Advanced Gum Disease - sore gums and it's causing me much stress

[messyhairmessyhouse]

I've always been prone to problems with my teeth, always brushed well, possibly overbrushing is the problem tbh, recently realised I tend to be overvigorous and tbh my diet could be much better but I do generally look after my teeth but due to traumatic dental visits many years ago (prior to which I was already terrified of the dentist) and a period of moving around led to me not visiting the dentist for about 6 years which of course just made matters worse.

Anyhow, fast forward to now, I have since registered with a new NHS dentist and noticed that he put chronic Perio on my dental form. I'm now on 3 monthly check ups. I've started to have gum discomfort and foul taste. It usually happens for a period of 3-4 weeks then goes away then will come back again after a while but it's come back now with bleeding of the gums which is terrifying me as that's never happened before.

I use the Corsodyl mouthwash, am using the interdental brushes but my gums are sensitive at the mo. Is there anything else I can be doing or using?

I swapped to a sonic toothbrush after I noticed my gums were receding (age related) and that I had a tendency to over brush.
I find it's gentler than over brushing. You can also get a water pik/flosser thing that is gentler than flossing.

Thanks I'll look into those. Really wish I'd eased off the overbrushing earlier. In times of stress or wh n in a real hurry I have a tendency to go back to my old ways so a new way of brushing to prevent this would be good. I was using an own brand battery toothbrush which was ok til my gums went sore.

Gum disease can be stopped in its tracks with the right treatment. Have you been booked in with the hygienist for deep cleaning root planing? If they have diagnosed you with chronic perio then you should be seeing Hygienist regularly. They should also do a full periodontal chart to measure pocket depth (normal depth up to 3 millimetres) anything over this depth is a problem. They should also do full mouth X-rays to measure amount of bone loss and see if there are any other things going on, once they have all this information they can devise the right treatment plan for you. I find taking extra vitamin c also helps.

Sorry posted too soon. With gum disease regular brushing and flossing may not be enough. You may need the deep cleaning as this gets right under the gums and cleans off all the nasty stuff that you can't reach. I would recommend a sonicare brush as this won't overbrush and there is a gentle setting you can use. If your gums are sore and bleeding then your dentist should have discussed all of this with you already I think?

TePe brushes - sonic toothbrush - healthy diet (and avoid sugar) - regular dental visits (including dental hygienist). I also oil pull got a book on this!) and use oramd (not sure if these last 2 actually work - but figure can't harm!) Have been stable for nearly 10 years now!

Hi @evewasinnocent! Just wondering - do you still get regular cleanings from the hygeinest? I absolutely HATE getting hygienist cleaning. But I had my deep clean a year ago and have been really careful about my brushing but still have 20% plaque every time they look (they want me down to 10%). I feel cursed! I swear, I try so hard at home and use everything going.

I don’t take vit c or do oil pulling though...

are you taking any medications? some of them has such side effects.

All the above advice plus with me ( had the same as you put not from overbrushing from an ED) plus the dentist may recommend a course of antibiotics.
This completely worked for me , I have no bleeding and no soreness. My pockets are back to well within normal range and I am back to every six month checks .
It can be improved by loads with the right treatment .

Agree with all of the above.

You need to see the hygienist so they can clean under the gum line otherwise you're just papering over the cracks and your gums will get worse.

I had deep cleaning 18 mths ago and my gums are now fine with normal sized pockets. Daily flossing and interdental brushing as well as 4 mthly hygienist visits keeps on top of it all. Some of my pockets were 8mm so it can be done.

My dentist did a deep clean two weeks ago because my gum was peeling away. I get so much plaque and I look after my teeth very well. The results were great and those gums look the healthiest they have in a long while. I have had it done a couple of times now.

I am 36 and never had a filling but my two bottom gums receded when I was 21 with my second pregnancy. I have never been sent to the hygienist.

Deep clean under anaesthetic...brilliant. I also had some gum surgery for one tooth and all is normal now. Well worth it.