What to do next

Receding gums: what to do next

Gums that have moved do not grow back on their own. The goal is to stop more recession, find the cause, and know whether it is still moving. Here is how, in order.

1. Rule out the urgent signs first

See your dentist soon, not at the next routine visit, if your gums bleed on their own, there is pus, a pimple or a bump on the gum, a gum is swollen, a tooth feels loose or has moved, there is pain, or a tooth looks longer within weeks. Swelling of the face or jaw with a fever needs care the same day. None of those are slow recession.

2. Change what you can at home

• Brush gently. A soft-bristled brush held like a pen, small circles at the gum line, two minutes, no scrubbing. An electric brush with a pressure light helps if you press without noticing.
• Clean between your teeth once a day with floss or small interdental brushes. That is where gum inflammation usually starts.
• Look at the other causes. Grinding, a lip or tongue piercing, and tobacco all add to recession. The cause finder ranks which ones fit you.

What you change at home does not make gum grow back. What it usually does is stop recession getting worse, and that is the part you control.

3. Start the photos

Take four photos today, front, left side, right side and lower front, in the same light you can find again. Repeat every four weeks. One month is noise: light, angle, how far the lip is pulled back. The same direction for 3 months is a change. The dentist visit prep page shows the angles.

4. See a dentist

Book a checkup if you have not had one in the last year, or sooner if root is showing on several teeth, your gums bleed often, or your photos show it moving. A dentist will usually measure the recession with a probe, check for gum inflammation, and may take X-rays to see the bone. They will tell you what they think the cause is.

What a dentist or periodontist may discuss, depending on the cause and how much root shows:

• Watching it, with measurements at each visit, when recession is slight and not moving.
• A cleaning, or a deeper cleaning below the gum line, when gum inflammation or disease is part of it.
• Covering sensitive root, or filling a notch at the gum line.
• A referral to a periodontist, a dentist who specializes in gums, who may talk about a gum graft where a lot of root shows.

GumScout never recommends a treatment. Which of these fits you, if any, is your dentist's call. Bring the printable checklist so you remember to ask.

When to see a dentist

• Soon: any of the urgent signs in step 1.
• In the next few weeks: root on several teeth, frequent bleeding, recession you noticed in the last year, or photos that show it moving.
• At your next checkup: slight recession that has not changed. Ask for the number in millimeters and on which teeth, so you can compare next time.