If you’re struggling with receding gums and nothing you’ve tried seems to work, this is for you.
Your dentist says, “Some people are just prone to it.” Or “It’s genetic.” Or “You’re getting older—this is normal.”
But “normal” doesn’t make it okay. And “genetic” doesn’t tell you how to stop it from getting worse.
Your gums won’t grow back. But you can absolutely stop them from receding further.
In this newsletter, I’m going to show you the hidden causes your dentist probably isn’t addressing—the ones that explain why good hygiene isn’t enough.
And more importantly, I’ll give you the exact protocol I’ve used with patients for 40+ years to stop recession in its tracks.First, let me tell you about a former patient of mine—let’s call her Sarah. She came to my office years ago, frustrated and confused. She’d been to three dentists. All of them told her the same thing: “You’re brushing too hard. Use a softer brush.” She switched to the softest brush she could find. She was so gentle, she felt like she wasn’t even cleaning her teeth anymore. And her gums kept receding.
That’s because brushing technique is only *one* piece of the puzzle.
And for Sarah, it wasn’t even the main piece.
After we ran through her health history, here’s what we found:
– She was a chronic mouth breather (woke up with a dry mouth every morning)
– She was grinding her teeth at night (her partner could hear it)
– She had untreated inflammation—her gums bled when she flossed
– And she was deficient in magnesium and vitamin D, which meant her body didn’t have the raw materials it needed to maintain bone and gum health
Once we addressed those issues—her recession stopped. Her sensitivity went down. And six months later, her gums looked healthier than they had in years.
Almost 50% of people under age 40 have at least some gum recession. By age 65, that number jumps to 80%. So if you’re thinking, “Is this just me?”—no. It’s not just you.
Gum recession doesn’t stop on its own. It’s progressive. And the sooner you address the *why* behind it, the better your chances of keeping your teeth for life.
First, Let’s Talk About the Internet Scams…
You’ve probably seen them—products promising to “regrow your gums naturally” with some miracle powder, oil pulling routine, or supplement. Let me save you the money: There is no toothpaste, oil, herb, or supplement that will make gum tissue grow back.
The only way to replace lost gum tissue is through a gum graft, where a periodontist takes tissue from another part of your mouth (or uses donor tissue) and surgically places it over the exposed roots.
So if someone is selling you a product claiming to “regrow your gums,” they’re lying. And I want you to know that so you don’t waste your time, money, or—worse—delay getting real help.
Why Your Gums Are Receding (And What You Can Actually Do About It)
Here’s something that might surprise you—and it explains why some people see recession even AFTER they improve their oral hygiene: When inflammation heals, you often see recession.
I know that sounds backward. But here’s what happens: When you have chronic inflammation in your gums, they swell. They bleed. The tissue gets engorged with fluid.
And when you finally get that inflammation under control—through better hygiene, professional cleanings, or treating underlying issues—healing occurs.
As the swelling goes down and the tissue remodels, the gum line can shift downward, exposing more of the root.
The gum margin—the edge that normally hugs the tooth just above where the enamel meets the root—has actually worn away or died back.
This is why prevention is everything. Once you’ve had severe inflammation, there’s no going back. Even successful treatment can result in some recession as the tissue heals.
It’s also why certain life stages are high-risk:
Braces make it incredibly difficult to keep teeth clean, and combined with a typical teenager diet, chronic inflammation can set lifelong recession patterns.
Crowded teeth have thinner bone and gum tissue covering them to begin with—less buffer, more vulnerability.
And dental trauma like a cracked tooth, root canal infection, or abscess can trigger localized inflammation and bone loss that leads to recession around that specific tooth.
So if you’re doing “everything right” and your gums are still receding, it’s time to ask:
What’s happening inside my body that’s making this worse? Because gum recession isn’t just a local problem. It’s a systemic and metabolic one.
The Grinding Connection Some Dentists Miss
Here’s where it gets interesting—and this is something I’ve spent years studying and treating in practice. If you grind or clench your teeth at night, you’re putting enormous force on your teeth and gums.
We’re talking hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch, over and over, for hours while you sleep.
That force doesn’t just wear down your teeth. It traumatizes the gum tissue and the bone underneath.
Over time, that trauma causes the gums to recede and the bone to resorb. But here’s what most people don’t know: Bruxism (teeth grinding) is often a sign of sleep-disordered breathing.
When your airway becomes restricted during sleep—even partially—your body tries to open it back up. One way it does that? By clenching your jaw and thrusting it forward. It’s a survival mechanism.
So if you grind your teeth at night, the question isn’t just “how do I protect my teeth?” The question is: “Why is my airway compromised?” This is where the connection between your mouth and your whole body becomes critical.
Because if you have:
– Mouth breathing
– Snoring
– Teeth grinding
– Waking up with a dry mouth
– Daytime fatigue
…then your gum recession might not be “genetic” at all. It might be about your airway. And if you don’t address the airway, you’re just putting a Band-Aid on a structural problem.
This is exactly why I built the Functional Dentist Directory—to help people find dentists who look at the mouth as part of the whole body. Dentists who understand the oral-systemic connection.
And if you suspect your recession is related to mouth breathing or airway issues, check AADSM.org to find an airway-focused dentist. A consultation can be the missing piece.
My Exact Protocol to Stop Recession in Its Tracks
Here’s what I’ve used with patients for 40+ years—and what I do myself to manage my own gum recession:
Use the right tools—and replace them regularly. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles. Replace the head every 4-6 weeks. Take a look at your toothbrush bristles right now: Are they splayed out? Bent? Frayed at the ends? If yes, throw it away.
Support your oral microbiome—don’t nuke it. Your mouth is home to hundreds of bacterial species. Some are harmful. Some are beneficial. And when the beneficial ones are wiped out, the harmful ones take over. That’s why I never use mouthwash—not even the “natural” kinds. Mouthwash kills bacteria indiscriminately, and in doing so, it destroys the bacteria that produce nitric oxide, which is essential for blood flow to your gums.
Instead, I use:
– A tongue scraper every morning to remove the bacterial biofilm (without killing the good bacteria)
– An oral probiotic with Streptococcus salivarius strains to keep my oral microbiome balanced (this one)
– This prebiotic toothpaste with nano-hydroxyapatite that feeds my good bacteria while strengthening enamel (this is the one I created—use code ATD15 to try it)
Address mouth breathing before anything else. If you wake up with a dry mouth, if you snore, if your mouth hangs open while you sleep—this is a red flag. Mouth breathing dries out your gums, reduces saliva flow, and creates an environment where harmful bacteria thrive. It’s also a sign that your airway might be compromised, which has implications far beyond your gums (sleep apnea, cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease—the list goes on). I use mouth tape every single night. It sounds strange, but it’s one of the simplest, most effective things I do for my oral and overall health.
Support your gums from the inside out. Your gums are made of cells. And those cells need nutrients to repair damage, fight infection, and maintain integrity. I take magnesium (this one) daily—not just for sleep, but because it’s essential for bone health, saliva production, and inflammation control. Most people are deficient and don’t even know it. I also take vitamin K2 + D3 together. This combination makes sure calcium goes where it’s supposed to (into your bones and teeth) instead of into soft tissues like your arteries. And I take this C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid)—an odd-chain saturated fatty acid that most of us have been missing from our diets for decades. It strengthens cell membranes (including the membranes of gum cells) and has been shown to lower inflammatory markers linked to gum disease and bone loss. If you’re on statins, you should also be taking CoQ10—statins deplete it, and low CoQ10 has been linked to gum problems.
Boost your nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide is essential for blood flow to your gums—and it’s produced by beneficial bacteria in your mouth that convert dietary nitrates into this critical molecule. When you use antiseptic mouthwash, you kill these bacteria and tank your nitric oxide production. The result is reduced blood flow, impaired healing, and more inflammation. I eat nitrate-rich foods daily (arugula, beets, spinach) and use a nitric oxide lozenge like this one, especially when I’m under stress. This is yet another reason the oral microbiome matters—those bacteria aren’t just protecting your gums, they’re protecting your cardiovascular system too.
Consider red light therapy. I use a small handheld red light device on my gums a few times a week. Red and near-infrared light stimulates tissue repair and reduces inflammation. It’s one of the most underutilized tools in oral health.
And if you’re dealing with severe recession, don’t rule out a gum graft—but understand what you’re getting into.
The most common and successful approach is the connective tissue graft, where a periodontist takes tissue from the roof of your mouth and sutures it over the exposed root. Here’s what you need to know:
– It’s expensive (often $1,000-$3,000 per tooth, and insurance may not cover it)
– It doesn’t always work—success depends heavily on the skill of the periodontist and your body’s healing response
– Even when successful, it doesn’t address the underlying cause—if you don’t fix what caused the recession in the first place, it’ll just continue in other areas. This is exactly why prevention matters so much.
What Your Dentist Should Be Telling You
Most dentists are trained to treat gum recession as a hygiene problem. Brush softer. Floss more. Maybe we’ll do a graft if it gets bad enough.
But that approach misses the bigger picture. Gum recession is almost always a sign that something else is going on—inflammation, mouth breathing, nutritional deficiencies, grinding, or a combination of all of the above.
The fact that you’re reading this means you’re paying attention. You’re not ignoring the problem.
And that puts you ahead of most people.
Gum recession is common. It’s progressive. But it’s also stoppable. I’ve been managing my own gum recession for years now. And I’ve helped thousands of patients stop theirs in its tracks. Not by doing one magic thing, but by addressing the real causes—the ones most dentists never talk about.
Start with one thing. Small changes add up. And over time, those changes can make the difference between keeping your teeth for life or losing them in your 60s or 70s.
I’m rooting for you.
– Mark
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