51 replies to this topic

[Logan]

Is there any way to regrow gums that are badly receded? Are there any supplements that may help prevent recession or reverse recession? I doubt there are I was just wondering if anyone knew of anyway to treat this issue. The only way to restore gums that I know of is grafting.

I just thought of something, I wonder if platelet rich plasma or hip bone marrow stem cell treatments would help regenerate lost gum tissue. Platelet rich plasma is now being used to treat soft tissue injuries in joints, facial rejuvination, and most recently hair loss. I'm sure PRP would help in the recovery and healing post gum graft surgery.

Edited by morganator, 13 June 2009 - 08:39 AM.

[lynx]

Is there any way to regrow gums that are badly receded? Are there any supplements that may help prevent recession or reverse recession? I doubt there are I was just wondering if anyone knew of anyway to treat this issue. The only way to restore gums that I know of is grafting.

I just thought of something, I wonder if platelet rich plasma or hip bone marrow stem cell treatments would help regenerate lost gum tissue. Platelet rich plasma is now being used to treat soft tissue injuries in joints, facial rejuvination, and most recently hair loss. I'm sure PRP would help in the recovery and healing post gum graft surgery.

CoQ10 applied directly to gums before bed.

[Brian]

I just thought of something, I wonder if platelet rich plasma or hip bone marrow stem cell treatments would help regenerate lost gum tissue. Platelet rich plasma is now being used to treat soft tissue injuries in joints, facial rejuvination, and most recently hair loss. I'm sure PRP would help in the recovery and healing post gum graft surgery.

Yes actually platelet therapy has now been tested successfully.

http://www.medicalne...cles/156096.php

[caston]

Have you removed all the plaque and calculus?

PRP could probably benefit from providing some anti-microbial peptides along with those growth factors.

Edited by caston, 27 July 2009 - 06:59 AM.

[Skötkonung]

Unfortunately there is not much you can do to recover lost gingival tissue outside of a clinical setting.

Loss of gingival tissue is due to 1.) periodontal disease or 2.) brushing to hard and too frequently (excessive abrasion). Out of those two options, number 1 is the most common.

If you have receding gums from inadequate dental care, I recommend you do the following:

- Brush your teeth three times a day. Particularly after a sugar or carbohydrate containing meal.
- Reduce total sugar intake. Sugar and carbohydrate of any kind (which is broken down into sugars) feed bacteria and correlate strongly to dental carries and periodontal disease.
- Floss in the evenings. Make sure to practice correct flossing technique.
- Use an antibacterial mouthwash in the evenings.

A routine such as this may seem excessive, but is at best preventative and cannot always stop or reverse existing damage. For this reason, I suggest you also do the following:

- See a dentist for regular teeth cleaning. Every 6 months.
- If your gums are receding, chances are you will need root planing and scaling to prevent further recession. A dental hygeinist will take gum pocket depths and determine if this procedure is required. Your dentist may also give you antibiotics to eliminate any remaining bacterial infection.
- Once your gums are no longer infected, to restore lost tissue you will likely need a gum graft to restore the appearance of your gums and prevent further infection from eating away at the exposed roots of your teeth.

Anyways, that is pretty standard procedure. Can you tell my girlfriend's brother is a dentist? I think I have learned more than I ever wanted to about dental hygeine.

[caston]

Skot: that is good advice especially about avoiding sugar and *certain* carbs as that is what bacteria feed on.

morganator:

There is a good chance that your gums will begin to heal once the infection is gone. My teeth are much closer together than they used to be before I started to really take my dental care seriously. I had a few scale and cleans and then a "gum treatment" over the course of the last 16 months and now i'm going back in a few days for another scale and clean.

Take lots of vitamin C as it encourages fresh collagen formation.

Edited by caston, 07 August 2009 - 12:11 AM.

[Logan]

Thanks everyone for their responses..

I don't have an infection to worry about, just badly receding gums for my age. The gum recession is causing some discomfort already.

The article about the new prp gel and collagen membrane graft proceedure is very promising. I may be having this done in the not so distant future. In the meantime, I will take the dental health care advice given to me here in consideration and try putting it into practice.

[Lufega]

You could try a diet rich in mucopolysaccharides found in Aloe and other slimy foods. You can also try to enhance collagen/elastin/hyaluronic acid with supplementing with zinc, copper, MANGANESE (very important), vitamin c, etc..

I have problems with receding gums as well. I just started on that regiment above so I can't say if it's working yet..

Edited by Lufega, 16 August 2009 - 03:21 PM.

[rita]

Hi,

Receding gums are typically a normal part of the aging process, many people may notice them much earlier than usual. gums may recede due to genetics but they may also be caused by harsh brushing, or "toothbrush abrasion," as well as periodontal or gum disease.

It may also be caused by teeth that are misaligned, or by excessive plaque build-up at the gum line. Misaligned teeth can be addressed by an orthodontist through the application of braces or other treatments. Regular cleanings to remove plaque build up as well as treatments for possible periodontal disease should be undertaken where appropriate.

Thanks & Keep Sharing!

[SoulTech]

I'm afraid I am noticing this problem too. But is it really worth optimizing your diet for your gums or taking extensive maintenance measures when you can just go get a soft tissue graft?

[lunarsolarpower]

Receding gums are typically a normal part of the aging process, many people may notice them much earlier than usual. gums may recede due to genetics but they may also be caused by harsh brushing, or "toothbrush abrasion," as well as periodontal or gum disease.

Common but not healthy. I wouldn't say normal either.

Generally the gums will not recede if there is no periodontitis present and the bone level is where it should be.

Because periodontitis is so prevalent gum recession is fairly common as people become older. Unfortunately this loss of tissue surrounding the teeth is also often accompanied by xerostomia (dry mouth) which is seen as a side effect to over 400 different medications. The combination of recession and xerostomia proves highly advantageous for root caries which can destroy the dentition entirely.

Periodontitis is a disease that becomes more difficult to control as it becomes more advanced. When tissue loss first begins things can often be turned around with a routine of regular oral hygiene and frequent periodontal maintenance visits following an initial round of scaling and root planing or possibly open debridement.

However as the bone loss worstens certain problems can develop. One of these is the involvement of the furcal areas between the roots of the teeth. In a healthy person who has no bone loss the entire root of a multi-rooted tooth should be embedded in the bone. However as the bone level recedes the periodontal pocket will move down the tooth surface and enter the furcation. This creates an area that is nearly impossible to keep clean. Being unable to remove the plaque and calculus that build up in this region, the sufferer must often watch as millimeter after millimeter of additional bone is lost until the tooth must be removed.

Go see your dentist or periodontist and find out what your pocket depths and periodontal diagnosis are. This condition doesn't fix itself, and without taking a proactive approach, it will likely get worse. Also removing the teeth is not a panacea. Edentulous (toothless) regions lose bone fairly rapidly as well.

[embean]

I am 22 and recently had 3 grafts due to receding gums. One tooth was quite bad and the other 2 were preventative. In my case I believe the receding was a result of orthodontics. I had crowded teeth, and I've been told that when my teeth were straightened this thinned out the gums. Also, I used an electric toothbrush without much regard to how hard I was brushing. Since I have wires on my teeth post-braces, this makes flossing a pain and so I wasn't so careful about that either.

Since I'm quite young I've been quite interested in preventing more receding. It's noticable on other teeth and I've also noticed tissue loss between teeth. Now I only use an extra soft toothbrush and brush more gently. I'm more careful about flossing and also use a sulcabrush to make sure plaque is cleaned from bad areas. I bought a waterpik and would use it with grapefruit seed oil which is an antiseptic-- however, I noticed it was irritating my grafted teeth (I am only 3 months post-op). Also I take a CoQ10 supplement daily as I've read this can help and I'm interested in CoQ10 toothpastes also.

It's a frustrating problem-- especially at my age, knowing that tissue cannot be regrown.

[MoodyBlue]

Is there any way to regrow gums that are badly receded? Are there any supplements that may help prevent recession or reverse recession? I doubt there are I was just wondering if anyone knew of anyway to treat this issue. The only way to restore gums that I know of is grafting.

I just thought of something, I wonder if platelet rich plasma or hip bone marrow stem cell treatments would help regenerate lost gum tissue. Platelet rich plasma is now being used to treat soft tissue injuries in joints, facial rejuvination, and most recently hair loss. I'm sure PRP would help in the recovery and healing post gum graft surgery.

There may be some products at the Life Extension Foundation which will help including some oral probiotic lozenges: http://www.lef.org/V...Dental-Care.htm

[tham]

There is a good chance that your gums will begin to heal once the infection is gone. My teeth are much closer together than they used to be before I started to really take my dental care seriously. I had a few scale and cleans and then a "gum treatment" over the course of the last 16 months and now i'm going back in a few days for another scale and clean.

Caston,

Which kind of "gum treatment" did your dentist do for you ?


Hyaluronic acid should work well.

This brand has been around for some time. It comes in gels,
sprays and mouthwashes. A little expensive, though. I'm
supposed to have bought this a long time ago.

http://www.gumdiseas...el/gengigel.php

http://www.ncbi.nlm....t_uids=12168783


http://www.mouthulce...k/gengigel.html

http://www.dentalsho...igel_Paste.html

http://www.dentalsho...igel_Rinse.html

http://www.antiaging...2z/gengigel.htm


Seems they also have an injectable form for dentists.

http://translate.goo...MhixIcCTPoMD7gw

[Athanasios]

There may be some products at the Life Extension Foundation which will help including some oral probiotic lozenges: http://www.lef.org/V...Dental-Care.htm

I would also recommend their oral probiotics. I use it for regular maintenance oral care even though the research has been for deteriorating conditions of teeth and gums. It is one of the items I would keep even in a minimalist regimen.

One of their articles on this: http://www.lef.org/m...Diseases_01.htm

Edited by cnorwood, 11 May 2010 - 02:54 PM.

[bob412]

One year ago my dentist told me that my gums for some reason were now receding. The pockets had been two's and three's and were now four's and some
five's. he suggested the usual course of teeth cleaning then planing and scaling. Instead I went out on the internet and found a laser procedure that removes the inside layer of skin inside the pocket allowing it to grow back tight against the tooth. I called the manufacturer of the laser and they gave me the name of
a dentist that was good at this procedure. My gums have now healed and in time so will my wallet . (not covered by my insurance.)

Some questions

Why didn't my dentist offer this procedure? Because the laser costs too much and my dentist was getting ready to retire.

Why is it that insurance companies refuse to pay for the treatments we need, but are more than willing to pay for the crap that won't do us any good.
I am sure there is some sort of strange economic reason for this.

Anyway,

Hope this helps

[Logan]

One year ago my dentist told me that my gums for some reason were now receding. The pockets had been two's and three's and were now four's and some
five's. he suggested the usual course of teeth cleaning then planing and scaling. Instead I went out on the internet and found a laser procedure that removes the inside layer of skin inside the pocket allowing it to grow back tight against the tooth. I called the manufacturer of the laser and they gave me the name of
a dentist that was good at this procedure. My gums have now healed and in time so will my wallet . (not covered by my insurance.)

Some questions

Why didn't my dentist offer this procedure? Because the laser costs too much and my dentist was getting ready to retire.

Why is it that insurance companies refuse to pay for the treatments we need, but are more than willing to pay for the crap that won't do us any good.
I am sure there is some sort of strange economic reason for this.

Anyway,

Hope this helps

Hey thanks that's great news! I wonder if the procedure works well on gums that are pretty far recessed. My recession is so bad I can feel the nerve endings are exposed and my teeth are sensitive as a result. Exactly how much improvement did you see from this procedure?

[lunarsolarpower]

My recession is so bad I can feel the nerve endings are exposed and my teeth are sensitive as a result.

Sensitivity as a result of gum loss doesn't mean actual nerves are exposed. However there are tiny pores (called dentinal tubules) communicating between the outside of the tooth in the root area and the inside where the nerve is. There are several types of desensitization procedures that can be performed to seal off these pores and prevent the sensitivity.

Regarding the laser curettage procedure bob is talking about here's a paper from 2002 and here is a page with some more information. Now I'm not up on the very latest information though I do know there are some companies doing some things out there that are supposed to be advanced beyond the techniques that existed in 2002 but generally that quote at the end of the second article is most likely still applicable:

curettage had no additional benefit to SRP alone and had no justifiable application during active therapy for chronic periodontitis.

I know that's still what they're teaching in dental school so it's pretty clear to me why an insurance company won't pay for curettage.

[jasmine25]

is there any way to grow gums that are badly receding...if anyone know any treatment about receding gums please suggest me

[tham]

Hyaluronic acid gel.

It's been selling here in Malaysia for some time.
I've got to get a bottle of mouthwash one of
these days.

Available in gel, mouthwash and sprays.

http://webcache.goog...n&ct=clnk&gl=my



This looks like the cheapest I've found.
Small packet postage is minimal.

http://www.worldwide...l-mouthwash.asp

http://www.worldwide...el-toothgel.asp



IAS is selling the mouthwash much higher.

http://www.antiaging...l-mouthwash.htm

[daouda]

I'm bumping this old thread because I've been having issues with receding gums since about 2 months into the onset of my "floxing" syndrome (long lasting, chronic adverse reaction to fluoroquinolone antibiotics). We know that fluoroquinolone cause issues with collagen in all connective tissues, and scorbut, a disease of collagen, causes loss of gum tissue so there good reason to suspect quinolones as being responsible (before that I never had receding gums, nor widespread chronic tendinosis, osteoarthtritis and vasculitis that were all directly caused by the FQ). ALso my gums appear not to be inflamed, but are of a nice pink color, and arent bleeding after brushing anymore since I started Coq10/ubiquinol a couple years back.

BTW lufega did your receding gum issues start after your "floxing"?

Anyway what I pîcked u from the previous posts

Besides grafts, lighter medical procedures (cant do them yourself)
-PRP procedure (proven)
-The laser procedure mentionned by bob412

Possible DIY solutions?
-CoQ10 applied directly to gums before bed? : Lynx, have you tryed this and have you gotten results from it?
-this gengigel thing (hyaluronic acid gel)?

supplementation in collagen factors (manganese vit C etc) isnt doing much for me...


Has anybody else found anything that helped with this issue?

Edited by daouda, 20 April 2013 - 12:17 AM.

[JBForrester]

Have you checked for hypothyroidism? I had receding gums due to an undiagnosed thyroid condition, which stopped once I was on the proper amount of medication needed. I was only 23 when I got it too. So something to get checked if you have the time, also if you've been experiencing hair loss.

[nowayout]

Loss of gingival tissue is due to 1.) periodontal disease or 2.) brushing to hard and too frequently (excessive abrasion). Out of those two options, number 1 is the most common.

Also 3) grinding.

[Logic]

Oil pulling is said to kill germs between the gum and tooth, but evidence was pretty slim last I checked. http://www.longecity...umtooth-health/

[JBForrester]

Oil pulling is said to kill germs between the gum and tooth, but evidence was pretty slim last I checked. http://www.longecity...umtooth-health/

Interesting. What if you swallow the oil (e.g. omega-3 oil) instead of spitting it out? Still counts do you think?

[Logic]

Apparently the oil is full of dead bacteria that aren't good for you to swallow.
I would go with an oil known to be bactericidal like Coconut oil tho.

[JBForrester]

Apparently the oil is full of dead bacteria that aren't good for you to swallow.
I would go with an oil known to be bactericidal like Coconut oil tho.

Good to know. I'm going to try this out... Oil seems to be an amazing cleanser. I use olive oil to take off my eye makeup, and by far has been the only thing that hasn't irritated my skin. Easy on the wallet too.

Edited by JBForrester, 21 May 2013 - 01:32 AM.

[DorianGrey]

I recently read a few post on Idebenone, and it seems to harden your gums. It's similar to CoQ10. What would be a good concentration in a toothpaste?

[MizTen]

I recently read a few post on Idebenone, and it seems to harden your gums. It's similar to CoQ10. What would be a good concentration in a toothpaste?

I'm considering using some of my idebenone for a similar purpose. The thing is, it's expensive, it's also bright orange, and it's not water soluble.

But I've tried the oil pulling with coconut oil and got some very good results. If I'd kept up with it, I think the pockets would be measureably smaller in less than two months.

So maybe I'll try adding a small amount of idebenone, maybe 20mg to one of the two oil pullings I should be doing each day.

This is an interesting experiment.

[DorianGrey]

Any updates, MizTen? I received my Idebenone yesterday (orange stuff) and would add like 0.8g to 170mg of a Jason Fluoride free toothpaste, not sure how well it dissolves. Is that a reasonable concentration?
I'll also add some Ascorbylphosphate, it's not as acidic as pure Vitamin C so better for the enamel.


As a plan B: I've seen there are quite some Coenzyme-Q10 toothpastes out there, even without Fluoride.

Edited by DorianGrey, 04 September 2013 - 05:03 PM.