Your gums are a significant part of your oral health and serve an essential purpose in your mouth. Gums are connective tissue that are attached to and form a tight seal at the base of your teeth. This tight seal is vital because it forms a barrier against bacteria and holds your teeth in place. A gum infection can compromise your health and lead to gum recession. If you experience gum problems, including receding gums, in Summit, NJ, contact our office.
We can provide a professional cleaning for early signs of gum recession. If you have noticed your receding gums for quite some time and your teeth roots are exposed, you will most likely need aggressive treatment to prevent further damage and tooth loss. Receding gums are one of the dental concerns we treat for patients in Summit, NJ.
What Causes Receding Gums?
Receding gums have many common causes, including:
- Gum disease
- Tooth loss
- Clenching your jaw
- Grinding your teeth
Many people suffer from gum disease and do not realize it until obvious signs such as gum recession begin. This disease is often caused by plaque on the tooth surface when someone does not regularly brush and floss their teeth. However, risk factors of gum disease can include genetics and hormonal changes.
In addition to gum recession, you may also experience these symptoms if you have gum disease:
- Bleeding gums
- Gum inflammation
- Red gum tissue
- Gum irritation
Your gum problems can affect everyday comfort. Gum recession can make it hard to eat certain foods. This problem can also increase your sensitivity to hot or cold foods and drinks.
If your gums are receding, your oral and overall health could be affected. This could lead to gum tissue loss that will expose the tooth roots, causing tooth decay, bone loss, loose teeth, and even tooth loss. In addition, gum disease has been proven to put people at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and respiratory infections.
Receding gums and heart problems can be linked because both can be signs of inflammation or infection in your body. When your gums recede, it often means there is inflammation or infection in your mouth. This can sometimes spread to other parts of the body.
The bacteria from your mouth can enter your bloodstream and affect your heart. Studies have shown that people with gum disease may have a higher risk of heart disease.
A professional dentist must treat receding gums. Dr. Raj Upadya is an experienced dentist in the Summit, NJ, area. He can evaluate your condition and recommend the best treatment for your gum recession.
Benefits of Treating Receding Gums
When you treat your receding gums in our Summit, NJ dental office, it offers these benefits:
- Produces natural-looking results
- Enhances gum surgery recovery
- Restores health to gums
- Protects tooth roots from decay
- More comfortable treatment compared to alternatives
If you wait to treat gum recession, you run the risk of losing your natural teeth. While we can effectively treat tooth loss, we recommend treatments for your gum problems before they reach that point. Treating gum problems early can help you live comfortably without having to worry about your smile’s appearance and health.
Early Treatment for Gum Recession
If you’ve just begun to notice your gums receding and it’s not too serious, we might offer a nonsurgical treatment option.
Scaling and root planing are deep gum cleanings that help remove harmful bacteria that lead to gum recession. With specialized dental instruments, we will carefully remove plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) from the surfaces of your teeth and below the gum line. This process is called scaling.
Then, we begin root planing. This involves smoothing out the rough spots on the tooth roots. These rough areas can harbor bacteria and contribute to gum disease. Root planing helps your gums reattach to your teeth more easily. It also helps reduce inflammation and pockets between the teeth and gums.
We will provide you with special instructions for at-home care following this treatment. Our office may also recommend that you get scaling and root planing treatments if you continue to experience gum problems. We can recommend the right schedule for you based on how frequently you experience gum inflammation. In advanced cases of gum recession, we will recommend a pinhole gum lift.
Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation: A Receding Gum Treatment
If you suffer from advanced gum recession, Dr. Upadya offers the new micro-invasive Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation technique, the Lunchtime Gumlift™. Dr. Upadya is one of the few dentists in the Summit, NJ area who is a certified provider of The Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique (PST), invented and patented by John Chao, D.D.S.
The Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation involves adjusting the existing tissue. Dr. Upadya will create a tiny hole with a specialized tool to loosen the gum tissue. The hole is so small that it will not need stitches. Then, he will move the loosened gum tissue down to cover the receded part of the tooth. He may also place material to help the gum tissue heal and stay in place.
The Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation allows Dr. Upadya to reshape your gum line without cutting, scraping, or stitching. This new method of treating receding gums makes it easier for a dentist to give you natural-looking results quickly.
As you heal, the gum tissue will gradually heal and attach to the tooth, covering the exposed areas. This helps protect the tooth and improve the appearance of your gums.
Dr. Upadya uses this non-invasive method to effectively treat receding gums with minimal discomfort and downtime at his Summit, NJ dentist office.
Improve Your Gum Health
Are you concerned about new gum problems? Have you dealt with bleeding and irritated gum tissue? Get professional care to treat your gums and prevent the spread of infection.
Treat receding gums in Summit, NJ. Call Dr. Upadya today at (973) 287-3153 or schedule an appointment with us online. If you have questions about gum treatments, please let us know at your next visit. We’re here to help you.