Sensitive Teeth Or Receding Gums?

By Tassos Sfondouris, DDS

Robert J. Kelly, DDS & Associates

. https://www.kellydds.com/

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Sensitive Teeth Or Receding Gums?

Even if you have a healthy mouth and practice good oral hygiene, you may still experience a condition called gingival recession (gum recession). Healthy gingival tissue forms a protective collar around a tooth. When gingival tissue recedes, exposing the tooth's root, sensitivity may result. This is because cementum, a substance that makes up our root surface, is more permeable than enamel, thus eating or drinking hot or cold foods could cause our teeth to be sensitive. Additionally, tooth root decay (root caries) may develop because the softer root surface decays more readily than the enamel on the tooth's crown.

There are two types of gingiva in the mouth attached gingiva, the thick pink tissue that hugs the teeth and is attached firmly to the underlying bone and the mucosa, or unattached gingiva, the soft, thin moveable tissue that makes up the inside of the lips and cheeks.

Gingival recession occurs when the edge of the gingival tissue (called the gingival margin) moves away from the crown of the tooth.

Causes Of Gum Recession

One of the main causes of gingival recession is aggressive or excessive tooth brushing. We often think the harder we brush, the cleaner the teeth will feel. This is a misconception because the harder we brush the risk of gum recession increases. Another cause of gum recession is an irregular or abnormal tooth position. A tooth may protrude because it was crowded when permanent teeth began to push through the gingiva. As a result, inadequate bone and gum tissue covers the tooth's root. This can be especially important if you are planning to straighten your teeth by orthodontics. There should be an adequate band of attached gingiva prior to straightening the teeth because tooth movement has a direct effect on the gum tissue.

Treatments

When minor recession is ignored, continued gum recession and bone loss around the teeth is likely. Treatment methods vary according to the type and severity of recession.

Soft tissue graft procedures (called gingival grafting) help to create more attached gingiva to prevent gingival recession from progressing and to help regenerate the missing gum tissue. To correct the gum recession we can use the patient's own tissue or in many cases use a freeze-dried tissue from an accredited tissue bank. Tissue grafts may be performed around one or more teeth.