Hi, I have been flossing on and off for about 2 years now. I am 22. I'll go a month flossing then stop for 1 or 2 months then on and off again. I never have problems except the first week or so when I start my floss cycle (gums get swollen a little then get better after a week).

So I started flossing about 7 weeks ago and haven't had any problems until about a few days ago. My left side gums started to get swollen. I thought no problem, it'll just go away like it always does. Nope. It actually spread and now my front teeth's gums are swollen and the pain is oh so bad. I eat chicken and my gums hurt. And if I press up against my jaw line right beneath my teeth ( the place where you would put your fingers to check your pulse) i feel a sort of pain/discomfort. The jawline pain first appeared on my left side, and now both sides have pain.

I know I have gingivitis. And I know I don't have periodontitis. I have a feeling the gum swelling is not caused by the gingivitis. (note=the gum swelling happened first, then I noticed the pain beneath my jawline)

My last resort is to go to the dentist. I was also thinking about taking antibiotics. What do you think?

Firstly, your flossing habits are obviously bad. What's the logic in flossing month on month off?! You should floss daily. In the month you do not floss you significantly increase the likelihood a plaque will form between your teeth followed by tartar formation. During these processes the bacteria excrete toxins which harm the gums and the teeth. This is literally how gum diseases start.

It does sound like you have some type of gum disease or severe inflammation of the gums which I'm not totally sure is caused by gingivitis and not periodontitis (or something else). These two gum diseases can be distinguished easily by a dentist.

You should see a dentist, sooner the better.
Taking antibiotics?!?! That would be a very bad idea. You don't even know what you have, and in any case antibiotics will do more harm than good without prior treatment.

1. Is there a way to reverse this if I brush and floss 2 times a day?

No, there is NO substitute for a professional cleaning and evaluation. It will probably settle down eventually, and you'll think you've fixed the problem. Don't worry tho, it will be back...

I have found no gingivitis/periodontitis cases that should indicate my throat should be sore.

This could be related to my wisdom teeth extractions. About 6 months ago I had 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted. Top 2 were simple extractions, but the bottom 2 were impacted. They had to cut my bone to extract one of the bottom wisdom teeth. They also said that it would take 6 months for the bone to heal.

Could it be that my jaw is infected from the wisdom teeth extractions? If so, why would the problem occur 6 months later?

This is my best hypothesis because as noted before, I have been flossing for 7 weeks now with no problems.

I will go to the dentist, but I just want to know as much as the dentist.

One more thing, I am still flossing and brushing twice a day. And it hurts like a MOTHA... and bleeds. Is this doing more harm then good? For some reason, I think the bleeding is helping get the blood circulated and attacking the bacteria.

THANKS!!!

To your first question in the above post, if the plaque on your teeth did not harden into tartar, then you may still be able to remove it through pedantic brushing & flossing. However if a gum disease has already taken place, you may require professional cleaning to stop the disease from progressing as well as attempt to reverse any damage (if you have a periodontal disease and is caught early enough, it can be treated and resolved without much difficulties).


I have found no gingivitis/periodontitis cases that should indicate my throat should be sore.

This could be related to my wisdom teeth extractions. About 6 months ago I had 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted. Top 2 were simple extractions, but the bottom 2 were impacted. They had to cut my bone to extract one of the bottom wisdom teeth. They also said that it would take 6 months for the bone to heal.

Could it be that my jaw is infected from the wisdom teeth extractions? If so, why would the problem occur 6 months later?


Unlikely.



This is my best hypothesis because as noted before, I have been flossing for 7 weeks now with no problems.

I will go to the dentist, but I just want to know as much as the dentist.

One more thing, I am still flossing and brushing twice a day. And it hurts like a MOTHA... and bleeds. Is this doing more harm then good?


That's sort of an antithesis because just above you wrote you have been flossing for 7 weeks with "no problems". Is this pain you describe no problem for you? It should be a warning sign for a problem.
The fact that your gums hurt and bleed easily does imply there is an underlying cause such as gum disease. Another possible factor is that you simply brush too harshly and/or you use an old or a too rough toothbrush.
I don't think that brushing correctly will do more harm than good even if your gum bleed and hurt. You should try brushing and flossing more gently until you see a dentist for an evaluation.



For some reason, I think the bleeding is helping get the blood circulated and attacking the bacteria.

THANKS!!!

I'm not sure whether this hypothesis is entirely correct, the gums bleed
because they are probably imflammed and sensitive to touch. But, it does make some sense.

Good luck...

I have a dentist evaluation coming up this Friday. I hope it won't cost too much.

They taught me in school not to smoke because it will damage my health and/or kill me. They even showed us images of damaged lungs. What they should have done is showed us images of screwed up teeth and gums and said that this will happen to you if you don't brush and floss regularly. And also mention the insane prices of the procedures to fix the damage.

I found these prices, but they're from 2002, so the price is probably higher today:


Scaling & Root Plaining - per quadrant = $348.00 (average fee) $438.00 (highest fee)
Scaling (full mouth) = $188.00 (average fee) $216.00 (highest fee)

Are these prices correct? Full mouth scaling = $188.00, but full mouth scaling and root planing = $ 1392.00, so the root planing costs a whopping $ 1204.00.

From what I read, it seems like the scaling is the most important because this procedure actually removes the plaque/tarter. And the root planing is just a preventive procedure so the gum disease will not likely come back.

Bottom line, I would just need the scaling, right?

Oh, I had this for years. let me share what turned it around for me. CoQ10 which is an antioxidant and increased Vitamind C with flavonoids. Gum tissue is very sensitive and the less you floss the more they can bleed. Mine are healthy now and most people lose their teeth not because of the teeeth but the gums. I would suggest these measure for you. I sure benefited from them.