Just discovered a receeding gum: what does this mean and what should I do? Help appreciated, a bit concerned.

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Hello, I went to the hygienist a few weeks back and have an appointment coming up. She said that my gums were looking inflamed and gave me strict instructions to brush along the gum line. I have been doing this, but now looked at one of my teeth and a load of gum seems to have disappeared.... Plus there is a funny pale area above it.

I have already scared myself with googling, and am a bit upset/confused, as I went through a lot of dental work last year and thought I was through the worst of it!. What should I be doing?

Should I go to the dentist tomorrow?
Wait for my hygienist appointment in about ten days?
Buy a water pik?
What about those little floss things that look like tiny harps?

What about mouthwashes? Some advice in the internet seems to say that too much mouthwash is a bad thing.... Is Corsodyl ok?

Any help much appreciated.

If your gums are inflamed and you then clean them correctly, the inflammation will resolve and the gum will shrink. If gums have been subject to inflammation for some time, the position they shrink back to will be lower than their original position (due to resorption of the bone around the tooth caused by bacterial toxins etc). This causes recession and is almost universal where there has been long term inflammation.

I would advise that you wait for your hygiene appointment, keep cleaning, don't use Corsodyl and when you see the hyg next, ask about interdental cleaning, they will be able to advise what is best for your teeth and how to do it without damaging the teeth & gums.

Grumpystiltskin wow are you a dentist?

Thanks, Grumpystiltskin.

So you don't think Corsodyl wash is a good idea... I have just been out and bought the corsodyl paste, what are your views on that?

Is it being alcohol free which is the key for mouthwashes?

I am a dentist yes. Mouthwashes must be alcohol free, Tbh, mouthwash is only useful in a small number of people & using one with alcohol in it is at best a waste of money & at worst is associated with a higher risk of developing oral cancers.

Corsodyl is good for some people, Particularly those who can't clean their teeth well such as stroke patients and those with physical &'mental disabilities.

It causes staining but that's about the worst it will do other than costing you money! I recommend it as a short term measure for folk with wisdom tooth problems and people with a condition called acute ulcerative gingivitis which you would definitely know about if you had because it hurts & it stinks!

Sorry for typing on phone! HTH.

A success story then toughasoldboots glad to hear you're keeping your teeth but this is also a good story in that the treatment is long long term & requires constant maintenance.

Sounds like you're looking after things though, so many people think they are getting one over on their dentist or hygienist by saying "I go to my appointments but never bother cleaning between my teeth".

Ultimately the only person who is cheated is the person the teeth belong to!!

Virtual high five

I've never had gum disease in my life, but still have receding gums, apparently due to OVER brushing them/brushing too hard... you can't win. Some people have more fragile gums than others, apparently.

Still, since it isn't a result of gum disease, I don't have receding bones and it's only along the sides of the teeth rather than between them. Still v. annoying, though - I wonder how many people lose their teeth in the end because they brushed and flossed too much rather than too little?!...

Yes, there are myriad reasons for recession unfortunately although you are unlikely to lose teeth because of recession if it's unrelated to gum disease.

Grumpystiltskin How often do you recommend going to the Hygenist? i worry that they encourage you to go as they charge £87.00 each time!

I know, it's tough to decide & my patients don't pay for anything so I find it hard to advise based on that. The most frequent visits should be three monthly. For most people without gun disease, annually should be sufficient but it's so hard to say without knowing the individual case. My dad goes annually as part of his denplan scheme.

Sorry can't be more help.

OK, the Corsodyl mouthwash has gone down the sink. I was only using a little bit, diluted, every couple of days, honest guv.

Sorry, Grumpystiltskin, still not clear on whether you thought the Corsodyl paste was ok or not...?

I'm not certain to be honest, for some people it's great, for others it's useless but not harmful. If you're using it instead of normal toothpaste then probably not great but if you use it say at lunchtime then no harm & no benefit unless you're one of the people who benefit from it and it's hard to say whether you are or not without seeing you.

i traumatised my gum and since then my gum around that tooth has been receding around 2mm in a couple of months. my dentist wasnt concerned about it at all but tis giving me nightmares. alse everytime i toothbrush i seem to damage it a bit more. any help wud be appreciated