It was never about how hard you brush
You can brush twice a day, floss every night, and switch to the expensive sensitivity toothpaste, and your gums can still keep pulling back. That is not a willpower problem. Your gums are roughly 60% collagen, and after 50 your body makes less of it each year. As that scaffolding thins, the tissue retreats and your teeth start to look longer. You cannot brush back tissue that has lost its support.