Anybody with gum disease or receding gums want to chat - feel like I’m the only person in the world with this awful disease

[Shootingstarsparkle]

Hi, exactly what the title says basically - I have chronic periodontitis and severely receding gums. I’m so scared and my every waking moment I worry about losing my teeth. It’s affecting my whole life. Just wanted someone to chat to about it all really and wondering if anyone else is in the same position

@ElizaDoolittle77 looking online for this - can it be any type of lactobacillus? There seem to be lots of different types and sub variations of it!

I have just bought listerine advanced defence gum treatment mouthwash so am really hoping this will help me a bit.

I’m panicking about having the deep clean tomorrow at my dentist. I’m so scared what it will be like, and to top it all off I have work before my appointment. Don’t know how I will cope 😩

Good luck beck. Maybe take some paracetamol before you leave home to take the edge off. X

@beck1976 did the listerine help at all?

@SkaterGrrrrl let us know how it goes and if it's effective! Be great if you could report back in a few weeks! Good luck!

@beck1976 @SkaterGrrrrl sorry that comment was for @beck1976 !

Thank you x

Yes I find the listerine is good and really seems to help. Thank you I will let you know how it was and if it worked x

I am assuming I have this, have an appointment with the dentist next week.

I used to visit regularly until covid and haven’t been for two years, I’ve since noticed gaps in between my teeth especially my two front ones.
I am absolutely terrified of losing my teeth and have been googling all week to see what I can have done to close up the gaps.

I’m registered under an NHS dentist and was looking into composite bonding, does anyone know if they cover that or would I be able to get it on a dental plan?

@NicknameTaker you can get braces, don't panic!! I was in a similar situation to you. It can be sorted. I would avoid getting anything like veneers as they have to sand the teeth down to put them on, damaging the teeth. Just get braces!

I wouldn’t get veneers as I know they shave the teeth. What I meant was like a filling that covers your teeth, my ds has one on his front tooth as he feel over and chipped it, it kind of rebuilds the tooth.

@NicknameTaker ah I see. yes I think I had that on one small chipped area of one tooth and it worked well! I'm not sure it's suitable for gaps though between teeth? But the dentist can tell you, as I'm not sure. Maybe invisalign or something similar would be a good bet (instead of braces) if you have gaps. If you do go for invisalign get three quotes to compare as they vary a lot. All the best!

I’ve been Googling like a crazy person for the last couple of days after noticing the gap at the front.
bupas website suggests that composite bonding does help to rebuild gaps and is a cheaper, better alternative than veneers and is available on the nhs for non cosmetic reasons only.

Obviously I will have to wait and see what the dentist says and if this is definitely what I have and what the best way forward is.
I am trying to look at some dental plans as I don’t feel as though my dentist will do it, plus it’s good to have for my dc also as he will likely need some work done to his tooth, as well as braces.

@SkaterGrrrrl well I was braver than I thought and had the treatment done on Friday without any problems. My teeth were sensitive for the rest of that day so I had of be careful what I ate and drank. Luckily the sensitivity seems to have subsided now, though I did try using my waterpik a couple of nights ago and it was still too painful, so not back using that again yet. I have to say once the redness had calmed down after the treatment, my gums actually look loads better than what they did before it, so I feel so much happier as it really has improved them and they look more pink than what they did before instead of just red.
My dentist also fitted me a new night guard made of stronger material than the one they gave me a few years ago, so have to go back next week to collect it and make sure it fits well x

@beck1976 I have my first appointment for deep cleaning next month. I was just wondering how long it took and if you had to sit with your mouth open the whole time or did they give you regular breaks? My appointment is an hour long but that seems a very long time to spend on a quarter of my mouth!

Hope you don't mind me reviving this thread but just wanted some advice please!

I'm in the same situation with gum disease, I have some bone loss but never actually told if it's significant or not.

I saw the dentist in January, he was very negative and said if I cant get it under control we will have to start looking at other options, but didn't actually say what options, he told me to book in with the hygienist again. I did but couldn't get booked in until April. Hygienist was lovely and made me feel more at ease.

Fast forward to now and somehow without noticing my front tooth has moved. I'm devasted, googling everything but getting no where. Has anyone had this? Does this mean I'm going to loose a front tooth? I have an appointment with the dentist on Wednesday, he wouldn't see me any sooner and said (via the receptionist) "there's nothing I can do for moving teeth anyway so unless you have pain can't see me any sooner".

I don't know now I'll last until Wednesday. I can't eat, sleep and my head is pounding.

Any advice gratefully received, hoping I'm not the only one 😔

@Ame133 don't panic, I had that and got the gum issues sorted then got some dental braces to put the teeth back in place that had drifted. It can be sorted. You may need to consult an orthodontist about getting braces if you need them. My teeth and gums are now perfectly healthy. I maintain top quality dental hygiene though.

I’m so relieved to have found this thread!

Last summer I went to my regular dental appointment and he said that I had really bad gum disease - it came out of nowhere. He took some x-rays which did show some bone loss.

I was referred to the hygienist and I saw her 3 times in about 3 months. I also use the inter-dental brushes twice a day and an electronic toothbrush.

Whwn I saw the hygienist last time she said that things errr massively improved but there are still some pockets she isn’t happy with - not that I know what that means?!

One of my front lower teeth is notably loose.

I’ve now got another appointment in 3 weeks with another colleague in the practice, I can’t remember what the official name for him is, but he’s next up the pecking order in terms of dealing with gums. Periodontist maybe??

At my last check-up appointment a few months ago my dentist said my teeth were absolutely fine but my gums still need some “intervention.”

I have no idea what to expect at my next appointment with the periodontist (?) but I’m very panicked 😢

Thank you for reviving this. Placemarking.

I'm in the same boat. It's a bit worrying. I'm trying to maintain great oral hygiene but please advise on what I should/shouldn't do. I want to be rid of it! Thanks

I've got it. I have my teeth cleaned every 3 months. I clean between my teeth and also use daily mouthwash
That is all you can do.

There are worse things happening out there. The key is keeping on top.of it.

Get a good toothbrush too.

Corsydil daily is what you should use before you go to bed.

Teeth clean every quarter plus water flosser - couldn't recommend it enough!

@yellowsuncat thank you for this. I just instantly thought, moving teeth equals tooth loss! I can't imagine ever leaving the house if I lost a front tooth!

In early January I had a back molar removed due to a huge crack and I really suffered mentally with that. Also, I feel some level of shame. Mine was triggered in pregnancy but like someone else said i wasn't actually told I had gum disease for years later, I just thought I had overly sensitive gums that bled.

Sorry to hear others going through the same thing 💐

@WantingToEducate I hope your appointment goes well. It's so frustrating when dentists don't actually explain what will happen, if you are anything like me I just google and scare myself even more!

The pockets are the gaps between tooth and gym line, I believe anything over 5 isn't good but correct me if I'm wrong.

I hope the time passes quickly for you.