To be worried about my teeth . Any dentists here? Trigger pic possible

[NeatCyanSeal]

I have bad teeth anxiety , any other illness/condition I’m fine with it doesn’t bother me. But my teeth however, it’s kept me up all night many of times just worrying. My mum has gum
disease which has lead to all of her teeth falling out so now she wears dentures.

I grind my teeth so they are sometimes very sore, I have a gum shield but it keeps snapping.

my front two teeth are aching now im sure it’s cos of the grinding but I am so worried.

I’ve taken a picture of my gums, I know
you can’t tell from a picture , but do they look inflamed to you like I have gum disease or unhealthy gums ?😩 I have a dentist appointment booked anyways but I don’t know if I can wait that long. It’s a routine one so I can’t even get in earlier.

Do you floss? It looks as though you’ve got a bit of build up on your bottom ones

Looks like you need to see a dental hygienist.

No I don’t floss , that’s what my appointment is for aswell I get it done every 6 months in just worried that my gums are in bad condition 😔

Do you use an electric toothbrush? I ask because it looks to me like your gums are receding and that could be over vigorous brushing with a manual brush.

No I don’t. I grind my teeth though.
the receding worries me too😩😩

See the hygienist.

Learn to floss or use interdental brushes.

Get a mid range oral-b.

Sorted.

You need to floss, it’s a very important part
of your dental hygiene.

Do yiur gums bleed when you brush? If it's any consolatuon mother and I have always been told we are very prone to gum disease. My gums bleed if I don't brush and floss well. I see the hygienist three monthly because tartar builds up quickly - it's genetic.

Mother is 89 and still has all hernown teeth. I am 65 and mine are fine and hopefully will do another 20 to 30 years.

Electric toothbrush, floss, little brushes and a good toothpaste like corsodyl.

My gum does that. It’s receded a bit. Brush more, downwards on that part and use one bottle of corsodyl. Not bad but could be better.

You get your teeth flossed once every 6 months?
You need to be flossing every day.
80% of tooth and gum care is what you are doing at home, not what the dentist/hygienist do a handful of times a year.

@RosesAndHellebores No they don’t bleed, I think mine are genetic too so I’m worried .

I have naturally long teeth anyway so i don’t think it helps. Everytime i have gone to the dentist she’s always cleared me with excellent teeth and gum health. Just a bit inflamed due to grinding and the plaque build up. That’s genetic too. I brush 2 times a day

I get a scale and polish every 6 months. I wanted every 2/3 but my dentist said no need. I’ve got a water flosser but I don’t feel like it does anything

They look great to me ! A water flosser may be a good idea

A water flosser wont be anywhere near as effective as for example teepee brushes, and dental floss is the most effective.
When you say the plaque build up is genetic, I wonder if your parents floss daily?
A good oral hygiene routine at a bare minimum would be brushing your teeth before you eat breakfast, and before you go to sleep.
Floss your teeth daily with either tape floss or teepee brushes. If you smell the floss/teepee brush, you will know if there is plaque in between the teeth.
Brush your tongue once a day.
You might find that the plaque doesnt build up so much.

Your bottom gums are slightly swollen due to the plaque build up. No where near the extent of indicating gum disease though.

You should consider a scale and polish with the hygienist 3 monthly, and you need to start interdenting every day; floss the areas that are too tight for interdent.

Should also mention that it is very difficult to clean teeth as efficiently with a manual toothbrush instead of an electric toothbrush, so I would definitely invest in an electric toothbrush and since your gums are already beginning to recede, make sure you use the electric toothbrush as it is intended, which is not to actually switch it on and then use like a manual toothbrush.

Don’t panic they definitely don’t look like you’ll be losing any teeth anytime soon with them! You do look like you have some calculus build up so definitely need to start flossing or using interdental brushes and an oral B electric toothbrush, but after a scale if you keep up to a good brushing and flossing technique you will be absolutely fine.

They look fine. Agree with PP that you do need to floss however. Fellow grinder here! The only thing that's helped me is botox in my masseter, if that's something that could be within your budget it may be worth thinking about?

What are the best brushes to get please? And do I just use them like I use floss? I’ve been scared to use them incase I make my teeth lose 🤦🏻‍♀️

@InimitablePeggy its horrible isn’t it! I like the idea of Botox I’d just never be able to afford it and I’m terrified of needles so unfortunately I don’t think that would ever be for me