasons.
• Why are my gums receding?: nine questions about brushing, grinding, gum disease signs, braces, piercings, tobacco and thin gums. Ranks the likely causes and what to change for each.
• Dentist visit prep: the four photo angles, the questions worth asking, and a one-page checklist to print and bring.

Every result says what to do next. If anything you see worries you, a dentist can confirm what is going on; gums that bleed on their own, pus or a bump on the gum, swelling, a loose tooth, pain, or a tooth that looks longer within weeks are reasons to see one soon.

New to all this? Start here. Already know it is receding? See what to do next, or browse every guide.