Treatment of Receding Gums Rests On Understanding the Story Behind the Symptom

It is perhaps somewhat odd to look to television and print ads for advice on oral health care. Sure, advertisers are known for their engaging rhetoric and also for the factual portion of the ads, which are nonetheless spun to reflect the need for the product rather than a more unbiased explanation of the processes involved. Sadly, some dental health care providers have begun to also buy into the mantra of the manufacturers and instead of educating consumers on the background of a plethora of conditions affecting the overall health of their mouths, they appear to sometimes have chosen to go with the tide.

Of course, one very real cause of this failure to swim against the stream, so to speak, is consumer insistence on the use of advertised chemicals rather than adhering to a dentist recommended regimen which quite possibly might yield better and also longer lasting results than most anything else that is currently being sold in the supermarket. An effective treatment of receding gums rests on understanding the story behind the symptom.

By and large, receding gums are a symptom of periodontal disease (gum disease). This condition also presents with visibly inflamed gums, and may even lead to bleeding gums which may be most obvious during times of oral hygiene tasks but also during mealtimes when particularly hard foods are being ingested. Gum disease is caused by bacteria which are growing faster and attacking gums and teeth more quickly than saliva and dental care ߝ both professional and at home ߝ may control them.

At issue in particular are about 22 bacteria which are found in each and every human mouth and which are perfectly natural in this environment but which, when permitted to multiply unfettered, will cause problems. Saliva is of course the most important defense mechanism the human mouth has for protection of teeth and gums but also for continuously washing away harmful bacteria. The enzymes found in saliva as well as the oxygen contained therein make it a great stopper and when the mouth is healthy and produces sufficient supplies of saliva, treatment of receding gums is most likely not in your future. So proper treatment for receding gums will deal with the saliva.

It is during times that saliva production is curtailed and dry mouth is experienced that the 22 bacteria are beginning to overtake the tissues and structures of the oral cavity, and before long the little saliva that is present is no longer sufficient to protect your mouth. Ironically, the major contributing factors to dry mouth are mouthwashes and even toothpastes that rely on alcohol and other chemicals to whiten and clean, but that at the same time greatly diminish the production of saliva.

Just as gum disease is a progressive ailment that develops slowly over a long period of time, the harmful effects of commercially available mouthwashes and toothpastes also build up slowly and the effect is surprising: before long consumers require treatment of receding gums but also gum disease and a host of other conditions which thus far was supposed to have been prevented with the use of mouthwashes.

See a comparison of OraMD to Oram Plus.