Gum Recession
Q .“Lately, I’ve noticed dark place sat the bottom of some teeth. What is causing this?”
A.This sounds like gum recession, which occurs when the gum tissues that frame each tooth are worn away or loosen their g rip from the tooth portion positioned above the gum line, referred to as the tooth crown .
The tooth areas that are similar in color to your tooth but darker are actually part of the tooth’s root. Once exposed, these areas can be sensitive to hot, cold or brushing. You may experience ana ching sensation periodically or have a jolt of pain when eating ice-cream and drinking hot coffee.
While these darkened sections of teeth detract from the appearance of a smile, gum recession also leaves the tooth more vulnerable to decay and could indicate bone loss is occurring. Let’s look as factors that can lead to gumrecession:
• Periodontal (gum) dis-ease: Gum disease is the leading cause of gum recession and should never be taken lightly as the disease robs bone around the root of the teeth. This disease is painless and has symptoms people are either unaware of or choose to ignore. Gum tissues are destroyed when bacterial buildup accumulates between the teeth and gum line. If untreated, the tissue sand bone that support the teeth can be damaged and eventually result in tooth loss.
•A rigorous toothbrushing habit: B rushing your teeth with too much pressure or using a “scrubbing” motion with a hard bristle tooth brush can cause wearing away of the surface of the teeth and the gums to recede. Gum tissue should not be brushed witha toothbrush. The nylon bristles of the brush literally wearaway the tissue. If enough tissue is destroyed and lost, at issue graft is necessary to prevent further recession of the gum tissue. Keep in mind that as the gum tissue recedes towards the root of the tooth, the underlying bone that is supporting the tooth, recedes as well once again jeopardizing retention of the involved tooth.
•Poor dental hygiene: When your brushing and flossing regimen is insufficient, bacterial accumulation results in plaque, which turns into calculus. Plaque( also known as tartar) is a cement-like substance that can only be removed from teeth by a professional. These hard masses consist of bacteria that thrive on gum tissues.
•Smoking: The chemicals in tobacco are drying to oral tissues. This increases your likelihood for the formation of plaque on teeth, which can lead to gum recession.
•Grinding and clenching teeth: When you clench or grind your tee that night (or during the day ), this places such force on teeth that the gums can startto recede. This habit can also fracture or chip teeth and dental restorations such as fillings or crowns. Some patients are not aware their grinding has fractured teeth until part of a tooth becomes loose or falls out while they are eating something soft. They blame the food they are eating at the time, but most of the time( unless they bite on something very hard ), the tooth was already fractured and the chewing motion only dislodge the part of their tooth that was lost.
•Female hormonal fluctuations: When hormonal levels change, such as in puberty, pregnancy and menopause, gum scan be more sensitive and more susceptible to recession.
•Crooked teeth or bite mis alignment: When teeth are not in proper alignment, there is added force placed on the gums and supporting bone. This can lead to gum recession.
In most cases, gum recession occurs gr a dually. The first sign of gum recession is usually tooth sensitivity or teeth that seem longer. The best time to treat gum recession is as soon as it is noticed. Don’ t wait until the gums have pulled away to the extent that more involved grafting is required. When caught early, the timeand expense required for treatment will be minimal.