Periodontal treatment......will I ever feel I've done enough??

[Tolkienista]

I posted on here a year ago after a visit to my private hygienist...... thorough/yes. professional/very expensive/well it is private with very up to date equipment.
However much I do at home and believe me I work really hard, to the letter, it never seems enough. I've been treated at this specialist practice for over 21 years and they've literally transformed my mouth.
But I left this afternoon after a hygienist appt, feeling thoroughly down.....I've got to move up a size in most places with my TePe brushes and I just don't know if I've got the get up and go. I've been here countless times in feeling I'm never going to win, but I'd love to hear from others with periodontal issues if I'm the only one feeling this battle is unwinnable.

Yes it’s an uphill struggle! What’s your regime? Diet and supplements? I think that if you’re predisposed to perio issues then you have to work so much harder than people who don’t.

Diet has never been mentioned, supplements no to that one too.
My regime is all about cleaning.....flossing, tepe brushes and of course electric brush at night.

I'm normally very upbeat and accepting of my condition, but just felt knocked back yesterday when I had to have a deeper clean in two areas of my mouth.

What about you......if you mentioned diet and supplements, what does that mean for you on a daily basis?

Diet wise - I try to limit sugar and processed foods and drink more water. Supplements- I take Q10, bromelain and a multivitamin. Cleaning wise, all that you mention plus water flossing and also inter space brush to really focus on the gum line. I try to only eat three meals and no snacks, water flossing and then brushing teeth after eating so my teeth are mainly always clean. I’ve also done a lot of oil pulling with coconut oil and also salt rinses in the morning.

Ooh and xylitol mints - I eat them after each meal/ drink. Good evidence they improve gum and tooth health and reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth

Wow.......that is really impressive, I've honestly never been given any of that advice, but I practise good nutrition and my drink of choice through the day is water, apart from a few cups of tea.

My hygienist is particularly picky in my appointments and I do take heed of her advice, because it's not overly time-consuming to add to my present regime.

My last appointment with my periodontist in January this year elicited this statement to my dentist in his letter:

"I am pleased to report an excellent response to treatment and almost all sites are within normal physiological limits"

Thankyou for your reply, really appreciate you taking the time to share your day to day routine.

Great.......I go live mints after a meal to give me a minty mout

Sorry about that post........my phone went quirky and before I could correct what I'd written, it had posted the comment!!!

Yes I do love a minty taste in my mouth after a meal, so I'm going to add them to my list of purchases.

I also take ubiquinol (more readily absorbed CoQ10) and high dose vitamin D and C. Lots of antioxidants. There is a Healthy Mouth Blend oil that really helps.

Thanks for your post, glad you've shared something that works for you.

I know how you feel! You don't say your age but I've sort of accepted I'm of the age (42) where keeping things relatively steady is the best I can hope for. My hygienist is quite kind though and thinks a lot of my issues are genetic as she can see I try really hard with my brushing and the bloody tepes!

Hi,

I am an oral health dental nurse. Diet does not impact periodontal disease. Diet affects the teeth, high sugar can lead to caries, high acidity can lead to erosion.

Your tepe sizes have most likely changed due to where your gums have now shrunk back to the bone, leaving a wider space. Tepe sizes also need to be effective and have some tension when going through the contact point.

You are obviously working really hard, please don't be disheartened.

I’d add in some probiotics. Theyve really helped me with gum issues.

@OHEdentalnurse I was told diet does affect it by my dental practice? And studies back it up also www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7827391/

Sorry I attached the wrong study! www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8276823/

I was also told vitamin K2, with D and calcium were good.

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7

This is american data which wouldn't be considered in the UK and it's a study focusing on inflammation. Active periodontal disease is the destruction of bone. Diet isn't going to cease periodontal disease it will just mask the inflammation.

I’m the same. Te pe brushes every morning and use just about every colour. Brush twice a day with electric toothbrush thinking of upping it to three times a day. It’s just not enough. I go to hygenist four times a year and have had deep cleaning several times. Like you very disappointed when it’s not enough. Sometimes come out and think I should just get false teeth it would be easier

@Creamcakeandrhinos

Do you smoke?

No never smoked

It could be hereditary.

Or a link to another health issue.

It's best to just keep on top of it.

Have you ever been referred to a specialist?

@Tolkienista ... If you have been doing the same thing for 20 years and don't feel like it is really fixing the problem, I don't think you have anything to loose by exploring the possibility that diet and supplements might help.

If I were in your situation, I would look for a holistic practitioner who can look critically at your blood results and see if there are deficiencies that can be supported but also look at the reasons behind why your body is behaving in this way.

Our bodies are designed to function properly, if they do not, then there are often things we can do, working with the body, to help it.

I think you’re right about hereditary. Most of my dads family had false teeth by the age of 21. I haven’t been referred to a specialist. I will keep on top of it but it’s just a worry. Thank you for your advice

I know the feeling. I've left dentist and hygienist appointments in tears. I got refereed to a dental hospital for treatment and the consultant saw how upset I was and took the time to explain there was nothing I could have done the disease was hereditary and that my oral hygiene was actually really good. Still, I'm going to lose teeth by the time I'm in my 60s. I've used floss, Tepe brushes or similar and an electric toothbrush for over 20 years. I'm so envious of people with lovely teeth and gums.

This thread has made me so sad. I've had gum and dental issues all my life and it's only due to some really good dentists, that it's all stabilised now in my 50's. However I've never once been made to feel that it's my fault, or that I'm failing in my dental care. In fact my dentists and periodontists have always been very clear that my problems are due in large part to the structure of my face ( small jaw and high cheekbones) which means that it's almost impossible for me to keep my mouth as clean as it needs to be. One specialist explained it to me as all adult teeth are the same size, but not all jaws are, so some people will struggle more than others. Please don't beat yourselves up as you really are doing the best you can!

I'm 64.......a veteran of oral hygiene care!

Thank you so much for your informed reply @OHEdentalnurse that is great advice. I'm feeling so much better and more positive two days after my appointment......I was beating myself up because I needed a deep clean in a couple of areas and that hadn't happened for years.

The one thing I've accepted is that this cleaning regime is for life and I'm fine with that......I've done it for so many years that I've got it down to a fine art now. My hygienist is great and I don't feel any negativity towards her, which might have come across as moaning in my original post.