gum disease

Merlot

Wow thanks Toothsmith for the full answer, I wish you were my dentist! I will ask him re: tooth guard and the 12 monthly appointments for myself and children next time I see him. In my ignorance I didn't realise he wouldn't get the money and just receive points, the government has a lot to answer for, if companies didn't avoid paying their corporation tax, just maybe their would be more money available for the NHS Dental Services.

imported_goldie

I have quite badly receding teeth at the back but as i am late 50's assumed this was age related? Hence the expression "long in the tooth" referring to older people? They started to recede a little in my forties and my dentist at the time (one of the best i have ever seen)said it was age related then. I have regular check ups and been told i dont have gum disease.Some of my teeth look like they are about to fall out, the gum has receded so far so it is a worry. All the young dentists i have seen just think it is from too hard brushing but i never brushed them too hard and still think it is age related. Hate the thought of losing any of my teeth though.

Toothsmith

imported_goldie wrote: »

I have quite badly receding teeth at the back but as i am late 50's assumed this was age related? Hence the expression "long in the tooth" referring to older people? They started to recede a little in my forties and my dentist at the time (one of the best i have ever seen)said it was age related then. I have regular check ups and been told i dont have gum disease.Some of my teeth look like they are about to fall out, the gum has receded so far so it is a worry. All the young dentists i have seen just think it is from too hard brushing but i never brushed them too hard and still think it is age related. Hate the thought of losing any of my teeth though.

By 'brushing too hard' do they mean that there are little grooves in your teeth?

Another explaination here could be that they are abfraction cavities - caused by grinding. This would also explain the recession.

It's a bit hard to explain without making a picture to help you visualise it, but basically, teeth are a little bit bendy - like bones are.

If you grind your teeth, then the teeth bend a bit. The point of most bend is the middle of the tooth. That's the middle of the tip of the crown to the tip of the root - which is about the point where tooth and gum meet.

Over the years, this bending will break down the (rather brittle) tooth structure, and you get these notch shaped cavities that look as if a lumberjack has been at your teeth!

The bone level is also forced down slowly by the bending, and you get the gum recession.

I think your dentist need to have a good look at how active this process is with you, and reassure you a bit more that you will not loose your teeth because of it.

It is a slow process, but if it's still going on, then someone needs to pull their finger out and do something about it.

Gum recession is not an inevitable part of geting older. Not since the process and prevention of gum disease has been better understood in the last 30 years anyway.

sandy2_2

What a lot of useful information here. Our dentist (in Spain) gives us a variety of interdental brushes in different sizes, samples of toothpastes, mouthwashes and even free toothbrushes after each check up and clean. She also did the deep clean thing when we first went and took a a variety of instant xrays which appeared on computer screen in the surgery. At each visit she rechecks with xrays and extends the period til next visit. The practice also gives the xrays to us to take to other dentists if we move.

imported_goldie

I think my dentist means i brush up and down, (which i dont)thereby pushing the gum away from the tooth,instead of circular, if you know what i mean. dont grind my teeth either, so maybe being a child of the fifties means they werent looked after too well from an early age.

Toothsmith

sandy2 wrote: »

What a lot of useful information here. Our dentist (in Spain) gives us a variety of interdental brushes in different sizes, samples of toothpastes, mouthwashes and even free toothbrushes after each check up and clean. She also did the deep clean thing when we first went and took a a variety of instant xrays which appeared on computer screen in the surgery. At each visit she rechecks with xrays and extends the period til next visit. The practice also gives the xrays to us to take to other dentists if we move.

That all sounds really good, but our continental colleagues are a bit fond of irradiating people!!!

So many x-rays are probably a bit over the top - but they are of so little power - especially with a digital system - that they are essentially harmless.

Toothsmith

imported_goldie wrote: »

I think my dentist means i brush up and down, (which i dont)thereby pushing the gum away from the tooth,instead of circular, if you know what i mean. dont grind my teeth either, so maybe being a child of the fifties means they werent looked after too well from an early age.

If it's not over-brushing and it's not grinding, then all that's left is gum disease. I think you need a good chat with your dentist to really make sure of the gum's health.

imported_goldie

I did have an x ray at my last check up and this didnt show anything so maybe it is the brushing. I am looking into getting a phillips sonicare but it seems there are quite a few, some 129pounds down to about 70. Are they all good or would you recommend a certain one?

frivolous_fay

If I had gum disease, would my dentist have mentioned it?

To me, my gums look a bit inflamed, with a tendency to bleed when I brush. (Been that way for years...I'm 30) Dentist only said that I had 'good teeth' (apart from the front two which needed filling :rolleyes: first filling ever though) This was my first visit to a dentist after a break of about 12 years.

Toothsmith

imported_goldie wrote: »

I did have an x ray at my last check up and this didnt show anything so maybe it is the brushing. I am looking into getting a phillips sonicare but it seems there are quite a few, some 129pounds down to about 70. Are they all good or would you recommend a certain one?

They are pretty good, but personally, I prefer the oscillating/pulsating action of the Braun/Oral Bs. Something like the 7500, or the dearer ones if you can afford them. I think ultrasonics are a bit gimmicky.