Gum problems please help

larmy16

Thanks Toothsmith for all that information. Yes I did forget to say that their pics are probably enhanced. It is interesting to see the older films and tv series from the seventies, that lots of the people had natural teeth, eg slightly yellowed and not tombstone straight even in the States!

Toothsmith

I always tell my female smoking patients to stick a photo of June Brown (Dot Cotton) in the corner of their mirror.

She has the typical female smoker face.

Her teeth have radically 'improved' since the early days of Eastenders - but I'd be very surprised if they're anything other than an expensive set of falsies now.

Mrs_P_Pincher

Touch! Toothsmith, but I have had chronic gum disease from about the age of 15, before I ever smoked, and no-one has ever suggested smoking is the cause - when I say, why me? they say they just don't know. All I know is when I stopped smoking it got a lot worse...

Mrs P P

winniepooh

Mrs_P_Pincher wrote: »

Touch! Toothsmith, but I have had chronic gum disease from about the age of 15, before I ever smoked, and no-one has ever suggested smoking is the cause - when I say, why me? they say they just don't know. All I know is when I stopped smoking it got a lot worse...

Mrs P P

Same as my dad, he had it from a teenager too. He has never smoked tho or drank.

Teerah

There are genetic factors at play too.

Also the different bacteria that are in peoples mouths, some of these are heavily involved in gum destruction. Not all gum disease is treatable given these variances.

floyd

Winniepooh, please try not to panic. I was reading similar 3's and 4's at the age of 27 but after 4 years of intensive root planing at a hospital Peridontal Clinic and meticulous brushing (Oral B oscillating brush), flossing and bottlebrushing (TePe) coupled with additional hygenist visits with my own dentist I have now been discharged from the clinic and my gums are stable.
However, this is a lifelong commitment. I still have 3 hygenist visits and 2 dental appointments a year and have to maintain a strict routine of brush/floss/TePe twice a day otherwise I am back to square 1.
One of the surgeons took an interest in my case at the Hospital as my gum disease was incredibly advanced for someone so young who didn't smoke and brushed their teeth regularly and according to him 'did a pretty good job' with it. He seemed to think in my case it could be related strongly to autoimmune factors as there are close family links to rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and bullous pemphigoid.

That aside, there is no substitute for immaculate oral hygene. Good luck

Toothsmith

Mrs_P_Pincher wrote: »

Touch! Toothsmith, but I have had chronic gum disease from about the age of 15, before I ever smoked, and no-one has ever suggested smoking is the cause - when I say, why me? they say they just don't know. All I know is when I stopped smoking it got a lot worse...

Mrs P P

Did you read my post #7? It would just have appeared to have got worse when you stopped.

There are some people who are just genetically prone to gum disease. But in every case, smoking would increase the damage and rate of destruction, not improve it.

Toothsmith

winniepooh wrote: »

Same as my dad, he had it from a teenager too. He has never smoked tho or drank.

You don't have to smoke or drink to get gum disease, just as many non-smoking teatotallers get cancer.

But you are much much more likely to get a destructive, progressive gum disease if you smoke.

Also, it's much harder to control/manage/cure in smokers.

There are many periodontists (gum specialist dentists) who don't even bother - they claim it's just a waste of everybodies time and money, and the sooner a smoker is onto dentures the better for everybody - including the patient.

moomin_white

winniepooh wrote: »

So i'm after tips on how to try and control (if you can). Any tips at all. I'm so frightened that I think I walked out of the dentists in a daize to be honest. :eek:

i see you are using an electric toothbrush which is excellent. But don't rely too heavily on mouthwashes to be effective. What it appears you are missing out on in interdental cleaning -cleaning inbetween the teeth. No electric toothbrush or mouthwash will do this. So you really need to start cleaning inbetween your teeth aswell.

Type 'how to floss' into a search engine if you don't know how to floss. When you start flossing your gums will bleed, but because you will be removing more plaque germs, the bleeding will reduce. Butit does sound like you also need the help of a hygienist to remove any hard deposits of tartar.

But at the end of the day, the onus is on you and your oral hygiene!

Good luck with it all

Kantankrus_Mare

Read this post with interest as I have been having treatment every three months at the dentist for the last couple of years.

Have been very scrupulous with my oral hygiene for the last three months and using interdental brushes, mouthwash etc so was hoping for some improvement.

Was absolutely gutted when I heard the hygienist saying 6's and 7's for some areas of my mouth. could have cried.

Im a non smoker, have never smoked and eat pretty healthily.

She brought the main dentist through and they explained that the next step would be to refer me to a specialist as they had done all the treatment they could do.

The nearest one is in Leeds. A round trip of four hours :eek:

Obviously will cost me as well. Hundreds probably.

Dont know what Im doing wrong?

Hygienist said Im doing a good job of cleaning them as their isnt much tartar but has booked me in for another three months time to deep scrape the problem areas.

I have some Q10 in cupboard which I am going to start taking regularly and try to further improve my veg and fruit intake.

Not sure what else I can do?