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gum line cavities and teeth breaking off

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KristinE

Junior member
Joined
Sep 15, 2012
Messages
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I'm a 21 year old female, I've had problems with my teeth for a while now. Almost all of my front top teeth have fillings due to my gum line cavities. I've even had a root canal due to it. But even after all of this, I STILL get the gum line cavities. On the tooth I got the root canal on, the decay still happened. Some of the cavities I've had for a while and they are only getting worse. I also have one tooth that started out as a gum line cavity and has broken off and now is only half of a tooth, the front half is gone and only the back half remains. I'm way too young to be having problems like this and the dentist I had couldn't really tell me what exactly was causing this. Does anybody have an idea about what could be causing this or how I can prevent it from keep happening? Please help!!!!! Thank you!
 
Yikes! That sounds like a miserable condition. My heart goes out to you.

For most people, there are two major causes of cavities: diet, and oral hygiene. The less sugar and sugary foods you eat, the better. Also, fluoride is critical to building and maintaining healthy enamel. Regular brushing, flossing, and dental cleanings are usually enough to keep the cavities away. Flossing in particular is critical for cleaning food away from the gumline and under the gumline.

So, cutting back on sugar, drinking fluorinated water or taking fluorine supplements, and brushing and flossing regularly can all help keep plaque from forming on your teeth and causing cavities.

If you're already doing all this, you may suffer from weak enamel. This can be genetic or caused by health conditions or diet at the time your adult teeth came in. This is something your dentist should be able to diagnose. If you're unlucky enough to have weak tooth enamel, it becomes even more important to reduce your sugar intake, and have a really good oral hygiene practice. If your enamel is weak enough, crowns may be called for to protect the visible part of the tooth while preserving the larger structure of the tooth. That's not fun or cheap, but it is effective.

I would expect a decent dentist to be able to diagnose soft enamel and to prescribe treatment to slow the decay. You might want to seek out a second opinion.....
 
Hi KristinE

What Steve in Ceveland wrote is true for cavities in general, but when it comes to cavities near the gum line (which are also named cervical cavities) there are also other factors:
* Mechanical abrasion due to hard brushing. People mean well and try to brush well their teeth but what happens is that they brush too hard and remove enamel mainly from the gum line. Soft brushing with a soft toothbrush is advised.
* Chemical erosion due to acid. Be aware of what you drink and it, try to avoid acidic drinks (like most soft drinks) and if you really need to drink one, better with a straw and also later a glass of water or milk.
* Too little saliva in you mouth. Do you think your mouth is dry? That could be an important factor as well.
 
KristenE,

I have the same problem -- though maybe less severe that you. I have had many, many fillings, 2 root canals and 2 crowns and almost all of them have been due to decay near the gum line. My dentist does seem to believe that a large part of the problem is congenital. The only thing that I can add to what others have said is that flossing can also really help because it can help prevent the gum line decay that occurs between teeth (at least it has for me -- not entirely, but enough so that I'm not having to have new fillings all the time).

I know how miserable this problem is and how awful it feels not to be able to prevent.

Best of luck to you!
 
#1 cause is diet to include everything you put in your mouth and how often
another possible cause is amphetamine abuse
 
I am the same, I have a lot of issues with gumline decay.. One tooth in particular now has quite a deep hole along the inner gumline, even after about 8 yrs of it being there and getting darker and bigger the dentist still wont fill (only a private one had planned to fill it, but I cant afford him any more!)

Both previous dentists have mentioned how bad my teeth are for my age, too many teeth with the beginnings of decay and too many fillings and extracted teeth etc, Im 31 btw.. I had hoped they wouldnt comment on them as it would make me feel worse, but both said the same thing! They always seem accusatory, like Im lying when I say I dont drink sugary drinks or sit eating sweets all day (I cant bcos of IBS for one!).. but I do everything, have the best electric tooth brush, use mouthwash, floss every night, and still theyre awful.. I did have a year or so with acid reflux, but that seems to be under control, my parents teeth are awful, so Im assuming it could be down to genetics (although neither dentist seem to think thats even a possibility!)..

To say Im sick of my teeth is an under statement, I do all I can but theres not a week that goes by where I dont feel some twinges or pain. Ive already had a lot of deep fillings, a gumline filling, then theres the gumline hole i mentioned, theres the beginnings of decay on pretty much all my teeth, esp the back biting ones, and along the gumlines, even my front teeth are see through along the bottoms, urgh. Youd think man would evolve better to do something about teeth, take the nerves out or just make them better or something lol
 
I want to evolve shark teeth, that would fix the problem, just new teeth through your life! on a serious note your dentist sounds not particularly helpful, not fixing the hole and being generally rude about your teeth. Is it possible to change dentist or get insurance to go back to private (maybe a different one though?). Other than that remember your dentist doesn't know you so can't make those judgements.
 
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