Gum Issues

[everyonebutme]

I regularly see a hygienist as I've been told I have gum issues. They say my oral hygiene is very good but have a number of small pockets and need to keep on top of cleaning them. Every visit they say I have an option to see a specialist but it wouldn't be cheap. They tell me that the specialists have more training in gum disease and better tools. I've always said no as I couldn't really afford this treatment but wondered if anyone has done this and what it involved.

I have a couple of gum pockets, one is very deep. It's a real nuisance! Anyway, I've never seen a specialist and my dentist has never suggested I should. If it's affordable it seems like a good idea to me.
Things that help me keep the areas clean are a water flosser, interdental brushes, mouthwash (especially Corsodyl), oil pulling (google this - It's the ancient technique of swooshing coconut oil around your mouth for 20 minutes. I do not enjoy this but it makes a huge difference to my gums and my gum abscesses). I thoroughly clean my mouth each time I have a meal, even at work. Good luck with it all. I've been dealing with this for years.

Thanks for responding. I use interdental brushes and floss regularly. I will check out oil pulling....

The water flosser (or oral irrigator as it's called) is great. You can feel it cleaning out the pockets. You can get then on Amazon. I hope someone else replies who's seen a specialist.

Hi @everyonebutme
Someone i know in her 70's has no issues at all with her teeth, she said she uses black salt mixed with mustard oil, softly brushes over her teeth and gums then rinses out with water, couple times a week at night before bed. I tried this and omg it's amazing and i literally saw plaque fall off. I had gum issues too. I buy the black salt from any Indian store but as black rock salt and then grind it at home to a powder. Keep the powdered salt mixed with mustard oil in a jar in the bathroom. Bit of a faff but well worth it! x

Hi,

I have been seeing a specialist for years to manage my deep pockets. I'm really annoyed that I wasn't told that such specialist existed, even though I kept asking my dentist what would a rich person do if they had this issue. By the time I was referred to a specialist hospital (on the NHS). It was far too late and now I am trying to prolong the life of my teeth.

In the pockets, bacteria eats away at the bone that holds your teeth in place. It's irreversible. I had a few years of deep cleaning. Where they numb your gum and use tools to clean the plaque of by pushing under your gum. As this was on the nhs, the first couple of years where with students being trained. Every 3 months I had a deep clean. Then treatment stopped for about 18 months because of COViD.

I then saw an actual specialist who did the deep cleans again. Much more aggressively than the students had. But by that point the pockets were too deep for me to manage. So they referred me for gum flap surgery- which is horrendous. Again, not expected to resolve the situation but to extend life of my teeth. There's not enough bone left to replace any teeth I lose with individual false ones.

So in summary. You won't get a referral to the nhs until it's too late. So if you have a recommendation and any way of making it work. Have a consultation- it is possible to reverse pockets if caught early.

Yes I have the same issue and already have significant bone loss so we're holding on to my teeth for a long as possible. Apparently there are treatments to regenerate bone loss so you can have an implant but they're costly. There are other options too - I think a bridge might work? My pockets are at the front and the dentist reassured me that there were ways to put a false tooth there despite the bone loss

I've had the regenerative treatment, where it can be done. There are some limitations and the dentist can't see until they open it up if there's enough bone left to regenerate.

It's not a pleasant procedure. But I'll report back if it's worked!

Following

What exactly is your periodontal diagnosis OP and how deep is the deepest pocket?

And don't think it's as bad as some of the posters on here. Not sure of depth tbh. I've just been told that I have to keep on top of it using interdental sticks, etc and regular (three monthly) visits to hygienist.

Ooh does this aim to regenerate new bone? Would like to know more about it if possible

When you go next time, ask these questions OP. They're important so that you know what you're dealing with.
Risk factors are unstable diabetes and smoking too. So if this is applicable to you, try to get on top of /cease this habit.

Periodontists (gum specialists) have always existed. It might be worth asking for a private consultation to see if they think you would benefit from any treatment over and above what the hygienist can offer. A consult would have a fixed fee.

Just wanted to update as I saw the dentist today. I've finally been referred to a peridontal specialist at the hospital to see if anything else can be done. I wish this had happened years ago. I know I'll eventually lose 1 or 2 teeth and I asked my dentist how I can get implants when I have bone loss in the jaw. He said I can get a bone graft and it's very common. I feel reassured by this. Better start saving!