I have always had very sensitive gums, even though I have got healthy strong teeth. I've started to notice that my gum is slightly swollen around a few of my teeth, and seems to have receeded ever-so-slightly on the back of my front teeth.
This looks like the early stages of gum disease to me. I brush twice a day, but do not floss, as it always bled when i flossed... I know I should probably go to the dentist but I'm scared to set foot in that place.
Is there anything else that I could do in my daily routine to reverse this problem?
Last edited by jordonrock; 05-18-2004 at 07:24 PM.
The last time I went to the dentist a few months ago, he told me that I had early signs of gum disease (bleeding while brushing, swollen gums, etc.) and all I had to do was floss and brush really well. I went back and that seemed to have worked.
Have you been diagnosed by a dentist and he told you you had gum disease? If that is the case then once you have gum disease, you always have it. Gum disease is a very serious disease the affects the bone and gums surrounding each tooth. You can not get rid of this with brushing and flossing. You will always have it. You now need to know that if this is something that you have you need to maintain it. You would know that you have this because your hygenist would of done what is called perio chatting. You would have heard numbers like 4,5,6 or higher. Those numbers indicate infection in that area. What this infection means that there is bone losse and the gums are not attached to the tooth where is should be. It is very important to maintain this. If you fail to do this then the infection will conutine you to take away the bone. Which over time will cause you to loose your teeth. This disease is also assosicated with heart disease and strokes. So even if it's not important for you to do this to save the teeth, then is should be important to take care of for your over all health.You really need to get with a dentist that you are comfortable with and trust and get this taken care of. This is very serious and you should take it that way. If i have explained what you have take care of it soon.As far as the other person who posted and they said brushing and flossing took care of there problem. Then that must of just been a case of ginivits. Brushing and flossing will take care of that and everything will be back to normal unless you don't do proper flossing and brushing tech. Even with perio(gum)disease you need to do proper flossing and brushing tech. I hope i have helped.
if you have a gum 'disease' or gum infection, you can certainly stop it, but you can never reverse it, (pharmaceutical companies in the UK are working on a treatment to reverse the disease, sounds promising too !!), but you don't have to live with it for the rest of you life. You definitely have to see your dentist now, or the disease will progress and will be harder to control, and your teeth may get loose some day (IF IT IS gum disease).You say you brush twice a day, may be you are brushing too hard and are irritating your gums, only the dentist can tell you that. You should floss daily, but even if you never have before, by brushing twice a day, if you brush properly, you could still avoid gingivitis. In any case, I hope you will get it checked, the longer you wait, the more expensive it gets. Good luck Marti
Have you been diagnosed by a dentist and he told you you had gum disease? If that is the case then once you have gum disease, you always have it. Gum disease is a very serious disease the affects the bone and gums surrounding each tooth. You can not get rid of this with brushing and flossing. You will always have it. You now need to know that if this is something that you have you need to maintain it. You would know that you have this because your hygenist would of done what is called perio chatting. You would have heard numbers like 4,5,6 or higher. Those numbers indicate infection in that area. What this infection means that there is bone losse and the gums are not attached to the tooth where is should be. It is very important to maintain this. If you fail to do this then the infection will conutine you to take away the bone. Which over time will cause you to loose your teeth. This disease is also assosicated with heart disease and strokes. So even if it's not important for you to do this to save the teeth, then is should be important to take care of for your over all health.You really need to get with a dentist that you are comfortable with and trust and get this taken care of. This is very serious and you should take it that way. If i have explained what you have take care of it soon.As far as the other person who posted and they said brushing and flossing took care of there problem. Then that must of just been a case of ginivits. Brushing and flossing will take care of that and everything will be back to normal unless you don't do proper flossing and brushing tech. Even with perio(gum)disease you need to do proper flossing and brushing tech. I hope i have helped.
Oh brywneyze! I am still waiting for my appointment with the dental hospital after 4 weeks! I know now that I definitely have gum disease because of what you said in this post 'You would know that you have this because your hygenist would of done what is called perio chatting. You would have heard numbers like 4,5,6 or higher. '. My dentist said I have gum disease but wouldn't elaborate but I DEFINITELY heard him call out numbers like that including the word 'decay' for one that is totally gone at the back! I knew it in my heart and soul but now you have confirmed it. Do you think anything can be done for me to keep them if the numbers are higher than that???
