Dr. Katie To explains how a constricted airway leads to mouth breathing during sleep, creating a dry environment where bacteria overgrow and inflame the gums. Inflamed tissue wears away more easily when you brush, accelerating gum recession and potentially making gum grafts necessary.
Another reason why, if you are a have airway issues, is because of the clenching and grinding. Is your airway an issue? The reason why airway could be an issue for patients with recession is because when you have a constricted airway, and I'm not going to go into detail about this because I'm talking more about the gum grafting aspect of it. But when you have a constricted airway, number one, you tend to sleep with your mouth open because you can't breathe at night. You're snoring. When you breathe, when you sleep with your mouth open, you wake up. Your mouth is dry, your gums are red and inflamed. Dry mouth harbors bacteria more than a, uh, someone who sleeps with their mouth closed. Because it harbors more bacteria, then there's more inflammation. Because there's more inflammation, there's a higher risk that whenever you brush your teeth, you're going to brush your gums away.
