Receding gums won’t grow back on their own, but you have several options to stop the process, protect exposed roots, and in many cases restore lost tissue. What you can do depends on how far the recession has progressed. Mild cases often respond well to changes in brushing habits and professional cleaning, while moderate to severe recession may call for a grafting procedure or other surgical repair.
Why Gums Recede in the First Place
Healthy gum tissue forms a tight seal around each tooth, with the gum margin sitting just above the point where enamel meets the root (called the cementoenamel junction). This seal, known as the dentogingival junction, includes layers of connective tissue and a thin epithelial lining that together measure only about 2 to 3 millimeters deep. When that seal breaks down, the gum edge creeps downward and exposes the root surface underneath.
The most common causes are aggressive brushing, gum disease (periodontitis), teeth grinding, tobacco use, and genetics that leave you with naturally thinner tissue. Misaligned teeth or a heavy bite on certain teeth can also concentrate force in ways that accelerate recession. In many people, more than one of these factors is at work simultaneously, which is why treatment usually involves addressing habits alongside any clinical procedure.
Changes You Can Make at Home
If your recession is mild, adjusting how you care for your teeth can slow or halt further loss. The single biggest home fix is switching to a soft-bristled toothbrush and learning the Modified Bass technique: hold the brush at an angle so the bristles point toward your gum line, make short back-and-forth strokes, then sweep the brush away from the gum toward the biting edge of the tooth. This cleans the area right under the gum margin without scrubbing the tissue away.
If you use an electric toothbrush, let the brush do the work and avoid pressing hard. Many models have pressure sensors that alert you when you’re pushing too forcefully. Beyond brushing, daily flossing or interdental brushes help control the plaque buildup that drives gum disease. If you grind your teeth at night, a custom night guard from your dentist reduces the mechanical stress on both teeth and gums.
Professional Cleaning: Scaling and Root Planing
When gum disease is contributing to recession, a deep cleaning called scaling and root planing is typically the first professional step. Your dentist or hygienist removes plaque and tartar from below the gum line (scaling), then smooths the root surfaces (planing) so the tissue can reattach more easily. This is a nonsurgical treatment and is considered the first line of care for mild to moderate gum disease.
One thing to know: once the infection and swelling resolve after a deep cleaning, gums that were puffy will shrink back to a healthier, tighter form. That can temporarily make recession look slightly worse, because the swollen tissue was masking how much attachment had already been lost. This is normal and a sign of healing, not a complication. The goal is to stop any further breakdown before discussing whether a graft or other restoration makes sense.
Gum Grafting Surgery
For recession that has progressed enough to cause sensitivity, visible root exposure, or risk of tooth loss, grafting is the most established repair option. Two types are most common.
A connective tissue graft takes tissue from a deeper layer under the palate (the roof of your mouth) and transplants it to the recession site. Because the tissue comes from beneath the surface, the donor site heals with its outer layer still intact, which generally means less discomfort. This is the most frequently performed graft type and improves both thickness and coverage of the gum.
A free gingival graft takes tissue that includes the outer surface layer along with the connective tissue underneath, directly from the palate. It is used when the priority is adding bulk and strength to thin, fragile gums rather than purely covering an exposed root.
Both procedures are done under local anesthesia. Full healing takes about six to eight weeks, though the first two weeks are the most restrictive. During that window you’ll eat only soft foods, avoid chewing on the graft side, and skip carbonated drinks, alcohol, straws, and hot coffee for the first 48 to 72 hours. Brushing near the graft site is off-limits until your periodontist clears you. Sleeping with your head slightly elevated helps control swelling, and if you smoke, stopping for at least the first week significantly reduces the chance of graft failure.
After about two weeks, you can gradually reintroduce more solid foods on the opposite side. By three to four weeks most people return to a near-normal diet, though crunchy or hard foods directly on the grafted area should wait until full healing is confirmed.
The Pinhole Surgical Technique
A newer, minimally invasive alternative skips the tissue graft entirely. In the Pinhole Surgical Technique, a dentist makes a tiny needle-sized hole in the gum tissue near the recession, then uses specialized instruments through that hole to loosen and stretch the existing tissue downward over the exposed root. Small collagen strips are placed under the repositioned gum to hold it in place and support healing.
Because there are no incisions and no tissue taken from the palate, recovery is faster and post-procedure soreness is generally milder than traditional grafting. Not everyone is a candidate, though. Your dentist will evaluate the underlying bone structure with X-rays. If too much bone has already been lost beneath the receded area, there may not be enough support for the repositioned tissue to stay in place, and a conventional graft may be a better choice.
Can Gums Actually Regenerate?
True regeneration, meaning the body rebuilds the full original attachment including bone, ligament, and root-covering cementum, remains difficult to achieve in a predictable way. Some surgical procedures use protein-based materials derived from developing tooth enamel to encourage the body to rebuild attachment structures. These proteins (amelogenins) play a role in forming tooth attachments during normal development, and applying them during surgery can stimulate some regrowth of the supporting tissues.
The clinical consensus, however, is that these regenerative procedures are highly technique-sensitive, and results vary depending on patient factors, the shape of the bone defect, and the skill of the operator. What most patients experience after grafting or regenerative surgery is better described as reconstruction: clinically meaningful gains in gum coverage and reduced pocket depth, even if the tissue architecture isn’t an exact replica of what was there originally. For practical purposes, that reconstruction protects the root, reduces sensitivity, and prevents further loss, which is what matters most.
Choosing the Right Approach
The right option depends on how much tissue you’ve lost, whether active gum disease is present, and the condition of the bone underneath. A general sequence looks like this:
- Early recession with no gum disease: Correct brushing technique, switch to a soft brush, and use a night guard if you grind. Monitor at regular dental visits.
- Recession with gum disease: Scaling and root planing first to eliminate infection, followed by reassessment. Some patients stabilize here.
- Moderate to severe recession: Gum grafting (connective tissue or free gingival) or the Pinhole Technique, chosen based on tissue thickness, bone support, and how many teeth are affected.
- Recession with bone loss: Regenerative procedures using protein matrices or bone grafting materials, often combined with a connective tissue graft.
Controlling inflammation and infection is always a prerequisite before any reconstructive or regenerative procedure. Grafting over actively diseased tissue leads to poor outcomes, which is why your dentist will insist on getting gum disease under control first. The earlier you address recession, the simpler and more predictable the treatment tends to be.