Calling all fellow dentally challenged mumsnetters.

[Tolkienista]

Not sure why I'm writing this but I'm at a low edge with my very strict dental cleaning regime. I'm 66 years old, under a periodontist since 2002, a dentist and four monthly appointments with a hygienist.
I use an electric toothbrush, interdental brushes & dental tape at night.
Do I enjoy it ? No.
I find that each night I'm dragging myself through it, but I know with gum disease, it's an ongoing battle and I have to see it through. There's no half way measures, it is what it is & has to be done properly.

So I guess that I'm looking for fellow dentally challenged mumsnetters who get where I'm at and why I feel that enough is never enough & that there's always more to do.
Please share your thoughts, experiences and anything that can lift me out of this temporary dip that I'm currently feeling.
Thank you.

@MumonabikeE5 I just want to clarify that my hygienist is great, she really goes the extra mile for me.......but there's always something to add to.my already detailed daily dental routine & I leave dispirited that I'm never ever going to reach perfection, even though I try really hard.
I admire your directness with your hygienist, sometimes you have to say what's on your mind.

Just wanted to share something I only found out recently while investigating possible causes for my receding gums. It might be something everyone knows already but if you have a tendency to breathe through your mouth then that is BAD for your oral health. I wish I'd found out sooner but I'm trying to rectify it now, by consciously making sure I breathe through my nose during the day (and hopefully I won't even have to think about this eventually), and I've ordered some mouth tape to wear during the night.

I just found it too much having my mouth open, being unable to speak, being unable to move, and being “scolded”

my dentist- who I know is excellent also used to think the the opportune time to chat about oral cancers was when I was unable to talk. Given that my father died of oesophagus cancer (detected by that same dentist) used to be a bit much.

so I’ve now been clear. Do not speak to me on the chair.
please do the work.
that I appreciate it and respect your skills
but o don’t want to be spoken to when I can’t respond etc

@MumonabikeE5 good points.

I didn't know that but it figures.
I'm guessing that breathing through your mouth dries your mouth out and saliva is good for fighting bacteria and keeping your mouth healthy.

Yes it’s yet another thing but my hygienist recommended this for mouth breathing at night - I was always waking up with a dry mouth and she said it can definitely have an effect on gum health.

I had/have really bad gums which started during my first pregnancy and wasn’t picked up for years because my teeth are actually really healthy. I had some absolutely massive pockets and I could see how stressed my hygienist was every time I visited. Eventually I got referred for specialist periodontist cleaning - the one where they peel back your gums and clean right underneath. It wasn’t pleasant but has made a massive difference to my gum health - they have receded a lot but currently they are healthy with no active disease! And that’s been 18 months now. I was incredibly lucky to get this done on the NHS as I know it costs thousands to have it done privately but it has honestly been life changing. Now I can keep on top of it just by brushing and using interdental brushes.

If any of you haven’t had the proper deep clean (way more than the regular hygienist appointment does) then please do push to get referred for this. Once gum disease is in that deep you are not going to get rid of it without tougher measures.

I agree OP, even worse is DH has much better teeth than me and no gum disease and his just seem to get a cursory brush with a toothbrush twice a day. Is it a thing that mainly afflicts women

@RedRiverShore5
I too wonder if women are more prone to gum disease.
I have an array of tools to look after my teeth, whilst some people just have a toothbrush & a tube of toothpaste.and have far better teeth than me.

My dentist is Italian and he asked me if I was on HRT and if not to consider it.
Apparently menopause is horrendous for gum health and eventually tooth loss
Oestrogen is protective and is in every cell so poor gum health, joint pain, bowel and bladder problems are all an issue in meno

Yes, my DH, we are both in our 60s has just this, I replace the toothbrush when it looks a bit ropey or he would just use the same one forever. I have half my teeth missing so 2 partial dentures, an array of different teepee interdental brushes, I bought a little stand for them all, electric and manual toothbrushes and expensive Corsodyl toothpaste. I see the hygienist every 3 months, he just sees the dentist every 6 months and doesn't even need hygienist visits, the dentist just gives his teeth a bit of a clean at his checkup.

Though apart from my dreadful teeth and gums I am glad to be in good health otherwise.

@RedRiverShore5 Thanks for your further comments.
That is quite a contrast between you and your husband & one which demands research or at least an explanation.....so unfair.
I've lost four teeth, but overall my gum disease is stable. However, as you know once you have gum disease it's a battle for life and like you I have everything you listed too to fight it.

Just bought a bag in H & Barrett yesterday (Dec 21st) and I'm going to go with your method, in fact I've just started it this afternoon and hopefully it will help.
Thank you again for your post.

Hi OP this is me and it gets me down. My teeth are bad, not decayed but worn. I’m 65 and my teeth were… robustly drilled in the 60s in a way that wouldn’t be done today, so they’re fragile. My jaw is badly formed so I’m having Invisalign then massive conservation work that will cost me a large proportion of my savings. It gets me down. I look after my teeth. I’m grateful I can afford it but depressed that I can’t use my savings for anything more interesting.

@HoppityBun thank you for your message & contribution to this thread.
My aim in starting this debate was to reach out to other dentally challenged mumsnetters & share experiences and thoughts.
I'm delighted that so many people have done just that.
I know exactly where you're coming from, especially dental care in the 1960s & it's undeniably tough to see your money draining away on procedures for your teeth.
A problem shared is most definitely a problem halved.
All the very best.

I had a bridge fitted a week ago... and feel awful.
Fixed to a back molar and the front canine... back feels ok, but the crowned canine and 'fake' next to it are too bulky, my bite isn't right so chewing is uncomfortable and while not painful it's not rquite right. I am hoping they can file the bridge teeth down a bit to make it feel more right.
Oh and waiting for two disintegrated fillings to be replaced next month. Going tomorrow to beg for an appointment earlier to look at the bridge.
I HATE TEETH!!!!!

Oh and flossing with superfloss under the bridge as instructed... OW!

What is xylitol and where do you get it from please?

@NoCarbsForMe see my comment just upthread!

Oh dear I have to have 4 fillings, £250 each!!!!! I am sure this is more than it says on the website so not sure if I should find a different dentist to have the work done at. What a nightmare.
Also got to have an old crown replaced £700, they feel this is the priority over the fillings.

Off to buy some xytiol today and start rinsing it which feels strange with a sugar like substance!

@Sunshineandrainbow thanks for your message and I sympathise with your current feelings.
I had to have two crowns replaced last September at a cost of £740 each.
The only crowns on the NHS are metal ones & that wasn't feasible for me

As for xylitol, I'm about a month in now with using it & I haven't got a clue if it's beneficial or not as my next hygienist appointment isn't until April 22nd.
I'll carry on with it for now, if it doesn't work, nothing lost.

How is everyone doing?

I had my crown replaced yesterday, felt quite brutal in parts but I survived and feel fine today. There was decay under it so it was the right thing to do.

I was thinking of going somewhere cheaper for my fillings but I think I will just stick where I am and book one a month to spread the cost.

I wondered if anyone can recommend a better toothpaste and floss.
I currently use Colgate total and I have duraphat paste from dentist but expensive to use everyday. The floss I use is the floss attached to the little sticks so not environmentally friendly and I wondered if there was a better option.

Has anyone found any good dental blogs to follow?

@Sunshineandrainbow I really like this guy on instagram, he is a dentist with great information and tips:

https://www.instagram.com/askthedentist/

You can get eco floss

https://www.superdrug.com/toiletries/dental/interdental-floss-brushes/interdental-floss/wisdom-re-new-clean-dental-floss-40m/p/796111

I also like this one which comes with a dispenser but prefer the floss above to fill it with:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EcoYou-Charcoal-Refillable-Candelilla-Biodegradable/dp/B09GKRQXXQ/ref=sr_1_7?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2_Lveh90NZNTCyHapAkZoiUbJ0xuP5TSl7WYPz3ARObNEU657S0TkqofEZ-Rjo25ThWg-83VcdjbCdQWqdKwQqpYYJ1jA-7scUu1DU2yL-KAovOk7L9MxHvlUnLe_dDLNwyoE0CdwfmR5I8Y1r-Ohzaf1VFjVcknBeD29gUmnl36oE41EmauhuXVmmghoYdCZFE2TSy_lTtwJZDRUeW1NRuH8z7EGuTpDKPL0Bd1uj1i3xShJos3l6z5CqKupqg1SKq4zT_h-nLIOnYIKM_T_SlXxLg4_uE8dNJrhFzvAnHO6z3zt8E3Oof5TI0lTROTODHYwkboL9Om7NtameSeuDgr5xHTInF66_Re5SIG-YhwGdnXQiNA1rCrUpwxBIKyrcisgb9huF6qAOHbbXr1XGs2kLLRKoVF8BWmtwF1N6gvFtzkAXgJ90vWTk3-LLSE.-16ZcHyZNCK12LQYyWkwsT1NcMawsRBz7GqRsI6QltQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=dental%2Bfloss%2Bholder&qid=1743241523&sr=8-7&th=1

Loads of floss has PFAs (forever chemicals) including Oral B Satin tape, don't use it! Was shocked when I found out!

https://www.ehn.org/pfas-floss-2658203711.html

in terms of toothpaste you want something like Zing with hydroxyapatite which repairs enamel:

https://zingtoothpaste.com/products/bundle?tw_source=google&tw_adid=662640904008&tw_campaign=20276128920&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtJ6_BhDWARIsAGanmKfbwo461bykE_-5SFJ-HBPEYxllv1KOKKHQq-u3yf_3ykDR2iZW4KEaAto8EALw_wcB

I believe there are also other ones which have friendly bacteria which are meant to be good but not tried them.

Thanks for all the recommendations on this thread. I’m going to try Xylitol.

I found interdental brushes with wooden handles, cause I hate all the plastic waste with the other ones. I use Dentek which I bought online. I also found some bamboo floss which comes with a metal, refillable dispenser. See photo!

As for my teeth, since I last posted, I had an extraction of a tooth which had previously been root-filled but had failed (it lasted ten or so years so didn’t do too badly). The tooth had a bulbous root and was difficult to extract. Following the extraction, I developed dry socket which took weeks and week to heal. I’ve now been to the implant clinic where they scanned the jaw and said the bone has deteriorated so they will need to do bone grafts to rebuild it before fitting an implant. I am trying to decide whether to have that row straightened before the implant work, so seeing an orthodontist in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I’ve also had another root filling and a fixing up of a broken filling.

Root filling was £700, the filling fix was on NHS so that was very cheap thank goodness. The quote from the implant specialist is £3.5k, to include restoring the jaw bone, and the implants (but costs could rise depending on how well the bone treatment goes). Haven’t got a quote for the straightening yet 😬

I have some money in savings which I could use, but that was ideally supposed to be for house maintenance. We can afford for me to use a bit of it but it’s just depressing spending so much on teeth!

Thankyou @monstaar for the toothpaste and floss recommendations, I haven't heard of that toothpaste, some interesting flavours. I will give it a try

@Waitingfordoggo I feel your pain with the treatment. I have 2 gaps up top from extractions and I will just leave them now, I cope ok with it
I have decided not to dip into my savings but get one filling done a month. The dentist mentioned he could do 2 per visit but then that's obviously double the cost. I like the idea of getting it over with though so I need to think that through. In the meantime time I will ring and book one in today as its pay day, what a treat!

My back teeth are more filling than tooth thanks to an over zealous 1960s dentist who got struck off.
I've had no fillings for 30 years but do have 2 annoying gum pockets which are deep cleaned every 3 months.
I use a water flosser daily and just hope my gums remain stable.
My sisters in law both have no teeth which fills me with horror