I'm a little concerned.........

Message

Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:15 am

Hey Lavender -

My orthodontist was more in the "they don't grow back" camp, but my dentist told me it's possible. Based on my own experience of seeing one of my black triangles shrink significantly, I'm going with my dentist's idea that it's possible. (Even people in the same field can have differing opinions, depending on treatment experiences, research, etc., so I don't think it's a question of either being right or wrong....as more data is collected and studied, "facts" tend to change.)

(Also, I didn't mean to imply you don't take good care of your teeth, just offering encouragement to keep doing so....sorry you're having a difficult time.) Again, hasta.

#17 Post by **Lavender** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:22 am

Soworththeeffort wrote:Hey Lavender -

My orthodontist was more in the "they don't grow back" camp, but my dentist told me it's possible. Based on my own experience of seeing one of my black triangles shrink significantly, I'm going with my dentist's idea that it's possible. (Also, I didn't mean to imply you don't take good care of your teeth, just offering encouragement to keep doing so.) Again, hasta.

It would be nice if it's possible for gums to grow back. I have no idea if they will or not. I know that you weren't implying anything. I was just making the point because I don't believe that this is being caused by anything that I'm doing.

Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:31 am

I don't think it's anything you're doing either, Lavender. We're basically in the same boat. At my last check-up, my dentist asked if I'd been using a Waterpik. I told him I hadn't, and asked him if I should be. He said, "No, your gums look great - I can't believe you're not using a Waterpik." My dentist also assured me that my gum recession is a result of my braces, and has nothing to do with periodontal disease (that's why I kinda think we're in the same boat).

I just wanted you to know there may be some hope that your gums (as Stephen Colbert might say, "The Fightin' Gingivae!") may repair themselves. Take care.

#19 Post by **kirjax** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:58 pm

I was under the impression as well that once the gums recede that is it! But perhaps not which makes me happy!!

I was told I have very healthy gums so my recession is the result of braces as well if you ask me. But also my teeth were really bad on the bottom so perhaps I always had a bit of recession just didn't take too much note to it.

Most people who I know that had "black triangles" had it taken care of (or atleast as best as they could) with IPR...so far that's not been an option they've considered bc of the alignment of the teeth. I trust them they're the paid professionals but it irks me that I won't have the results like I wanted. But hey it's better then then what they looked like before braces.

#20 Post by **Lavender** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 1:54 pm

I'm really wondering though if the adjustments every 2 wks. has anything to do with this........

#21 Post by **theKurp** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:40 am

It is my understanding that gums do not "grow back". However, gums may appear to recede or regrow depending on the direction of tooth movement.

In other words, if the tooth is moved forward then the gum line will appear to recede. If the tooth is moved backward then the gum line will appear lower.

#22 Post by **Wobblydeb** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:28 am

As far as I understand, there are two types of gum recession. The first is on the face of the tooth, and isn't caused by periodontal disease. The tissue is healthy but starts to recede due to some other factor - often over-enthusiastic brushing. I don't know if orthodontic work can also contribute to it. The second is between the teeth and I think is predominantly caused by gum disease. Which do you have?

I think gum recession can happen very easily when undertaking orthodontic work - either moving the teeth causes it, or perhaps it is a result of brushing over-enthusiastically while trying to keep the brackets clean. I don't know if there are any studies to prove this though?

I suffered recession around the time I had fixed braces. Not sure whether it happened whilst I had braces, or a short time afterwards when whitening toothpastes started to come into fashion! I was also brushing my newly straight teeth FAR too enthusiastically!

Invisalign has movement every two weeks, and hasn't been noted to cause recession. However the pressure is lower then with traditional braces. After your adjustments, are your teeth as sore as when you were getting 6 weekly adjustments?