Little bit worried that all my teeth are going to fall out!

[MsWalterMitty]

I’ve not seen a dentist since 2018!!! Or a hygienist since 2017. Partly due to living rurally and my local dentist having stupid opening hours, including the hygienist only being in on a Friday…. Then obviously Covid hit.

Not making excuses…. Well I am!

So now i need to sort out my dental hygiene!! I’m convinced my teeth are all going to fall out as my gums always bleed when brushing and sometimes when eating!

There’s a private dentist near me which charges £75 for a check up…. I’m just going to have to bite the bullet!

It certainly sounds like you have a degree of gum disease, OP.
Do you smoke - which impairs the circulation to your gums, and increases the risk?
Are you cleaning twice a day with an electric toothbrush, and using an interdental brush or floss as well? Maintaining good dental hygiene and gum health yourself should mean there is very little for your dentist to do at the six monthly check ups.
If you can afford the private fee, it would be well worth having an examination and any required treatment.

It definitely is gum disease. I use an electric brush twice a day and interdentals mostly once a day but often miss days. I’ve used an e brush for 2 yrs and they’ve always bled this time. The interdental brushes make my gums bleed a lot

The £75 fee is checkup. Then there’s additional hygienist which is another £75. I’ll have to for a few times I think, plus X-rays with check up as a new patient will cost £120. Is so expensive!

I joined a private dentist this year due to lack of NHS dentists near me. I pay £12 a month and get 6 monthly check ups and 3 hygienist visits a year. So it might not be as expensive as you think.

The hygienist will get under the gum line which will help a lot. Don't panic OP. I saw the dentist this week, and have had two hygienist appointments booked for me . Many of us have let things go since 2020.

I had the same, I hadnt been the dentist for 6 years and had bleeding when brushing and quite a lot of buildup. Had a Hygienist visit every 3 months for a year and saw a lot if improvement and the bleeding stopped. Havent been again for 18 months now because of covid and this had prompted me to get an appointment booked!!

The hygienist is the only thing that will save your teeth! What happens is that your gums shrink away from the enamel so the teeth get loose in their sockets and the bases exposed and then your teeth get sensitive to hot and cold.
During lockdown I bought a water flosser, the kind you plug in and have half a litre of warm water in the tank. The jet goes under your gum line and is really soothing. I use salt water one week and tcp the next. When I finally saw the hygienist there was very little for her to do, she was really surprised considering what she usually has to scrape out. It’s the bacteria in your gums that destroys them and the water jet really does a number on them.
Also you can chew sugar free gum, xylitol is best, after meals and snacks during the day and really reduce plaque and cavities that way too.

Thank you @PerseverancePays apt name

Obviously if you think there’s a problem you need it seen too - bleeding gums all the time shouldn’t be left unseen. Last month I went to the dentist for the first time in about 12 years. I hadn’t been since I was a teenager. But I’ve never had any teeth issues. My teeth were fine, I’ve never had a filling. Not that I plan on leaving it that long again - I have dreams about my teeth falling out, that’s my subconscious telling me to keep up with my dental appointments I pay privately, it’s about £25 for the check up. I asked about the hygienist and it was around £50 - yours sounds very expensive.

@Rosesareyellow

Obviously if you think there’s a problem you need it seen too - bleeding gums all the time shouldn’t be left unseen. Last month I went to the dentist for the first time in about 12 years. I hadn’t been since I was a teenager. But I’ve never had any teeth issues. My teeth were fine, I’ve never had a filling. Not that I plan on leaving it that long again - I have dreams about my teeth falling out, that’s my subconscious telling me to keep up with my dental appointments I pay privately, it’s about £25 for the check up. I asked about the hygienist and it was around £50 - yours sounds very expensive.

It’s bupa pay as you go

Yeah, I want to go because of the bleeding