Hello,
I am a 26-year old healthy female with good oral hygiene. I brush my teeth after every meal gently with a soft bristle brush, and I floss every night. Over the past few years I have had gradual gum recession near a couple of my top teeth (incisors, I believe they are called: the ones on the side. Recently, I have noticed recession starting on one of my two front teeth, as well as the one next to it. When flossing, I have noticed that it requires little effort to get the floss between these teeth, leading me to believe that I have lost a lot of gum and/or bone tissue here. The appearance of my smile has not suffered, so I don't think the problem is out of conrtol yet. I see the dentist regularly, and he has never mentioned anything about the recession, excpept for saying a few years ago, that I may need a gum graft when I am in my 30's. Other possibly relevant information: I had braces when I was in my early teens and still wear the plastic retainers every night; and I know that I have had a teeth clenching problem in the past, but I think I have eliminated this problem, at least during the day time hours. It may be possible that I still clench at night when I am sleeping. I am just getting my own dental insurance next month, so I believe I would have to wait a year to see a periodontist with this particular insurance. If you have any suggestions on how to keep my gums as healthy as possible, so that I can avoid more problems, please let me know. Thanks so much.