Receding Gums: Causes and Treatment Costs
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Gum recession exposes the root of the tooth, which is softer than enamel, decays faster and is often painfully sensitive to cold. Gum tissue does not grow back on its own. What treatment can do is stop the recession and, where it matters, cover the exposed root with a graft. Here is how we sort out which you need at our Midtown Houston office.
Seen in Midtown Houston, Saturday hours: Book an appointment · (713) 322-7474 · Periodontics in Houston
What Recession Is and Why It Matters
The gum margin sits at a fixed level on a healthy tooth. When it migrates toward the root, the tooth looks longer, a notch or step can often be felt with a fingernail at the gumline, and the exposed surface is root, not enamel.
That matters for three reasons.
Root surface has no enamel, so it decays several times faster than the crown of the tooth. Root cavities near the gumline are difficult to restore and are one of the more common reasons older patients lose teeth.
The root is full of microscopic tubules connected to the nerve, which is why cold water on an exposed root can be genuinely sharp.
And recession is often the visible sign of something else: periodontal disease, a bite problem, or a brushing habit. Treating the recession without finding the cause means watching it happen again.
One piece of good news: not all recession is disease. Some is mechanical and the gums around it are perfectly healthy.
What Actually Causes It
In rough order of how often we see each one.
• Periodontal disease. Bacterial infection destroys the attachment and the bone beneath it, and the gum follows the bone down. This is the category that will keep progressing if untreated.
• Brushing too hard, or with a hard brush. Usually worse on the left side in right handed people, and typically shows as a smooth, wedge shaped notch at the gumline.
• Thin gum tissue, which is largely genetic. Some people simply have a thin biotype that recedes over a lifetime with no disease at all.
• Grinding and clenching. Heavy repetitive load flexes the tooth at the gumline and is associated with recession and notching.
• Crowded or protruding teeth, where a root sits outside the bony housing and has thin tissue over it from the start. This is also why recession sometimes appears during orthodontic treatment.
• Tobacco, in any form. Smokeless tobacco held in one spot causes recession in exactly that spot.
• Lip and tongue piercings rubbing against the gum.
A large old filling or a crown margin sitting under the gum can also inflame the tissue locally.
Gums Do Not Grow Back
This is worth stating plainly because a lot of what you will find online implies otherwise.
No toothpaste, mouthwash, oil, supplement or brushing technique regrows lost gum tissue. Nothing you can buy reverses recession. We do not recommend delaying treatment to try any of it.
What is achievable is real. You can stop recession from progressing, which is the main goal in most cases. You can eliminate sensitivity. You can cover the exposed root surgically with a graft when the root is at risk or the appearance bothers you. And you can restore a notched area with bonding.
The reason to act now rather than in two years is that a small amount of recession is easier to graft, and a root that has already decayed is a harder problem than a root that has not.
Treatment Options and What They Cost in Houston
• Scaling and root planing, priced per quadrant, so the exam determines the total. If periodontal disease is driving the recession, this is the foundation. Bacteria and tartar are removed from the root surface below the gumline so the tissue can reattach and stop retreating.
• Gum graft. Tissue is taken from your palate, or donor tissue is used, and secured over the exposed root. It covers the root, thickens thin tissue so it stops receding, and resolves the sensitivity. Healing takes one to two weeks, with a soft diet and one follow up.
• Treatment beyond a deep cleaning, for moderate to advanced periodontitis with deep pockets and bone loss. What that involves depends on how much bone has been lost, so it is decided at the periodontal exam and quoted in writing before anything is scheduled.
• Composite bonding, priced per tooth, to fill a notched, sensitive area at the gumline where a graft is not needed.
• A night guard, if grinding is part of the picture.
• Regular maintenance cleanings, or a new patient exam and cleaning, which is where the measuring gets done.
The average cost of gum recession treatment in Houston depends mostly on how many teeth are involved and whether grafting is needed at all. Coverage varies widely between policies, particularly for grafting. We verify your benefits with your insurer before treatment and give you your share in writing. Cherry, Affirm and Sunbit spread the balance monthly. For today's exact fees, call (713) 322-7474.
What Stops It Getting Worse
Change the brush. Soft bristles only, and hold it like a pen rather than a fist. Pressure does not clean better; it just removes gum and root. An electric brush with a pressure sensor takes the decision away from you.
Do not stop flossing because your gums bleed. Bleeding is inflammation, and inflammation is the thing driving the recession. Gums that bleed for the first week of proper flossing usually stop by the second.
Get the grinding assessed. If you wake with a tight jaw or your teeth are worn flat, a guard protects far more than your gums.
Deal with the crowding if a tooth is sitting outside its bone. Orthodontics sometimes moves a tooth back into its housing, which is a better long term answer than grafting the same spot twice.
And keep the maintenance interval you are given. Patients with periodontal disease usually need cleanings every three or four months, not every six.
When Sensitivity Is the Main Complaint
Plenty of people with recession are not worried about how it looks. They want the cold sensitivity to stop.
Start with a potassium nitrate desensitizing toothpaste used consistently for at least two weeks. Used properly it helps a substantial number of patients, and the mistake most people make is rinsing it away immediately. Brush, spit, do not rinse.
In the office we can apply fluoride varnish or a desensitizing agent to the exposed root, which works quickly and can be repeated.
Bonding over the exposed area seals the root physically and usually ends the problem.
A graft covers the root permanently and also fixes the underlying vulnerability.
What we want to rule out first is that the sensitivity is not something else. A cracked tooth, a failing filling or an inflamed nerve can all feel like sensitivity, and they need different treatment.
Getting Assessed at Omega Dental Specialists
The exam takes about half an hour. We measure pocket depths at six points around every tooth, measure how much recession there is in millimeters, check the thickness of the tissue, look at your X rays for bone loss, and look at your bite. You will see the chart.
That is what separates the patient who needs a cleaning and a softer toothbrush from the one who needs periodontal treatment.
Gum treatment here is done by Dr. Shirin Farhadian, board certified and a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, with residency training at Saint Louis University.
We are at 106 W Gray St in Midtown, minutes from Montrose, River Oaks, Downtown and the Museum District, with Saturday appointments. Call (713) 322-7474 or book online.
Frequently asked
Can receding gums grow back?
No. Lost gum tissue does not regenerate on its own, and no toothpaste, rinse, oil or brushing technique regrows it. What can be done is stopping the recession from progressing, eliminating the sensitivity, and covering the exposed root surgically with a gum graft at Omega Dental Specialists in Houston. Acting early matters, because a small area is easier to graft than a large one.
How much does a gum graft cost in Houston?
The average cost of a gum graft in Houston varies from office to office; ours is a fixed fee we put in writing before treatment, and today's exact figure is one call away at (713) 322-7474. Scaling and root planing, which is usually the first step when periodontal disease is driving the recession, is priced per quadrant, so the exam determines the total. Pockets that stay deep afterward need more than cleaning, and that is quoted once the periodontal exam shows how much bone has been lost. We verify your insurance benefits before treatment and give you your share in writing, since coverage for grafting varies a lot between policies.
What causes gums to recede?
Periodontal disease is the most consequential cause, because it destroys the bone supporting the tooth and keeps progressing if untreated. Brushing too hard is the most common mechanical cause. Others include naturally thin gum tissue, grinding and clenching, teeth that are crowded or sit outside the bone, tobacco use, and lip or tongue piercings rubbing on the tissue.
Is receding gums serious?
It depends on the cause. Recession from periodontal disease is serious and will keep progressing without treatment, eventually loosening teeth. Recession from a heavy brushing habit in an otherwise healthy mouth is not urgent but should still be addressed, because exposed root decays several times faster than enamel and root cavities near the gumline are difficult to restore.
Does a gum graft hurt?
The procedure is done under local anesthetic, so you should not feel it. The palate, where the tissue is taken from, is usually the sorer site afterward and feels like a pizza burn for several days. Most patients take ibuprofen, eat soft food for one to two weeks, and return for a single follow up. Using donor tissue avoids the palatal site entirely in some cases.
Can I stop my gums receding further without surgery?
Often yes, if the cause is mechanical rather than disease. Switch to a soft brush, hold it lightly, and consider an electric brush with a pressure sensor. Keep flossing even if the gums bleed at first, since the bleeding is the inflammation that drives recession. Get grinding assessed for a night guard. If periodontal disease is present, scaling and root planing, priced per quadrant, is the step that stops it.
Why are my teeth sensitive where my gums receded?
The exposed root has no enamel and contains microscopic tubules connected to the tooth nerve, so cold reaches the nerve far more directly. A potassium nitrate desensitizing toothpaste used for at least two weeks helps many patients, and the trick is to brush, spit and not rinse. In the office, fluoride varnish, bonding over the exposed root, or a gum graft all address it more definitively.