Gingival Recession

Gingival recession is the apical displacement of the gingival margin from the cementoenamel junction, exposing root cementum to the oral environment. It results from periodontal disease, traumatic brushing technique, thin gingival biotype, orthodontic tooth movement beyond bone boundaries, or abnormal frenum attachments exerting continuous tension on the marginal gingiva.

Why Receding Gums Demand Early Intervention

Gingival recession is a progressive condition that rarely stabilises without treatment. As the gum margin retreats, it exposes root cementum, a tissue far more vulnerable to acid attack and bacterial invasion than enamel. Root sensitivity to cold and touch becomes the first noticeable symptom, but the structural consequences are more serious: bone loss accompanies soft-tissue loss in the majority of cases, and once bone support is gone, adjacent teeth become unstable. Early intervention halts progression and, in many cases, restores the original gum level through soft-tissue grafting.

Vellum Select's Istanbul periodontal surgeons use connective tissue grafts and advanced minimally invasive techniques to rebuild receded gum margins, with the procedure completed in a single surgical day and full costs running 60 to 70 per cent below comparable UK private periodontal rates.

Treatment Options for Gingival Recession

View All Procedures

Periodontal Surgery in Turkey

Periodontal surgery treats advanced gum disease (periodontitis) and gingival recession by accessing the root surfaces below the gumline for thorough debridement, correcting bony defects, and grafting tissue where the gum has receded. When non-surgical deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) fails to arrest disease progression, periodontal surgery is the evidence-based intervention that saves teeth that would otherwise be lost to bone destruction.

arrow_forward

Symptoms of Gingival Recession

The earliest symptom of recession is dentine hypersensitivity, a sharp, short-lived pain triggered by cold drinks, cold air, or toothbrush contact at the gum line. As recession advances, the exposed root surface becomes visibly yellow or darker than the enamel crown above it, and teeth appear longer than they once did. Patients may notice food packing in newly opened spaces between teeth, and in advanced cases, tooth mobility signals that the underlying bone support has also been compromised.

Diagnostic Pathways

A periodontal probe measures the recession depth at multiple points around each affected tooth and records probing pocket depths to assess bone status. Full-mouth periapical radiographs reveal the extent of alveolar bone loss accompanying the soft-tissue recession. The gingival biotype is assessed visually and with a probe to determine whether the tissue is thin and high-risk or thick and more resilient. Causative factors, including brushing technique, occlusal trauma, and orthodontic positioning, are identified as part of treatment planning to prevent recurrence after grafting.

Advanced Treatment Options at Vellum Select

Vellum Select's Istanbul periodontal team addresses recession through surgical tissue augmentation, correcting both the aesthetic defect and the underlying vulnerability to further bone and root loss.

Periodontal Surgery

Connective tissue grafting using tissue harvested from the palate, or the tunnel technique using a processed collagen matrix, repositions the gum margin coronally to cover the exposed root. Multiple adjacent recession sites can be treated in a single surgical session. Learn more about Periodontal Surgery in Turkey.