Your gum tissue doesn't regenerate the way other types of tissue does (like the epithelial tissue of your skin, for example). As a result,
By removing the infection and tartar, the dentist smoothens the roots, allowing your gums to heal around the teeth. Your gums will heal in approximately 5 days, which will lead to significant tightening.
Can Gums Grow Back? If you were to ask any periodontist if gums can grow back after receding, they would tell you no, they cannot. As nice as it would be to have these soft tissues move back into their original position after treatment, the harsh reality is that they will not.
The length of time it will take your gums to heal depends on the severity of your gum disease. It can take anywhere from 2 – 4 weeks, while deeper pockets can take months to completely heal. Because your mouth will be tender and inflamed, a soft food diet is advised for the first few days.
The cleaning might cause pain, and sensitivity in the treatment doesn't guarantee reattachment of your gums to the teeth. The cleaning might even cause further gum recession. Pain and sensitivity are familiar side effects after deep cleaning teeth.
Dental cleanings remove calculus, leaving space between teeth where calculus once was. If kept clean, spaces may fill in with gum tissue over time,” Girard explains. Even though these new gaps may seem alarming, you shouldn't worry.
A tooth that is free of tartar has a better chance of allowing the gum tissues to heal and reattach to it. As a result, some deep gum pockets can be reduced after a deep cleaning.
How Far Can Gums Recede? Gums can recede to the extent at which the uppermost portion of the root becomes visible. Damage can also extend to the ligament and the bone, where it cannot be seen.
Once periodontitis has developed, the damage is permanent and the gums can no longer return to their normal, healthy state. However, treatment is imperative as the condition will only worsen over time if untreated.
You May Irritate Your Gums
The root is also smoothed so it's harder for bacteria to cling to. This treatment can cause a lot of pain and bleeding, which is why your dentist often numbs the area before cleaning begins.
Once the tartar is removed from the teeth, the professional will brush the patient's teeth with a gritty toothpaste. Using a high powered electric brush, the dentist will apply the gritty toothpaste to the teeth to get an even deeper clean. The brush makes a grinding noise, but the process does not hurt.
If you fail to remove plaque regularly, it hardens to become tartar. Tartar is very rough and porous, can only be removed with special dental tools, and can lead to gum recession and gum disease, if left untreated.
The duration of the tartar removal depends largely on the amount of tartar. It usually takes 30 to 45 minutes to remove tartar.
Since the goal of a dental cleaning is to remove layers of plaque or tartar build-up, the protective layer is often removed as well. As a result, these patients may experience increased sensitivity after their cleaning.
On average, it takes anywhere from 5 to 7 days for the gums to heal after a deep cleaning. While your mouth is healing, you may experience some bleeding and swelling of the gums. Teeth are likely to be sensitive, as their roots have recently been exposed.
In some cases, it may be too late for gum grafting to save the gums. If your gums are severely damaged, receding so far back that they expose the tooth's root, or if there is significant bone loss from advanced gum disease, gum grafting may not be able to restore them to their healthy state.
Receding gums are a form gum disease in which your gums pull back from the tooth surface, exposing the root surfaces of your teeth. This can be a serious condition as a consequence of poor oral hygiene, which may eventually lead to tooth loss.
Poor oral hygiene can cause receding gums in two ways. First, if you do not brush your teeth properly, some plaque remains, which can buildup up tartar. Tartar breeds disease-causing bacteria which affect the gums, causing them to recede towards the tooth root. The second is through aggressive hygiene.
When performed on a regular basis, gum massage can thicken the gum epithelium. The gum epithelium is the outer layer of gum tissue that helps protect the gums from bacteria that can cause infections. When this tissue layer thickens and strengthens, it helps protect your gums from bacterial infections more effectively.
While your gums won't grow back on their own, surgical treatment can be used to replace the missing tissue, and restore both your appearance and your oral health. Gum grafting involves taking soft tissue from another part of the mouth and grafting it onto your gums.
A dentist might consider gum graft surgery (GGS) if a person's gums have severely receded. During GGS, a surgeon will take a small piece of gum tissue from elsewhere in the mouth and use it to cover the exposed tooth roots. GGS helps prevent bone loss and the gums from receding further.
You can have deep cleanings whenever it feels necessary. Still, make sure you have at least two dental cleanings per year. Deep cleanings are for patients with oral issues like gum disease and tooth decay every three months. Consult with your dentist to determine how often you should have deep cleanings.
Periodontal pockets can be treated and reversed with good oral hygiene or with dental treatment. But when left untreated, periodontal pockets can lead to tooth loss.
Significant pocket depth reduction (initial) occurred 1 week after root planing, and reduced further (secondary) at 3 weeks.