When most people think about receding gum lines, gum disease is often the very first thing that comes to mind. However, there are also many other reasons why your gums may be receding, so you don't want to immediately jump to this conclusion unless you have other reasons for thinking that gum disease is the culprit. Here are some of the other possible causes of receding gums, so you can better determine what may be going on in your mouth until you can get in to see your dentist:
A history of rough brushing – If you have been brushing your teeth too hard and with a hard bristle toothbrush then it can eventually lead to receding gums.
Not brushing enough – Not making sure you are brushing your teeth at least twice a day can eventually catch up with you and cause you to notice that your gums are starting to recede. This is just one more reason you want to make sure you are regularly brushing.
A change in your hormones – If you are a female, then a change in your hormones can also cause your gums to recede further from your teeth. This can more commonly happen as you approach or begin menopause.
A history of dry mouth – If you are constantly battling dry mouth, this is one more of the possible reasons for receding gums. There are a lot of reasons you can have a dry mouth including drinking a lot of beer or soda, anxiety issues, certain medications, too much salt in your diet, not drinking enough water, dehydration or other issues.
Not enough Vitamin C in your diet – If you are lacking in Vitamin C, it can lead to your gums receding further from your teeth.
Certain health problems – There are health conditions, illnesses and diseases that may cause receding gum lines. Diabetes and AIDS are a couple of examples of conditions that can cause this to happen.
Grinding your teeth – If you have a problem grinding your teeth in your sleep then your gums can recede. You may not even realize you are a teeth-grinder unless you have a partner who informs you that you are grinding them at night. If you think teeth grinding may be an issue the best thing to do is see the dentist for confirmation and to be fitted for a night guard.
Your teeth may be crowding each other – If some of your teeth are too close together it can cause problems with your gums receding that are surrounding those teeth.
Conclusion
If you notice your gums receding, then make an appointment with a cosmetic dentistry professional so they can help you determine the cause and start you on the proper course of treatment and give you advice on helping to slow down the rate of recession.
Share12 July 2017
When the bottled water craze began, I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else who was drinking water from bottles instead of from the tap. I wasn't sure why bottled water was healthier, but I liked the taste. When I went for my next dental check-up, I had my first cavity in a while, so I had it filled and didn't think much of it. Well, I had two more during my next check-up after that, and I began trying to think of why my teeth were suddenly going bad. The only change in my habits was the switch to bottled water, so I made the switch back to tap water and my teeth began to improve. I created this blog to encourage others who have begun getting cavities suddenly to look into their changes in habits. They may find they made a change similar to mine.