Receding gums don’t grow back on their own, but you can slow the process significantly and, in many cases, restore lost tissue with professional treatment. What you should do depends on how far the recession has progressed. Mild cases often respond well to changes in brushing habits and targeted oral care, while moderate to severe recession typically requires a surgical procedure to cover exposed roots and prevent further damage.
Why Gums Recede in the First Place
Gum recession happens when the tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of the tooth root. The most common driver is chronic gum disease, where bacterial buildup along the gumline triggers inflammation that gradually destroys the supporting tissue. But plenty of people with healthy gums still develop recession from other causes.
Aggressive brushing is one of the biggest culprits. Using a hard-bristled toothbrush or scrubbing side to side with too much pressure physically wears away gum tissue over time, especially on the outer surfaces of your upper teeth. Teeth grinding (bruxism) creates similar damage by placing excessive force on the gums and underlying bone, particularly while you sleep.
Smoking and vaping both accelerate recession. Nicotine narrows blood vessels in the gums, reducing blood flow and suppressing immune function. This combination slows tissue repair and makes your gums more vulnerable to inflammation and breakdown. E-cigarettes share these effects because of the nicotine they deliver, despite being marketed as a safer alternative. Genetics also play a role: some people are simply born with thinner gum tissue that recedes more easily, regardless of how well they care for their teeth.
What You Can Do at Home
You can’t reverse recession with home care alone, but you can stop it from getting worse, which is the single most important thing you can do before considering any procedure.
Switch to a soft-bristled toothbrush and use gentle, circular motions rather than horizontal scrubbing. An electric toothbrush with a pressure sensor is even better because it alerts you when you’re pushing too hard. Brush twice a day and floss daily to keep bacterial plaque from building up along the gumline.
If your exposed roots feel sensitive to hot, cold, or sweet foods, look for a toothpaste labeled for sensitive teeth. The active ingredient in these products is potassium nitrate, which works by calming the nerve inside the tooth. Make sure the formula also contains fluoride, as some sensitivity toothpastes leave it out, and fluoride helps strengthen the exposed root surface against decay.
If you grind your teeth at night, a custom nightguard from your dentist takes the mechanical stress off your gums and bone. Over-the-counter versions exist, but they tend to fit poorly and can sometimes make grinding worse.
How Dentists Classify Recession Severity
When you visit a periodontist (a gum specialist), they’ll measure how far the gum has pulled away from each tooth and assess whether the bone between your teeth is intact. Recession under 3 millimeters is generally considered mild. Anything over 3 millimeters, or cases where the bone between teeth has also been lost, is more serious and harder to treat with predictable results.
The distinction matters because it determines how much root coverage a procedure can realistically achieve. When the bone between teeth is still intact, surgical outcomes tend to be excellent. When that bone is gone, full coverage of the exposed root becomes much less likely, though treatment can still improve things significantly.
Gum Grafting: The Standard Surgical Option
Traditional gum grafting remains the most widely performed and well-studied treatment. A periodontist takes a small piece of tissue, usually from the roof of your mouth, and stitches it over the area where the gum has receded. The graft integrates with your existing tissue and covers the exposed root.
Recovery takes one to two weeks of soft foods and careful oral hygiene, with full healing at six to eight weeks. During the first few days, you’ll stick to foods like yogurt, scrambled eggs, smoothies (no straw, since the suction can dislodge healing tissue), and applesauce. After the first week, you can add mashed potatoes, soft-cooked pasta, and tender fish. By three to four weeks, most people return to a near-normal diet, though you’ll want to keep crunchy foods away from the graft site a bit longer.
During recovery, avoid carbonated drinks (which can irritate the graft and even cause failure), alcohol for at least a week, hot coffee for the first 48 to 72 hours, and smoking for at least a week. Don’t brush the graft area until your periodontist gives you the green light, and skip alcohol-based mouthwashes that can dry out the tissue.
The national average cost for gum graft surgery in the United States is about $2,742, with a typical range of $2,120 to $4,982 based on 2024 data. Dental insurance sometimes covers a portion, often around half, but most plans have an annual maximum that may not cover the full procedure. Medical insurance may also contribute if the surgery is deemed medically necessary, especially for severe periodontal disease.
The Pinhole Surgical Technique
A newer alternative called the Pinhole Surgical Technique skips the tissue graft entirely. Instead of harvesting tissue from the roof of your mouth, the periodontist makes a tiny pinhole-sized opening in the gum and uses specialized instruments to gently loosen and reposition the existing tissue, sliding it down to cover the exposed root. No sutures are needed.
The biggest advantage is recovery time. Most people return to normal activities within a day or two, compared to one to two weeks for traditional grafting. There’s also no donor site on the roof of your mouth to heal, which eliminates one of the most uncomfortable parts of conventional grafting. Both approaches are considered effective at treating recession, but the pinhole technique is newer and performed by fewer specialists, so availability may be limited depending on where you live.
Biological Treatments That Promote Regeneration
True periodontal regeneration, meaning regrowth of the bone, ligament, and root surface that anchor your teeth, is difficult to achieve. The structures involved are complex, and the body doesn’t naturally rebuild them once they’re lost.
One of the most promising tools is a protein-based gel called Emdogain, which a periodontist applies directly to the root surface during surgery. It contains proteins that mimic the signals your body used to build these tissues during development, stimulating cells in the area to produce new root-anchoring fibers, ligament, and bone. Studies have confirmed that the regenerated tissue closely resembles natural structures both in form and function. Your periodontist may use this gel alongside a gum graft to improve outcomes, particularly in cases where bone loss has occurred.
That said, clinical results with regenerative approaches can be inconsistent. The research is promising, but achieving reliable, complete regeneration remains a challenge. These treatments work best as a supplement to surgical procedures rather than a replacement for them.
Choosing the Right Approach
For mild recession (under 3 millimeters) with no symptoms, improving your brushing technique and addressing any contributing habits like grinding or smoking may be enough to keep things stable. Your dentist can monitor the area over time to make sure it isn’t progressing.
For moderate to severe recession, or any case where you’re experiencing sensitivity, visible root exposure, or cosmetic concerns, a professional procedure is the most reliable path. The choice between traditional grafting and the pinhole technique comes down to the specifics of your anatomy, how many teeth are affected, and what your periodontist recommends for your situation.
If you smoke or vape, quitting is one of the most impactful things you can do for your gum health, both before and after any procedure. Nicotine’s effect on blood flow and healing directly undermines the success of surgical treatments and accelerates further recession in untreated areas.