What Causes Gum Recession? We Explain The Real Reasons Behind Receding Gums

Have you noticed your teeth looking longer or more sensitive than they used to? That’s often a sign of gum recession.

Gum recession happens when the gum tissue pulls away from the tooth, exposing the root. This can happen for many different reasons, and in this video, Dr. Raha Yousefi talks about the causes of gum recession and why it happens.

• Gum Disease & Poor Oral Hygiene: When bacteria build up around the teeth, they cause inflammation that breaks down the gum tissue and the bone supporting the teeth. As that support is lost, the gums start to pull away.
• Aggressive Brushing: Brushing too hard or using a stiff toothbrush can actually wear away the gum tissue over time. The gums are not meant to be scrubbed. Repeated trauma from aggressive brushing slowly pushes the gums downward.
• Orthodontic Treatment: Braces or clear aligners (such as Invisalign) can be the cause of your recession. When teeth are moved orthodontically, they can be pushed outside the bone housing and without enough bone support, the gums are more likely to recede. This can happen a lot of times in the posterior teeth.
• Poorly Placed Restorations: Fillings or crowns can actually be a hidden cause of gum recession. While they may seem like a quick fix for sensitivity, they don’t replace the lost gum tissue or address the real problem. If the filling or crown is bulky, over-contoured, or placed too far below the gumline, it can constantly irritate the surrounding gums. This irritation makes it harder for the tissue to stay healthy and stable, leading to continued gum recession. In those cases, you are probably a candidate for a gum graft, not a restoration.
• Excessive Teeth Grinding or Clenching: When you grind or clench your teeth, especially at night, you place excessive forces on the teeth. Those forces transfer to the gums and bone, which can cause the tissue to recede around certain teeth.
• Tobacco Use: Tobacco reduces blood flow to the gums and interferes with healing. Over time, this weakens the gum tissue and makes it more prone to recession and disease.
• Genetics: Some people are genetically predisposed to thinner gum tissue. Thin tissue is more fragile and more likely to recede, even with good oral hygiene. This is something we often see run in families.

The good news is that once we identify the cause, we can create a treatment plan to stop the recession and, in many cases, rebuild the gum tissue.

If you’re noticing changes in your gums, come see us, and we can determine what’s going on and what your options are.