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

Hi, I'm the OP who started this post. I'm sorry to hear of your health problem. I don't share the same health problems so unfortunately I can't help you there but just wanted to say that I feel your pain and empathise with your dental agony - I am still battling this awful disease

Thanks @serendipity70 it's awful isn't it☹️
I will speak to my doctors again and ask if they can refer me to the dental hospital as soon as my platelets are back up. The anxiety is not helping my recovery!

I have already lostc2 teeth, and my dentist is fretting about most of the rest.
I too, hate this disease. My teeth (at leat the remaining ones!) Look uneven and ugly.
I don't smile now without covering my mouth

A dental referral seems a good place to start - hopefully they can help. Gosh the anxiety is the worst isnt it. Here if you ever want to chat

@CyranoDeBergerQuack - I'm the same as I am very conscious of my smile now and I used to have such pretty teeth. Gum disease is the worst thing ever

I've just come across your post.
I have a hygienist in a private periodontist practice.
Had a four monthly session today.......very thorough, hi tech equipment too.
Prices have just gone up.
£130 for the appointment, ouch.

I’m only 42 and I have just been discharged by my Periodontist after 8 months of drawn out treatment for my gum disease.

My last appointment took two hours and I had to have 10 local anaesthetic injections. It was awful.

Sadly my gum disease is caused by medication I take, and one I will be on for life so there’s not much can be done really except for trying to prevent the gum disease getting worse.

I haven’t lost any teeth but there is one at the front (middle lower jar) that has been very loose in the past but it’s massively improved since the treatment I’ve had.

The dentist I was seeing is now happy for me to go back to standard dental care but he says I must have a hygienist appointment every 3 months to keep things in check.

I use interdental brushes 2-3 times a day but I still get inflamed gums and they still bleed a lot.

People don’t realise how demoralising it is living with this condition.

Thank you for your reply and well done for getting the treatment - you are much braver than me! Good news that you are now just on 3 monthly standard care

Believe me, I wasn’t brave, I was absolutely terrified.

When I went in to have my two hour appointment with all the injections I was crying in the waiting room because I felt so scared. When he was halfway through I made him stop as I felt like I was having some kind of panic attack and I nearly got up and left

The appointment after that I cancelled twice before I actually went to it ad I was so nervous about what he was going to say or to do to me.

I survived it all but I definitely wasn’t brave about it.

When I was in the waiting room yesterday, waiting to called in, it was just me and another woman there who I would say was mid-60’s and she had tears in her eyes. She was due to the see the same guy I was there to see for her first assessment of her gun disease and she was absolutely terrified.

I think most people are nervous about seeing a dentist for any reason but throw in gum disease and it feels so scary doesn’t it?

It is frightening. You went through with the treatment. That makes you brave in my book. I’ve been very fortunate. Cleaning off years of tartar which took four sessions, regular use of teepees and changing to an electric toothbrush seems to have sorted my mouth out. One of my bottom front teeth was loose but that’s now been bonded to the one next to it and problem solved for the time being.

I just wanted to update here in case anyone is still following.

So I had the initial assessment done last Autumn time and my actual treatment in January this year: the deep scaling of my entire mouth requiring 10 local anaesthetics. I won’t lie, it was a bit nerve-wracking at times and painful in some areas but I go through it. It took over an hour in total and my mouth was so numb that I couldn’t speak to the receptionists after to book my next appointment 🤣

As the anaesthetic started to wear off over the next few hours my mouth and teeth obviously felt sore but after 2 days of keeping on top of my pain relief it all settled down.

I then had to go back and see the periodontist 8 weeks later so he could assess the progress, of which there was a lot! He was really happy with the outcome and said there was a huge improvement in the pockets and by how reduced the majority of the pockets were. He discharged me and told me to see the hygienist 1 month later for another review.

So I did that about a month ago and after her assessment the outcome is that there has been an 80% improvement in my gum Heath and pockets. I had to go back to see her a week later to have one of the pockets re-visited (that was still deep abd bleeding) and I’m going back in two weeks to have another pocket revisiting, but that one is only minor.

Once that one has been done I will then only have to go for 3 monthly reviews with the hygienist and hopefully things will remain stable.

It’s been a stressful and worrying time but I’m just glad all the treatment is behind me (for now anyway) and that it appears to have been worth the money and the pain.

Do you mind me asking what medication you are taking?

@biedrona,

I take two medications for epilepsy and one of the drugs has documented side effect of gum health being affected, and I also take anti-anxiety medication (propanolol) which causes a dry mouth which also contributes to gum disease.

This is an old thread, but just wondered if anyone is still reading it and could give me a handhold and advice.

I was referred to a periodontist by my national health dentist as I was concerned and questioned why my apparent 'good oral hygiene' wasn't improving my bleeding gums. I have spent the last 10 years going every six months to the dentist and hygienist, seeing the hygienist every three months for the last year or so.

I saw the periodontist on Monday and have received the devastating news that I have stage 4 gum disease and bone loss which is irreversible. Apparently, after X-rays, it has shown some detritus hiding in the gaps where I have bone loss, so I am now booked in for a deep clean in November. The periodontist tells me that neither i, nor the hygienist, can clean the detritous from this area, so I'm left feeling like what was the point of good oral hygiene if I can't get to the area where detritus is lurking, and has probably lurked there for many years. If I had not pressed my dentist to get this investigated, I would still be booking in for my next six monthly check up as per usual....

Obviously I am to blame for poor oral hygiene etc, but I'm feeling low, upset and devastated that this was not investigated years ago when something could have been done, rather than now hoping I can keep it stable, otherwise I am going to lose my teeth. I am a National Health patient - does this mean my treatment is inferior to private clients and am not worth looking after, even though all the extra work is private anyway? My teeth are actually very nice - I've had braces and whitening over the years and have religiously visited the dentist at least yearly since a young child. I am now 65.

Jorden Petersen reversed his entirely (having been told it was incurable) with the carnivore diet.

Hi, i think that menopause will have an adverse effect on gums too. I've found my gums are more susceptible to gingivitis these days since being in perimenopause 5 years ago.

My teeth are great and I.never had any oral health issues over the years, but i now religiously floss, use interdental brushes and mouthwash daily as it becomes really painful at certain points in my cycle if not.

Sorry to digress and not answer your questions, I just wanted to offer solidarity.

Gosh so sorry to read this. I could be in the same position. I have a private dentist I have teeth cleaned twice a year but my gums still bleed .My teeth are perfect. Are your teeth mobile at all ? Surely if not and you don’t have any infections they aren’t likely to just fall out. It is possible the damage was done pre ten years ago so you have kept on top of any further damage if you see what I mean ? Your post made me go and clean my teeth and prod them!

It can be hereditary gum disease.

Thank you all for responding to my post - I do feel a little more positive.

I got a negative response from another thread which was basically telling me I had poor oral hygiene and the only hope (as the bone doesn't grow back) was to try and maintain my gums and that I would definitely lose a wisdom tooth. While all this is true, it just made me feel upset and awful at a time when I am feeling devastated enough about this situation.

I do understand that dentists are irritated by patients that turn up every six months expecting miracles. However, my dentist has always suggested that my oral hygiene was good and that I was doing a good job of keeping my teeth clean.

I asked for a referral to a specialist in gum disease simply because my gums weren't getting better. The specialist took X-rays, along with looking closely at my gums and prodding each and rating them (still don't understand the numbers) and it is the specialist who wants to do a deep clean and has graded my gum disease as stage 4 and therefore it is obviously a lot more serious than I have been led to believe.

@BirdShedRevisited I had never heard of this person, but have now read several articles about it. I don't know what to believe to be honest. I don't think I could do a meat only diet for a start because I'd worry that I would miss out on other nutrients which might cause other medical issues. I'll keep an open mind though and might have to revisit this at some point.

@NooNooHead1981 Thanks for the solidarity!! Yes, I can quite believe that my teeth/gums have got worse since the menopause. Maybe that's something I should have been more aware of. Best of luck with your oral hygiene - it sounds like you are doing a great job!

@kerstina Thank you for your support! I have one remaining wisdom tooth (all the others were removed years ago), which is mobile and I will lose this tooth, either by planned removal or it will drop out eventually. I am not aware that any other teeth are mobile, but of course it is worrying me that this could be a possibility in the future if I cannot maintain the gum disease at a manageable level. Some bacteria has been found in the gaps between the gums where the bone has reduced and I can't get that out, and neither can the hygienist. Only a deep clean can do it, but then I'm wondering how to prevent more bacteria from getting in again.

@girlfriend44 Thank you. It definitely could be hereditary. My dad (passed away 30 years ago) had dentures top and bottom, but I don't know whether it was due to gum disease or just how things were back in the day. My mum had all her own teeth and passed away in 2023 aged 94.

The key to keeping it under control is visit the hygienist. Ask them to show you how to angle the brush and clean well. Brush for two mins.

Floss between your teeth at night.
It's all you can do really.
My hygienist is very busy, there's lots of people on the books.

@Nerdippy
i don’t know what stage my gum disease was at but it had also gone untreated for years because the dentist only really looked at the fact my teeth were good. I had bright red gums, huge pockets and lots of bleeding. I went regularly to the hygienist too and they were getting more frustrated by the fact it only seems to be getting worse. I was referred (also NHS) for a deep clean which was unpleasant but a total game changer. 2.5 years on I have no gum disease still. Yes the bone loss and receding gums are irreversible but my gums are much healthier and the situation is now static rather than worsening. That deep clean can make a huge difference.

What does the deep clean involve please and how long are the appointments?

@kerstina they numb your gums and then push them right down so they can clean underneath the gum line.

I had 2 appointments to get it all done in, I think in total it took about 3 hours.

I've got two appointments booked for 1 hour each one. I think they will assess whether the two appointments are enough or whether there needs to be a third appointment.