Receding gums can’t grow back on their own, but you have real options to stop the process and restore lost tissue. The right approach depends on how far the recession has progressed, what’s causing it, and whether the underlying bone is still intact. Treatments range from changing how you brush all the way to surgical grafting, and most people benefit from a combination of prevention and professional care.
Why Gums Recede in the First Place
Understanding what’s driving your recession matters because the treatment that works depends on the cause. The most common culprits fall into a few categories.
Periodontal disease is the leading driver. Bacteria in plaque and tartar trigger chronic inflammation that slowly destroys the gum tissue and bone supporting your teeth. If your gums bleed when you floss or you notice persistent bad breath, active gum disease is likely contributing to the problem.
Aggressive brushing is the other major mechanical cause. Scrubbing hard with a firm-bristled brush wears away gum tissue over time, especially along the outer surfaces of your teeth. This type of recession often shows up on one or two teeth rather than across your whole mouth.
Genetics play a role too. Some people are born with thinner gum tissue or less bone coverage around certain teeth, making them more vulnerable regardless of how well they brush. Tooth grinding, misaligned teeth, tobacco use, and hormonal changes can also accelerate the process. Orthodontic treatment, whether braces or clear aligners, can contribute if teeth are moved too far or too fast, particularly when the gums are already thin.
What You Can Do at Home
You can’t reverse recession with home care alone, but you can stop making it worse, and that’s genuinely important. Many people unknowingly accelerate their own recession every time they brush.
Switch to a soft or extra-soft bristled toothbrush and use gentle, short strokes rather than scrubbing side to side. Electric toothbrushes with built-in pressure sensors are especially helpful here. These models alert you or automatically pause when you press too hard. Look for one with a gum-care or sensitive mode, which uses softer vibrations and slower speeds to clean without traumatizing delicate tissue. A small brush head lets you clean precisely around the gumline without bumping into recessed areas.
Floss daily and consider an antimicrobial mouthwash if your dentist recommends one. If you grind your teeth at night, a custom night guard protects both your enamel and your gum tissue from the constant pressure. Quitting tobacco makes a measurable difference because smoking restricts blood flow to the gums and slows healing.
Deep Cleaning to Stop Progression
If gum disease is involved, a professional deep cleaning called scaling and root planing is typically the first clinical step. During scaling, your dental professional removes plaque and hardened tartar from above and below the gumline. Root planing smooths the tooth roots so gum tissue can reattach more tightly and bacteria have fewer places to hide.
This procedure won’t regrow lost gum tissue, but it halts the damage and allows the remaining tissue to heal and tighten around the tooth. For mild to moderate recession caused by periodontal disease, this alone can stabilize things enough that surgery isn’t immediately necessary. You’ll likely need follow-up cleanings every three to four months rather than the standard six to keep bacteria under control.
Gum Graft Surgery
When recession is moderate to severe, gum grafting is the most established way to restore coverage over exposed roots. A periodontist takes a small piece of tissue, usually from the roof of your mouth or a tissue bank, and stitches it over the receded area. Over several weeks, the graft integrates with your existing gum tissue and provides a new, stable band of coverage.
Gum grafts run roughly $600 to $1,200 per tooth. Dental insurance typically covers 50% to 80% of the cost after your deductible, since recession treatment is considered medically necessary when it threatens tooth stability. Recovery takes one to two weeks for most people, with soreness at both the graft site and the donor site on the palate. You’ll eat soft foods for the first week and avoid brushing the surgical area until it heals.
The Pinhole Surgical Technique
A newer, minimally invasive alternative skips the scalpel and sutures entirely. In the pinhole technique, a periodontist makes a tiny hole in the gum tissue above the receded area and uses specialized instruments to loosen and reposition the existing tissue downward over the exposed root. Small collagen strips are placed underneath to hold it in place.
Success rates exceed 90%, comparable to traditional grafting, and cosmetic results are nearly immediate. Recovery is significantly faster and less painful because there’s no donor site on the roof of your mouth. The catch: this technique doesn’t work for everyone. If you’ve lost significant bone support behind the receding gum, there isn’t enough structure to anchor the repositioned tissue. You also need to be free of active gum disease and inflammation before the procedure is an option.
Regenerative Treatments
For recession accompanied by bone loss between teeth, regenerative approaches aim to rebuild the supporting structures rather than just covering exposed roots. One well-studied option uses proteins derived from developing tooth enamel that stimulate the body to regrow the attachment between tooth and bone. Applied during a surgical procedure, these proteins improved attachment levels by an average of 1.3 millimeters and reduced pocket depth by 1 millimeter compared to surgery alone in a Cochrane review of clinical trials. No adverse reactions were reported.
Guided tissue regeneration is another approach, where a small membrane is placed between the gum and bone to direct new tissue growth into the right location. Both techniques perform similarly in clinical outcomes. These regenerative options are most useful for specific patterns of bone loss and aren’t appropriate for every case of recession, so your periodontist will assess your bone anatomy before recommending one.
Other Surgical Options
Flap surgery, also called osseous surgery, is used when gum disease has created deep pockets around the teeth. The periodontist folds back the gum tissue, removes bacteria and damaged bone, then repositions the tissue more snugly around the tooth. This runs $1,000 to $3,000 per quadrant of the mouth. Laser-assisted gum surgery, which uses targeted light energy instead of a scalpel to remove diseased tissue and promote healing, costs $1,000 to $5,000 per quadrant.
How to Decide What’s Right for You
The path forward depends largely on how much tissue you’ve lost and whether the underlying bone is healthy. Mild recession with no active gum disease often responds well to better brushing habits and regular professional cleanings. If you’re losing 2 to 3 millimeters of coverage and roots are becoming sensitive or visible, a graft or pinhole procedure can restore both protection and appearance. Advanced cases with bone involvement may need regenerative surgery or flap procedures first, with grafting as a second step.
A periodontist can measure your recession precisely, evaluate your bone levels with X-rays, and map out a treatment sequence. If cost is a concern, addressing gum disease with scaling and root planing first buys you time and prevents further loss while you plan for surgical options. The single most important thing is to stop the progression. Every millimeter of gum tissue you preserve now is one you won’t need to surgically replace later.