The gums around your teeth need to be healthy, strong and vibrant. This means they need to be pink, never red and bleeding.
Simply stated your gums are a barrier system meant to protect your teeth, bone and even your body from the bacteria and microbes that can damage them. In this way your gums are protecting your body and your overall health from foreign invaders.
What happens though when this barrier has been damaged or has become ‘leaky’ due to inflammation? To illustrate how important barrier systems are to health, what happens when your intestinal lining becomes inflamed? You could get Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Crohn’s Disease and your digestion would be affected.
What happens when your skin gets inflamed? You get a rash. Your gums are no different than any other barrier system, except that 50% of the population lives with inflamed gums because inflamed gums usually don’t hurt.
The key to gum inflammation and gum disease, like any other disease of the body is to catch it early and reverse it. This is the key. If you catch it early the results and outcomes are so much better.
Gum Recession is when the gums along the necks of your teeth pull away or erode exposing the roots of your teeth. This can be unsightly as the roots of your teeth are often darker than the crowns. The roots that are exposed can also be sensitive to cold, hot and sweets as the roots are more permeable and are closer to the nerve of the tooth.
Fully half of the adult population in our practice, Integrative Dentistry, has gum recession. How is it that gums pull back from the teeth? Usually it’s due to inflammation, decay, aggressive tooth brushing, or from stressors like grinding, clenching or braces.
If you have recession you will need to see a dentist to find out the best approach for your situation. Prevention is always the best approach. Keep a regular hygiene schedule at home and at your dentist’s office to give yourself the best possible care and the healthiest of smiles.
For more information call Integrative Dentistry at 760-632-1304.
