Receding gums at 14

CookieMonster.x

I have receding gums already and I was wondering what I can do to stop them receding more? It's in my genetics (mum has terrible receding gums, like down to the roots) and after the last hygienist visit I stopped brushing so hard. I looked it up and apparantely it starts at 40 and I'm 14 My mum was told it was very odd for her gums to recede at age 12.
If it's any help, whenever I floss my gums become inflamed and start to bleed sometimes so now I don't really floss.
I have an appt for Wednesday but just any help would be great now. Thanks.

Little A

Hi cookie,

I went to the dentist recently for the first time in years due to receeding gums at a couple of teeth...or so I though.

The hygienist said my gums were fine & it was all down to too having too hard a brush (she said everyone should be using a soft toothbrush), scrubbing too hard & to use a mild toothpaste like Sensodyne.

I also showed her how I flossed (which I also didn't do too often as my gums would really hurt afterwards (sometime bleed abit)....again, she said I was being too vigorous. The floss should only tip the gum.

So, I've done all she suggested and been religious - I have my soft brush, gently make sure I get everywhere and use the Sensodyne TP. Then gently floss each day. The difference in just a few weeks is remarkable. The gums are nearly back to normal.

Luckily I got a clean bill of health (I was expecting the worst as it's been so long!!) but I plan on being very careful from now on.

I've also stopped telling my kids to make sure they scrub hard!!!

Hope that help - if there really are receeding gums, at least you'll be in the right place to get some good advice on what else you can do - at least the above should do any harm!!

CookieMonster.x

Thanks that was brilliant! I use a soft toothbrush and either Colgate whitening (bicarbonate of soda) or Sensodyne.
Probably going a bit too hard on the dental floss though, I usually go right up the gum.
Thanks

MoonDancer

You more then likely have gum disease. Mine have started to recede and I'm in the middle of periodontal cleanings, they do 1/4 of your mouth at a time & on the side I have done, I no longer hurt or bleed when brushing & flossing

ballsymchugh

CookieMonster.x wrote: »

I have receding gums already and I was wondering what I can do to stop them receding more? It's in my genetics (mum has terrible receding gums, like down to the roots) and after the last hygienist visit I stopped brushing so hard. I looked it up and apparantely it starts at 40 and I'm 14 My mum was told it was very odd for her gums to recede at age 12.
If it's any help, whenever I floss my gums become inflamed and start to bleed sometimes so now I don't really floss.
I have an appt for Wednesday but just any help would be great now. Thanks.

big mistake on not flossing, if you don't, you're actually leaving a fair bit of dirt on your teeth/gums. say this to a hygienist or a specialist and you immediately get a plaque score of 50%. it's better to be 0!!
the gums bleed because they're inflammed, the flossing will irritate them and make them bleed the first few times you do it, but it's not the cause of the bleeding. it's the dirt that the floss is cleaning away. inflammation can take a few days to sort itself out anyway. eg, if you hit your thumb with a hammer, the inflammatory response will cause it to swell up and be painful for a few days, and it'll still hurt if you touch it.

it's more your own body's reaction to the dirt that's hereditary too, which makes people think that, well, if my da lost his teeth by the time he was 25, then it's probably going to happen to me. that's not the way to look at it. the reason your da lost teeth is because he wasn't cleaning right. if the dirt isn't there, there's no inflammatory response, and no gum disease.

everyone will go on about how much they clean to a dentist, but on average, people only spend 37 seconds cleaning. it should be at least 3 minutes, and for people with bad gum disease, it should be 15 minutes. that's not a joke, but the reward is disease free gums with teeth.

CookieMonster.x wrote: »

Thanks that was brilliant! I use a soft toothbrush and either Colgate whitening (bicarbonate of soda) or Sensodyne.
Probably going a bit too hard on the dental floss though, I usually go right up the gum.
Thanks

hmmmm..... soft toothbrush holds the toothpaste within the bristles for longer and so holds the abrasive in the paste against the teeth for longer, so it can wear the enamel faster, especially if you use a whitening toothpaste. not too sure about bicarbonate of soda toothpaste though, the particles are smaller as far as i know.
although the soft brush would be better for your gums.
anyway, you're 14, why are you using a whitening toothpaste? are you smoking like a train/drinking a load of coffee/drinking red wine??!!
if none of the above, then just use a regular toothpaste cos you won't really notice any difference for a couple of years.
just spend longer brushing with any run of the mill fluoride toothpaste but get into the flossing at least once a day. in 4 weeks of decent care you should be fine.
enjoy!

ballsymchugh

Little A wrote: »

I also showed her how I flossed (which I also didn't do too often as my gums would really hurt afterwards (sometime bleed abit)....again, she said I was being too vigorous. The floss should only tip the gum.

not too sure about just tipping the gum, there's plenty of gunk living just below that level that needs to be cleaned away. you should go down between the tooth and the gum putting the same amount of pressure on it like what you need to do to turn your fingernail white.
it'll only hurt if you don't do it often!