Receding Gums - Procedures, Side effects, Recovery time, Costs and alternatives

The problem of receding gum arises when the roots of the teeth are exposed. If the problem of receding gums is not treated then it can lead to a further decay or complete loss of the teeth. Usually, the first symptom of receding gums is sensitivity to food which involves having tingling sensations while consuming hot or cold food products. Receding gum problem is one of the most usual dental problems reported by the patients. There are a number of factors that can be held responsible for the problem of receding gums in a patient. Receding Gums are mainly caused by periodontal disease. This disease is essentially a bacterial infection of the gum which eventually dismantles the bone and gum tissues responsible for holding the teeth. Besides this disease other factors which can lead to a problem of receding gums are :

• A person who has the habit of brushing his/her teeth in an aggressive manner can develop a receding gums problem.
• People that do not follow proper dental hygiene like regularly brushing their teeth and flossing usually develop the problem of receding gums.
• People who consume tobacco often complain about the problem of receding gums.
• People with the habit of clenching their teeth can develop receding gums problem.
• People with the heredity of gum disease may develop receding of gums even after keeping their oral hygiene clean.

There are several treatments available for treating the problem of receding gums. The primary step of every treatment is first to find out the cause of receding gums. Recognizing the problem helps in completely eliminating the problem like stopping the use of tobacco, and straightening of the crooked teeth. Once the problems are taken care of then a dentist can use treatments like deep cleaning, and flap surgery to restore and improve the gums appearance in the patient.

A dentist may prescribe a treatment based on the severity of the receding gums problem. A dentist can advise a non-surgical treatment like deep cleaning using scaling and root planning. If the problem of receding gums cannot be treated with deep cleaning process then a doctor may advise flap surgery to restore the gum appearance.

Deep Cleaning: This is a non-surgical procedure wherein a doctor uses techniques like scaling and root planing. For this procedure, a patient may require a local anesthetic. Firstly the dentist goes for scaling wherein he/she removes hardened plaque (tartar) and the usual plaque. The dentist ensures that cleaning is done all the way down to the pocket of the gums. After completing the process of scaling the dentist then goes for root planing. In this process, the dentist helps the gums to reattach with the teeth by smoothing out roots of the teeth.

Flap surgery: If the problem of receding gums cannot be treated with the process of deep cleaning then the dentist may advise for flap surgery. In this surgery first, a local anesthetic would be used for numbing the area where the surgery would be performed. By making use of the scalpel the gums would be separated from the teeth. The separated gums would be folded like a flap. After the gums are folded the dental surgeon would remove all the deposited plaque through the process of deep cleaning. A dental surgeon may use the process of osseous recontouring if he/she observes any defect with the bones. After this procedure is completed the gums which were folded like flap are placed back in their position by making use of stitches which are dissolvable. If non-dissolvable stitches are placed then another surgery would be required by the patient after a week to get those stitches removed.

A person is eligible for the treatment if he/she has the problem of receding gums due to periodontal disease, if a person uses excessive tobacco which lead to gum disease, if a patient is not able to maintain the desired oral hygiene leading to receding gums, a person who has genetic problem of receding gums, a person who develops receding gums due to excessive hard brushing of teeth, female patients in whom hormonal changes bring about receding of gums, and people having receding gums problem due to grinding and clenching of their teeth.

A dentist would decide on the eligibility of the patient for the treatment based on the condition of the gums and teeth. People who are not suffering from the problem of receding gums are ineligible for the treatment. However, people who are keeping their gums healthy by following proper oral hygiene of brushing and flossing are also ineligible. People who regularly visit their dentist for the cleaning of their gums and teeth for plaque also do not require any treatment.

It is a very rare occurrence wherein a patient undergoing treatment does not report any side effect. The possibility of every patient experiencing a side effect may vary. There is a chance that a patient may experience a minor side effect which vanishes over a period of time while if a serious side effect is experienced by a patient then a doctor must be consulted immediately. The side effects associated with the deep cleaning are very minor. A patient after undergoing deep cleaning may experience swollen gums with some tenderness, improper scaling can lead to losing the tooth, and an infection in tooth might occur.

The side effects associated with flap surgery include chances of developing an infection, bleeding from gums, excessive swelling of gums, severe pain, increased sensitivity to hot and cold, and development of root cavities. In case any of these side effects persists or there any other health issues arising during or after treatment, it is advised to kindly consult the health specialist immediately.

After the treatment of receding gums is complete certain guidelines are required to be followed if a patient does not want the problem to reoccur. Patients after deep cleaning are required to softly brush their teeth following by proper flossing. The patient is advised to brush at least two times a day. The post-treatment guidelines for patients undergoing treatments with flap surgery for receding gums include

• Taking the pain medication as prescribed by the doctor.
• While the surgical site is healing the patient must keep the mouth clean.
• Toothbrush must be used gently by the patient.
• Antimicrobial mouth wash is prescribed by the doctor for rinsing their mouth.
• In case of swelling of gums, an ice pack can be used on the outside of the face toreduce the swelling.
• Use of tobacco and smoking is completely prohibited.
• Soft food must be taken for a few days by the patient.

For complete recovery, the patient must recognize the factors which caused the problems in the first place and eliminate those factors completely. A patient undergoing treatment with deep cleaning processes might recover after a few hours of the treatment when the effect of anesthesia wears off. After the flap surgery, the patient would require a few days to recover. The chances of recovery in patients who follow post-treatment guidelines religiously are higher. It usually takes a patient 10 to 12 days to recover.

The cost of deep cleaning involving scaling and root planing varies based on the experience of the doctor, location where the procedure is taking place and techniques and equipment involved. The average cost of scaling alone is 1000 rupees for the complete mouth. For root planing the average cost is 1000 rupees for a quadrant. The average cost of a flap surgery procedure in each patient is in the range of 10000 to 20000 rupees.

Neither the results of the treatments of deep cleaning with scaling and root planing nor flap surgery for receding gums are permanent. Patients are often required to visit again so as to prevent the problem of receding gums from occurring again in the future. However, taking proper care of the gums by quitting smoking and tobacco, regular brushing and flossing, can help the patient in sustaining the positive result of the treatment for a longer period of time.

Besides deep cleaning and flap surgery, the other treatments available for receding gums are regeneration and grafting of gum. In cases of severe receding gums problem where a bone gets dismantled then a doctor may prescribe a regeneration surgical procedure which involves placing a regenerative material in the place of the destroyed bone. In the procedure of gum grafting the tissues of healthy gum are taken from the roof of the mouth and are placed where receding gums are causing loss of gum tissue. Apart from these surgical procedures, there are some natural remedies also available to provide relief from the problem of receding gums. Making use of eucalyptus oil can provide relief as it helps in the growth of new gum tissues. Hydrogenperoxide in combination with water can be used for rinsing the mouth for treating receding gums problem. Today an alternative laser based gum surgery has emerged which is more effective and is thus thought to be the alternative to the existing gum surgeries.