The gums have receded can they grow back?
Patients often ask: My gums have receded. Can they grow back? The roots are leaking out; it's ugly! So, today we will talk about, can shrinking gums grow back?
Why do gums shrink?
Usually, our teeth are wrapped in gums, and the ratio of the crown to the root of the exposed teeth should be about 1:2, but plaque, calculus, inflammation, trauma, and other reasons can cause gum atrophy.
Gum (gutta) atrophy is a common oral condition caused by periodontal disease, which is pathological atrophy.
Plaque and calculus accumulate on the edge of the gums. These are the causes of periodontal disease, which can cause gum atrophy, loose teeth, etc.
The cause of gum atrophy is also physiological atrophy, which will more or less shrink with age, gradually exposing the root of the tooth.
Biological distance
If we want to know whether the gums can grow back, we must first understand a magical phenomenon called "gum biological distance"!
Gum biological distance means that the highest edge of gum covering the teeth will always remain at 2mm!
Then we can come to a conclusion that whether the gums can grow back has nothing to do with the gums themselves but with the bones.
If your bones are not degraded, even if the gums are cut off (some oral surgery will also cut off the gums), the gums will still grow back tenaciously. On the contrary, if the bone degenerates, even if you have not touched the gums, the gums will follow the bones and maintain a magical biological distance of 2mm! So the essence of gum atrophy is actually bone degradation!
If the bone does not shrink, the gums will grow back after the periodontitis treatment. On the contrary, if the bone has been severely degraded, it will be difficult for the gums to return to their original height!
Periodontal regeneration
For most people, once gum atrophy occurs, it is difficult to regenerate. The purpose of periodontal treatment is to prevent the gums from continuing to degenerate. However, suppose the dental bone atrophy is particularly severe. In that case, you can choose to guide tissue regeneration under appropriate circumstances ( GTR: Guided Tissue regeneration), filling artificial bone material under the gums to increase the height of the bones, allowing the gums to grow along with the filling again.
However, the therapeutic effect of this kind of surgery is related to the condition of the teeth and the shape of the dental bone.
Some gum atrophy is only confined to the outside of the teeth, usually due to thin gums and too much brushing force. A mucogingival surgery (Mucogingival Surgery) can be considered to cover the exposed roots in these cases.
In general, gingival recession is usually a manifestation of periodontal disease, which requires timely medical treatment; periodontal disease is difficult to cure, and prevention should be the first priority. Develop correct oral health habits, brush your teeth in the morning and evening, use dental floss, and check your teeth regularly. Washing teeth can effectively prevent periodontal disease and gum recession.
All information and articles available on this site are for educational purposes only. The information given here should not be used without any expert advice for the diagnosis or treatment of any health related problem or disease. Always seek the advice of a qualified doctor for medical examination and treatment.