Don't you hate it when your gums get painful while brushing you teeth? Well, here is how I solved that problem!
When I started to get sensitive gums, I asked my dentist about it. He said that one gets older, the gums tend to recede and thus the nerves between the gums and the teeth get exposed. He recommended using a softer toothbrush and not brushing that hard. The standard answer for people with sensitive gums. It didn't help. So I looked on the www for more insight about receding gums. By accident I found a website of person who had solved his sensitive gums (sorry, I don't have the link anymore). He had an alternative view of how this happens. He said that teeth have a crystalline structure. When one chronically bites or grinds or clenches his teeth (as for example with TMJ), the constant pressure on the teeth is detrimental to the crystalline structure. This causes the volume of the tooth to shrink a little and thus pull away from the gums, exposing the nerves in between. I don't know if this is solid science. Preventing constant pressure on the teeth will keep the crystalline structure intact.
So, I started paying attention to my teeth, actually to my lower jaw, as this is the only movable part involved. And yes, although I was not aware of it, I often was clenching my jaws. It was definitely nervous tension, TMJ or psychological. I started to be really aware of it, and every time I caught myself doing it I made an effort to relax my lower jaw. Habits die slowly, so it took some time. I also noticed that I was doing the same during my sleep. Every time I awoke my jaws were tensed up. So, every time I would wake up I would remind myself of relaxing my jaw and fall asleep again.
Well, in a couple of months time my "sensitive gums" disappeared completely. It has been two years by now, and my gums have never been "sensitive", that is painful, when brushing my teeth.