1st time poster

Welcome. I'm not a dentist. I can understand the news you got being a shock but if you want to keep your teeth for as long as possible you will have to make some commitment to aggressive daily homecare between appointments.
I think a 'reputable' private perio would probably be the best option to save your teeth (usually a deep clean would be the first step followed by improved home care - periodontal surgery/grafting/laser treatment are all options seemingly more commonly used in USA) but if you can get an NHS referral to a dental hospital then it will obviously be free and they must need to teach 'perio' so must have at least some of these treatments available...it might just be more of a 'waiting list' issue.

Also perios tend to have got into implants...and you can do implant-supported dentures, whereas on the NHS if you have gum recesssion/bone loss leading to loose teeth, all that would likely be covered is partial plates or full dentures (unless the dental hospital is different because of need to teach..it may be).

You would try to avoid that for as long as possible with meticulous homecare/regular cleans from a hygienist.

I would agree teeth whitening totally inappropriate...will just make gums sensitive. The fact that your teeth seem looser after the deep clean is normal and to be expected...the tartar was holding them in place before..it was the right treatment.

I'm sure the NHS hospital route is worth a whirl - just hope you don't have to wait too long. They at least will not be trying to sell you whitening .
Good luck

I am in the U.S. so my experience may be different than yours. But when I first began my dental "Journey", my gums were in horrible shape. The dentist I saw sent me immediately to a periodontist who did surgery with bone grafts on all 4 quadrants of my mouth. I had stitches for a week each time. It sounds ghastly but it really wasn't that bad, I had very little pain. It's been almost 3 years now and the bone grafts took, my gums look wonderful and it was well worth it. Still dealing with all the damage to my teeth that I ignored for years but at least I have healthy gums and bone for my teeth to stay in!

Thanks for the replies.
I do carry out a stringent daily homecare for my teeth. I brush 3 - 4 times a day for at least 3 minutes with Corsodyl toothpaste (the taste isn't that bad after a whille) using a soft brush and use the daily Corsodyl mouthwash twice a day. I also try to use an interdental brush each day as I'm not very good at flossing but I'm nervous of damaging my gums any more. Finally, I rub Gengigel gel onto gums a few times each day just to try and firm them up. So as you can see I do my best ( I think it might be bordering on obsession) and from what I can see the Gingivitis doesn't seem to have progressed.

I know it's hard to know what to do for the best sometimes...I have some recession but it seems stable. Overbrushing can also cause gums to recede.

You need your dentist/hygienist to devise an appropriate homecare programme based on eliminating the soreness of gingivitis and stabilising the position so it doesn't worsen.
People with mild recession may have a hygienist cleaning every 6 months as part of their stabilisation programme so likely if you have a more severe situation, it would make sense to maybe be seeing a hygienist every 3 months. It seems like you just had a big gap between appointments. Obviously a deep cleaning of all quadrants would seem to make sense as the first step just so you start from a good point. It sounds like you only had this partly done so far from what you said?

Has your homecare always been so thorough (lots of factors in gum disease not just oral hygiene) or is this since your last visit? Your dentist will likely be impressed and be more willing to engage on your behalf if he can see how committed you also are to going the extra mile to keep your teeth as long as possible.

Wow! You are going to look great with that diet...

What I do know is that snacking is kind of bad. One dentist told me that people think brushing/rinsing is the most important thing, but really it's your own saliva. Drinking a lot of water per day, in addition to the myriad of other things you're doing, might really help you. Supposedly, it gives your saliva a chance to actually "fix" things in your mouth. Your body wants a healthy state, and if you help it with dentist cleanings and such, your body will try to keep up the rest. So water water water

Sounds like you are making massive efforts...don't deny yourself all your treats...it's your gums not your teeth which are the issue.
Regular professional cleaning coupled with daily home care is the best way to get and keep your gums healthy....get this established whether it be at dental hospital, with a general dentist, with a perio or with a hygienist or a mixture of all 3.

Good job on the green tea everyday, there is good hard evidence of the beneficial effects of it on gum disease. The more natural the tea the better. (like whole leaves versus processed) I also take Vitamin D and Calcium for healthier bones instead of all the milk- your cholesterol is going to go through the roof. .

You didn't say if you smoked, that would be the worst thing you could do. I quit when I found out I had gum disease.

I'm using a water pik now, they seem to have come into favor with dentists again in the states. I clean with the plaque buster and then flush with my anti bacterial, no alcohol mouthwash. It really gets under the temp bridge and flushes all that crap out. My mouth feels cleaner anyway- good investment, I'll need it to clean implants when I get them.

rp