Dentists fix receding gums through a range of treatments, from deep cleanings that help gums reattach to the tooth, to surgical grafts that physically rebuild lost gum tissue. The right approach depends on how far the gums have pulled back, whether the recession is getting worse, and what’s driving it in the first place. Mild cases often respond to non-surgical care, while moderate to severe recession typically requires some form of gum surgery.
Deep Cleaning for Early Recession
When recession is mild and caused by gum disease, the first step is usually a deep cleaning called scaling and root planing. This goes beyond a standard cleaning. Your dentist or hygienist removes plaque and hardened tartar from below the gumline, then smooths the root surfaces of your teeth. That smooth surface makes it harder for bacteria to reattach and gives your gums a better chance of tightening back up against the tooth.
Your teeth may feel slightly loose right after the procedure, but that resolves as the gums heal and firm up. Deep cleaning works best when recession is in its early stages and the bone underneath hasn’t been significantly damaged. If the gums continue to pull away despite this treatment, surgery becomes the next consideration.
How Dentists Decide You Need Surgery
Dentists classify gum recession by severity. Mild to moderate cases where the bone between teeth is still intact have good odds of full root coverage through surgery. More advanced cases, where bone loss has occurred between the teeth, are harder to treat. Surgery in those situations focuses less on covering exposed roots and more on thickening the remaining gum tissue to prevent further damage.
Three main factors push a dentist toward recommending surgery: the recession is visibly progressing over time, you’re experiencing sensitivity or pain from exposed roots, or you need restorative dental work that requires a thicker band of gum tissue to stay healthy. Sensitivity alone doesn’t always mean surgery. If recession is minimal, your dentist will likely try desensitizing treatments or bonding first.
Connective Tissue Grafts
The connective tissue graft is considered the gold standard for covering exposed tooth roots. Your periodontist takes a piece of tissue from beneath the outer layer of your palate (the roof of your mouth) and stitches it over the area where gum has receded. Because the tissue comes from a deeper layer, it blends well with your existing gums and looks natural once healed.
This technique achieves roughly 80% root coverage when combined with repositioning the surrounding gum tissue, and some studies show connective tissue grafts averaging 98.4% root coverage at about two and a half years out. Long-term data shows coverage holding at nearly 89% after one year and still at about 52% even after 27 years, which reflects the natural, gradual changes that happen with aging. Healing tends to be relatively comfortable compared to other graft types since the deeper tissue used is less sensitive.
Free Gingival Grafts
A free gingival graft takes the top layer of tissue directly from the roof of your mouth rather than the deeper connective layer. This type of graft is mainly used to thicken thin gums and prevent further recession rather than to cover exposed roots. It’s a common choice when you have very little protective gum tissue around a tooth and need to build up that barrier.
The trade-off is cosmetic. Because it uses surface tissue, the graft can look slightly different in color or texture compared to the surrounding gum. Success rates range from 76% to 95.5%, and the results are durable. If your primary concern is stopping recession rather than achieving a seamless appearance, this approach works well.
Donor Tissue as an Alternative
Not everyone wants tissue harvested from their own palate, and some patients don’t have enough palate tissue to work with. In those cases, dentists can use processed donor tissue (from a tissue bank) as the grafting material. This eliminates the second surgical site in your mouth, which means less pain and a simpler recovery.
Research shows donor tissue performs comparably to your own tissue for covering exposed roots, with good long-term stability. Patients report favorable cosmetic results and less post-surgical discomfort. The limitation is that over one to five years, donor tissue doesn’t thicken the gum band as effectively as grafts taken from your own mouth. Your periodontist can help you weigh whether that difference matters for your specific situation.
The Pinhole Surgical Technique
The pinhole technique is a newer, minimally invasive option. Instead of cutting and stitching tissue, the dentist makes a tiny hole in your gum, uses specialized instruments to gently loosen and reposition the existing gum tissue down over the exposed root, then places small collagen strips underneath to hold everything in place.
The biggest advantages are speed and recovery. There are no incisions, no sutures, and multiple teeth can be treated in a single visit. Cosmetic improvement is nearly immediate. Recovery is significantly faster than traditional grafting. The technique works best for patients who have enough existing gum tissue to reposition, so it’s not appropriate for every case.
Laser Treatment for Gum Disease
When recession is driven by active gum disease, some periodontists use laser-based treatment to address the infection. A laser fiber about the width of three human hairs targets and removes diseased tissue and bacteria while leaving healthy tissue intact. This approach is FDA-cleared to regenerate bone and soft tissue lost to gum disease, which can help stabilize teeth that have become loose from advanced recession.
Laser treatment isn’t a direct replacement for gum grafting. It’s better understood as a way to treat the underlying disease and create conditions for tissue regrowth, sometimes used alongside other procedures.
What Recovery Looks Like
For traditional gum grafts, expect the first day to involve bleeding, swelling, and discomfort. Stick to soft, cool foods like yogurt, pudding, and smoothies. Bleeding typically stops within 24 to 48 hours, and swelling peaks around day three or four before fading through the rest of the first week. During that week, you can start adding soft foods like eggs, pasta, fish, and cooked vegetables.
By the second week, swelling and bruising should be noticeably better. You can gradually return to more solid foods, but hard, crunchy, and spicy items stay off the menu until your surgeon gives the all-clear. Most people feel substantially better within two weeks, though full healing of the graft site takes several months. The pinhole technique compresses this timeline considerably, with most patients returning to normal eating within a few days.
Cost and Insurance Coverage
Gum graft surgery in the United States averages around $2,742, with a typical range of $2,120 to $4,982 depending on the number of teeth involved and the technique used. Dental insurance coverage varies widely. Some plans only cover grafting when recession reaches a certain severity. Some pay about half the cost, others more.
Because gum grafting is medically necessary (it protects teeth from further damage and potential loss), it’s not classified as purely cosmetic. Medical insurance sometimes covers severe cases, particularly when gum disease poses a broader health risk. It’s worth checking both your dental and medical plans before scheduling surgery.