Do you have gingival recession, and might you need to do something about it?

Manual toothbrushes are sufficiently effective aids for oral hygiene at home. The bristles should be soft and made of nylon so that the gum margin is not damaged. The toothbrush head should be flat. The teeth can then be cleaned with small circular movements and without scrubbing. Daily cleaning between the teeth with an additional aid is also recommended.

The manual toothbrush is the most extensively scientifically studied method for effective tooth cleaning. If, for oral hygiene at home, you use neither a manual nor an electric toothbrush but, for example, a single-tuft brush or miswak, have the dental practice confirm that your oral hygiene technique is effective.

“One check-up too many is better than one treatment too few!”

Electric toothbrushes are effective aids for oral hygiene at home. Their effect is slightly superior to that of manual toothbrushes. When using an electric toothbrush, it is important not to apply additional pressure to the gums. When electric toothbrushes are used correctly, the risk of developing gingival recession is not increased.

Daily cleaning between the teeth with an additional aid is also recommended.

Manual toothbrushes are also sufficiently effective aids for oral hygiene at home. Ask your dental practice which aids are most suitable for you.

Gingival recession can occur both during and several years after the completion of orthodontic treatment.

Continue to take good care of your health and have your oral health checked once a year in a dental practice.

Smoking cigarettes reduces the blood supply to the gums. This lowers their resistance, which also increases their susceptibility to gingival recession.

In smokers with gingival recession, any necessary surgical coverage of the exposed root surfaces can only be considered after they have successfully stopped smoking.

If you also answered many of our other questions with “No”, continue to take good care of your oral health and have a dental examination once a year.

The use of smokeless tobacco products such as snus leads to changes in the oral mucosa at the site where the product is placed in the mouth (leukoplakia, facultative precancerous lesions) and often also to gingival recession.

While the changes to the mucosa can regress after stopping tobacco use, the gingival recession at the former placement site of the tobacco product remains and may therefore need to be treated with a surgical procedure.

If you also answered many of our other questions with “No”, continue to take good care of your oral health and have a dental examination once a year.

Frequently playing with piercings is a habit that can harm the teeth and gums. Around 80 percent of those who wear them show a loss of actual tooth hard substance at the points of contact, and gingival recession also occurs in 25% of cases.

After the piercing is removed, the gingival recession remains and may therefore need to be treated surgically.

If you also answered many of our other questions with “No”, continue to take good care of your oral health and have a dental examination once a year.

Receding gums can have various causes and often occur on the outer side of the dentition or, with periodontitis and after its treatment, all around the tooth.

Let your dental practice know. A thorough examination there will show whether you have gingival recession or periodontitis and need appropriate treatment.

If you also answered many of our other questions with “No”, continue to take good care of your oral health and have a dental examination once a year.

As the gums recede, the root surfaces are exposed. These contain nerves that can be hypersensitive to changes in temperature.

Tell your dentist, dental hygienist or prophylaxis assistant that you have teeth that are sensitive to changes in temperature. Ways of relieving the discomfort can then be discussed.

If you also answered many of our other questions with “No”, continue to take good care of your oral health and have a dental examination once a year.

The hard substance of the exposed tooth root is less resistant to decay than the substance of the tooth crown (enamel). Root caries can therefore progress more quickly, which makes prevention all the more important.

Let your dental practice know. A thorough examination there will show what is causing this discolouration and whether you need appropriate treatment.

If you also answered many of our other questions with “No”, continue to take good care of your oral health and have a dental examination once a year.