Gums are affected by a number of periodontal diseases. Gum recession is one of these. This can be caused due to various factors that may include, age, dental hygiene or even genetics.
As the name indicates, it is the receding of the gums. This can better be described as the process that causes the gum tissue or the skin that tightly holds the roots of the upper and lower teeth, pulling away from the actual tooth and exposing more of the teeth.
As mentioned before, genetics can be leading cause of this condition. Predisposition and being vulnerable to dental health problems and gum disease can be carried out over generations and is most likely to affect 30% of the people sharing the same genes.
Gum disease can be claimed is the top reason for gum recession. Periodontal diseases or gum infections such as inflammation, bleeding gums and sore gums, etc. are open ground for bacteria to grow. This can strongly affect the hold of the gum tissue over the teeth and even damage it to an extent that it starts receding.
Dental hygiene is imperative to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. But, overdoing it can actually result in more vulnerable teeth conditions. Gum recession can be caused by harsh and pressured tooth brushing. Aggressively brushing teeth can not only damage the enamel coating over the teeth but also be a cause for gum recession.
Not maintaining a proper dental regimen and neglecting flossing, tongue cleaning, etc. can also be the cause of gum recession. This causes the crevices around the teeth to accumulate tartar buildup that can cause gaps between the gums and the teeth.
Hormonal changes and menopause can also result in gum recession.
Cosmetic dentistry is often the answer to several dental problems. This is not just limited to fixing the teeth for smile makeovers and aesthetic reasons. Cosmetic dentistry can very well be the answer to gum recession whether it is due to smoking, bad dental hygiene or genetics. There are several restructuring procedures that can evidently "pull up" the gum tissue and reduce the signs of gum recession.
In some cases the cause of gum recession is crooked or misaligned teeth, cosmetic dentistry aims to structure the teeth and reduce any gaps between them, this, in turn, fixes the gum recession problem.