Gum disease

[Mytwopenceworth]

if you have gum disease (red and inflamed, slightly receeding, bleeding when brushed/flossed, sore), should you brush your teeth and gums more or less? should you continue to floss even though it makes you bleed? is the mouthwash for ginigvitis (sp) any use?

i have this

the hygienist told me to get an electric toothbrush ( not battery), and to angle the head so the bristles go slightly under the gum, it will bleed but to continue doing it and it will improve, and to do it twice a day

which it has

she said flossing was ok too

it was an oral b electric brush she recommended, iirc it cost about £40

£40? 40? forty pounds?? FORTY???

for a toothbrush?

ta for advice lou lovie, i will certainly do the best i can, but i am going to have to try to get under the gum manually!!!!! i can't justify more than a trip to the pound shop for a pack of 4 toothbrushes right now!!

I am gobsmacked at 40 quid for a toothbrush! - thats more than i spend on my entire weekly household shop for 4 people!!!

40 pounds.

I dont have gd but there us a good mouthwash called dentyl, you mix the 2 colours together to make one colour then ruinse for 30 sec then gargle for 30 then spit and watch the amount of crap tht comes out of them. i used it when i had braces and sore gums because i couldnt floss and it was fab.

Keep flossing or the gd could get worse.

i know, it made the colour drain from my face, but they can be a lot more expensive

the one recommended to me was the oral b professional care 7000 series, you can change the heads, so all of us use it now, which makes forty quid a bit more bearable, but it really has made a huge difference

A basic electric toothbrush will do as good a job if used right. Brush after each meal, the gums will bleed, don't let this put you off or deter you, this needs to happen to get them better,

use floss too, or interdental brushes called tepes, these are great & can be washed & last ages (tesco, boots do them) use an alcohol free mouthwash (tesco, boots, superdrug own just as good as any named brand, alcohol present in most mouthwashes & will just agrevate the situation.)

& yes, you can use the mouthwash for gingivitus, but be aware, if it is corsdyl (think they do alcohol free version) it will staing your teeth & isn't for long term use

should have said, manual toothbrush just as good, if you spend the time. Try to use a fairly small one tho, as it is important that you get to every area & this is easier with a small brush

I use tepes(they come in different sizes) on recommendation of hygienist and find them easier to use than floss or the Oral B interdental floss sticks. You need to brush gently and for longer. Also used to use a mouthwash - Colgate Peroxyl iirc.

dh was recommended a Sonicare toothbrush and they are around £80 plus

I have awful gum problems which have always got worse when i've been pregnant. My hygenist recommends using the little bottle brushes between each tooth with corsdyl gel. I also use a tiny headed brush as well as my normal toothbrush to go round in circles above each tooth. Mind you, I go in fits and starts as to how much time i actually spend on it!