Receding gums, advice?

[Paintbox]

Since I hit 40’ive noticed the gums round 2 of my teeth are receding. I’ve got an appt with the dentist next week but wondered if anyone knows of anything to stop this getting worse? Google tells me I can’t reverse it which is depressing!

Flossing and hygienist help slow or stop it getting worse.

Thanks. I always worry that flossing makes it worse, my teeth are quite close together so to get the floss in I have to really push and this then damages the gums

Assuming you are registered with a dentist, ask to see the hygenist for advice. She might suggest using tepe brushes (and tell you what size to use) or a certain type of floss, or she might help you with technique.

It's unlikely that you will be told not to bother with some sort of inter-dental cleaning.

Also floss before cleaning and use an electric toothbrush.

a water pik flosser is good and has different speeds to clean/massage gums- i love mine

Sometimes receeding gums can be caused by using tooth brushes that are too hard I would get a softer bristle tooth brush, My demtist said that alot of toothbrushes these days are far too hard and can damage your gums.

Could be caused by tooth brush wear and tear or grinding your teeth while asleep (bruxism).

I think I do grind my teeth when I’m sleeping. How to stop that though?!

Use the right size TePe - not floss.

See a dental hygienist regularly (and a good dentist)

Change to a no sugar, healthy diet.

You can get a mouth guard to wear at night if you do grind your teeth.

I also use oramd daily - don’t use with a sonic toothbrush though!

I bought a sonic toothbrush and that seems to help as I brush agressively on one side.
This one
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01M70MOV4/ref=mp_s_a_1_4_a_it?ref=plSrch&keywords=sonic+toothbrush&dpPl=1&dpID=510xLX7dsVL&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1525933841&sr=8-4
Is £20 and just as good as a Phillips. Also it has usb charging.
No, I don’t work for them!

I was advised to switch to a sonic toothbrush as I have the same problem. Apparently they won't wear the gums away as manual brushing or an electric brush with a rotary head will do. Don't brush your teeth immediately after eating or drinking something acidic (eg. Orange juice) as this will make it worse. Other than that, I'm not really sure what else you can do. Mine have reached the stage where I have sensitivity in a couple of places, so it's uncomfortable to eat cold things particularly. I think the dentist can paint something on your gums to lessen this but it's only a temporary fix unfortunately. I also visit the hygienist every 6 months.