Receding gums can’t grow back on their own, but you can stop the process from getting worse and, in some cases, restore lost gum tissue with professional treatment. The key is identifying what’s driving the recession, whether that’s brushing habits, bacterial buildup, or something structural, and addressing it before more tissue is lost.
Why Gums Recede
Gum recession happens when the gum margin creeps down (or up, on lower teeth) and exposes more of the tooth root. In a healthy mouth, gums sit about 1 millimeter above the junction where enamel meets root on the outer surfaces of teeth. Once they drop below that line, recession has begun.
The most common causes fall into a few categories:
- Gum disease (periodontitis): Bacterial plaque hardens into tartar below the gumline, triggering chronic inflammation that destroys the tissue and bone supporting your teeth. This is the leading cause of recession.
- Aggressive brushing: Scrubbing hard with a stiff-bristled brush physically wears away gum tissue over time, especially on teeth that stick out slightly in the arch.
- Thin gum tissue: Some people are born with naturally thin gums that are more vulnerable to recession. Teeth that sit outside the normal arch, whether naturally or from orthodontic movement, often have thinner tissue on one side.
- Grinding and clenching: Chronic pressure on teeth flexes them at the gumline, contributing to tissue breakdown.
- Tobacco use: Smoking reduces blood flow to gum tissue, weakens the immune response to bacteria, and accelerates bone loss.
In many cases, multiple factors overlap. Someone with thin tissue who also brushes aggressively will see recession faster than someone with only one risk factor.
How to Tell If It’s Getting Worse
Recession often progresses slowly enough that you don’t notice it day to day. The earliest signs are teeth that look longer than they used to, sensitivity to cold or sweet foods (because exposed root surfaces lack enamel), or a notch you can feel with your fingernail near the gumline.
At a dental visit, your dentist measures pocket depth, the space between the gum and tooth. Healthy readings fall between 1 and 3 millimeters. Anything above 3 millimeters signals that tissue attachment is breaking down. Your dentist can also measure how far the gum has pulled away from its original position and track changes over time, which is the most reliable way to know whether your recession is stable or progressing.
Fix Your Brushing Technique First
If aggressive brushing is contributing to your recession, no treatment will hold up until you change the habit. Switch to a soft-bristled toothbrush or a pressure-sensing electric toothbrush. The recommended approach, called the Modified Bass technique, works like this: angle the bristles toward your gumline at roughly 45 degrees, use short back-and-forth strokes with light pressure, then sweep the brush away from the gumline toward the biting edge of the tooth. You’re coaxing plaque out of the gum crevice, not scrubbing enamel.
Many people press far too hard without realizing it. If your toothbrush bristles splay outward within a few weeks, you’re using too much force. Let the bristles do the work.
Professional Cleaning and Deep Cleaning
When gum disease is driving recession, removing the bacterial deposits below the gumline is the most important step. A standard cleaning handles tartar above the gumline. A deep cleaning, called scaling and root planing, goes further: your hygienist or dentist cleans below the gum margin and smooths the root surfaces so gum tissue can reattach more easily.
A large meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that scaling and root planing produced an average gain of about half a millimeter of attachment compared to no treatment. That may sound small, but in a disease measured in millimeters, it represents a meaningful shift from tissue loss to tissue recovery. For mild to moderate gum disease, deep cleaning alone is often enough to stabilize recession and prevent further breakdown.
After treatment, most people with a history of gum disease benefit from professional cleanings every three to four months rather than the standard six. Periodontitis is a chronic condition that’s controlled, not cured, and shorter intervals between cleanings help keep bacterial levels in check before they can cause new damage.
Antiseptic Rinses as a Short-Term Tool
Chlorhexidine mouthwash is the strongest over-the-counter option for reducing plaque and gum inflammation. Research from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research found it had a large effect on plaque reduction at both the four-to-six-week and six-month marks, and it moderately reduced gum bleeding. However, it’s typically recommended only for short-term use (up to about 30 days) because prolonged use causes tooth staining and tartar buildup. Think of it as a reset tool after a deep cleaning or during a flare-up, not an everyday product.
For daily rinsing, an alcohol-free antimicrobial rinse with essential oils or cetylpyridinium chloride is a gentler long-term option, though the evidence for these is not as strong.
When Surgery Is Needed
If recession has progressed to the point where roots are significantly exposed, you’re experiencing persistent sensitivity, or the cosmetic change bothers you, surgical grafting can restore lost tissue. Several techniques exist, and the right one depends on how many teeth are affected and how much tissue has been lost.
The connective tissue graft is considered the gold standard. A small piece of tissue is taken from the roof of your mouth and placed over the exposed root, then the surrounding gum is repositioned over it. This approach has the most long-term data behind it and achieves predictable root coverage in most cases. The trade-off is a second surgical site on the palate, which adds to recovery discomfort.
A newer option called the Pinhole Surgical Technique skips the palate donor site entirely. Instead, a small hole is made in the gum near the affected area, and the existing tissue is loosened and repositioned over the exposed roots. Strips of collagen membrane are placed underneath to hold everything in position. Because there’s no tissue harvesting from the palate, patients typically report less pain during recovery. This technique works best for multiple adjacent teeth with moderate recession.
Both approaches aim for complete root coverage, meaning the gum fully covers the previously exposed root surface. Success rates vary depending on the severity of recession and how much bone support remains. Your periodontist can evaluate whether the bone loss in your case makes full coverage realistic or whether the goal is partial coverage to reduce sensitivity and protect the root.
Daily Habits That Protect Your Gums
Beyond brushing correctly, a few habits make a real difference in preventing further recession:
- Floss or use interdental brushes daily. Plaque between teeth triggers the same inflammatory cascade as plaque along the gumline. If traditional floss is difficult, a water flosser is an effective alternative.
- Address grinding. If you clench or grind at night, a custom night guard from your dentist distributes the force and reduces stress on vulnerable teeth.
- Quit tobacco. Smoking is one of the strongest predictors of gum disease progression and poor healing after any gum treatment.
- Use a desensitizing toothpaste. Products containing potassium nitrate help block pain signals from exposed roots. They won’t reverse recession, but they make daily life more comfortable while you address the underlying cause.
Recession that’s caught early, when pocket depths are just starting to exceed 3 millimeters, responds well to non-surgical treatment and habit changes alone. The longer it goes unaddressed, the more likely you’ll need surgical intervention to restore what’s been lost. Regular dental visits where pocket depths and gum margins are measured give you the clearest picture of whether your gums are stable or quietly getting worse.