My dentist says my gums have receded. what can i do to either restore them or stop the recession? #nqlu a lot of my gums are a "3" apparently.

Your : Your gums may have receded from a number of different factors. Poor oral hygiene at home, lack of routine professional care, grinding, and poor margins on retorations or cavities are some of the many reasons you may have a problem. Brushing very hard with a hard toothbrush may also traumatize you gums to cause them to receded. So the first order of business is to have any calculus removed and allow the gums to start healing. Secondly, determine the causes and address them. Finally, it may be necessary to treat the "pockets" more agressively (with surgery) to reduce them. Pockets around your teeth that are 3-4+ mm deep are very difficult to keep clean at home, and will perpetuate your problem. Exaclty what treatment you need will depend on exact situation in your mouth and the treatment your dentist deems best for you. You cannot get the crest of the bone to grow back. You can only hope to arrest the progression and put your mouth back into a health state. Once that is done and you maintain your oral health, there is a very good chance that the periodontal disease will be resolved.

Gums : Gums recede when there is infection from plaque, trauma from the opposing teeth and from grinding, diminished boney support as a result of orthodontics or periodontal disease, and when healing is slow as occurs in diabetes. Sometimes there can be excessively tight frena (those strings that connect the lips to the side of the jaw. The strings can pull the gum away. If you have gum recession it is important that you remain under the care of a dentist and have your teeth professionally cleaned regularly. It is also essential that you make sure your home care is excellent. Your dentist may refer you to a periodontist ( gum specialist) to enlist their support with specific treatment needs like gum grafts. If you have a traumatic bite ( teeth pounding against each other) this cause the teeth to shift from side to side and this can cause recession. You would want your bite balanced under these circumstances. Some times it is possible to graft new bone beside teeth, but this is highly specialized and not often performed. I recommend that you do what your dentist says! dr neil mcleod dds dentistry that lasts - quality that counts.