Receding gums don’t grow back on their own. Unlike skin or bone, gum tissue lacks the ability to regenerate once it’s lost. But there’s a wide range of things you can do, from simple changes at home to professional procedures, that either stop the recession from getting worse or restore your gum line surgically.
Why Gums Recede in the First Place
Understanding what’s causing your recession matters because the fix depends on the cause. The most common culprits are periodontal (gum) disease, brushing too hard, plaque and tartar buildup, tobacco use, misaligned teeth, and even lip or tongue piercings that rub against the gum line. Some people are also genetically predisposed to thinner gum tissue, which recedes more easily even with decent oral hygiene.
If aggressive brushing is the main driver, changing your technique may be all you need. If periodontal disease is involved, you’ll likely need professional treatment before anything else will help. Recession caused by misalignment often requires orthodontic correction to prevent it from continuing after any repair work.
What You Can Do at Home
Home care won’t reverse recession, but it’s the single most important factor in keeping it from progressing. The basics matter more than any special product.
Switch to a soft-bristled toothbrush if you haven’t already. Hard or medium bristles wear down gum tissue over time, especially along the gum line. Hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to where your teeth meet your gums, and use short, gentle strokes rather than scrubbing back and forth. Electric toothbrushes are a good option here because they deliver consistent pressure and reduce the tendency to bear down too hard. Many models also have built-in pressure sensors that alert you when you’re pushing too forcefully.
Daily flossing removes plaque from the spaces your toothbrush can’t reach, which is where gum disease often starts. An antimicrobial or fluoride mouthwash can add another layer of protection, though it’s no substitute for mechanical cleaning. If you smoke or use chewing tobacco, quitting is one of the highest-impact changes you can make. According to the CDC, tobacco not only accelerates gum damage but also impairs your gums’ ability to heal, making treatments less effective for people who continue using it.
Deep Cleaning: The First Professional Step
When recession is caused by gum disease, the standard starting treatment is scaling and root planing, often called a “deep cleaning.” This goes well beyond a routine dental cleaning. Your periodontist removes plaque and bacterial buildup from beneath the gum line (scaling), then smooths the root surfaces of your teeth (planing) so bacteria have a harder time reattaching.
The procedure is typically done under local anesthesia, one or two quadrants of the mouth at a time. Many patients don’t need any additional treatment afterward. The gums tighten around the teeth as inflammation subsides, and the pockets between gum and tooth shrink back to a healthier depth. You’ll usually have a follow-up visit a few weeks later to measure whether the pockets have improved.
Laser Therapy
Laser treatment is a newer option that targets infected gum tissue with a focused beam of light, killing bacteria while leaving healthy tissue intact. The precision is the main advantage: the laser selectively removes diseased tissue and promotes reattachment of the gum to the tooth surface, which helps close the gap where bacteria collect.
Clinical studies show laser therapy produces similar outcomes to scaling and root planing for mild to moderate gum disease. It tends to involve less bleeding and discomfort during the procedure. However, it’s not ideal for everyone. Patients with severe gum disease or very deep pockets between the gum and tooth often need more extensive surgical treatment that laser therapy alone can’t provide.
Gum Grafting Surgery
When recession is significant enough that the tooth root is exposed or you’re at risk of tooth loss, gum grafting is the gold standard for restoring lost tissue. A periodontist takes a small piece of tissue, usually from the roof of your mouth or from nearby gum tissue, and attaches it to the area where recession has occurred. This covers the exposed root, reduces sensitivity, and rebuilds the gum line.
There are a few variations. Connective tissue grafts, which use tissue from under a small flap on the roof of your mouth, are the most common and typically cost $700 to $2,000 per tooth. Free gingival grafts take tissue directly from the palate and run $600 to $1,200 per tooth. Pedicle grafts rotate tissue from the gum adjacent to the affected tooth and tend to be the most expensive at $1,000 to $3,000 per tooth, partly because they require enough healthy gum tissue nearby to work with.
Recovery takes a few weeks. During that time, you’ll need to eat soft foods, brush carefully around the surgical site, and avoid anything that could dislodge the graft. There’s a healing wound on the roof of your mouth as well if that’s where the tissue was harvested, which can be uncomfortable for the first several days.
The Pinhole Surgical Technique
A newer, minimally invasive alternative to traditional grafting skips the tissue harvesting entirely. In the pinhole technique, a dentist makes a tiny hole behind the receded gum tissue and uses specialized instruments to gently loosen and reposition the existing gum back over the exposed root. A small collagen strip is then placed to hold the tissue in its new position while it heals.
The recovery difference is dramatic. Traditional grafts can take weeks to heal fully, with dietary restrictions and careful wound management at two sites in your mouth. Pinhole insertion points tend to heal within a day. The collagen strips are gradually absorbed into the gum tissue on their own. Most people experience less pain and return to their normal routine much faster. The technique also avoids the risk of graft rejection, since no tissue is being transplanted from one area to another.
Not every case of recession qualifies for this approach. Your dentist will evaluate the extent of the recession and the thickness of your remaining gum tissue to determine whether pinhole treatment or a traditional graft is the better option.
How Smoking Affects Your Results
If you smoke and are considering any of these treatments, the evidence is clear: tobacco use undermines every option on this list. It restricts blood flow to your gums, slows healing after procedures, and makes gum disease treatments less effective overall. People who quit before treatment consistently see better outcomes than those who don’t. If you’re investing in gum grafting or laser therapy, quitting tobacco is the single best thing you can do to protect that investment.
Choosing the Right Approach
The right treatment depends on how far the recession has progressed. Mild cases caught early often respond well to improved home care and a deep cleaning. Moderate recession with exposed roots or sensitivity typically calls for grafting or the pinhole technique. Severe recession with deep periodontal pockets and bone loss may require a combination of approaches.
A periodontist can measure pocket depths, assess bone levels with X-rays, and map exactly where and how much recession you have. That assessment determines whether you need a conservative approach or surgery. Dental insurance often covers scaling and root planing and may partially cover grafting when it’s deemed medically necessary, though cosmetic cases are less likely to be covered. For grafting, expect to budget $600 to $3,000 per tooth depending on the type of procedure and your location.