N
ntp711
Junior member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2006
- Messages
- 2
After 25 years, I finally went to a dentist in February. I can't tell you what a relief it's been, not to have this sick feeling of dread in the back of my mind constantly!
My gums were in very bad condition, but after extensive planing and then a lot of (OK, obsessive) home care on my part, they are now much firmer, no bleeding and a healthy pink color. I had 3 broken molars removed and am trying to decide how to replace them - mostly due to financial constraints. Also, my front teeth looked bad because they had drifted and there was a huge space between the upper ones. The dentist used bonding to close the gap and it looks great!
The dentist has been encouraging and said I'd made huge improvements, but then once in a while he'll mention that it would be unwise to spend a lot of money, say for veneers rather than bonding, because there's been some bone loss and I could end up losing the teeth anyway.
So my question is: if there is bone loss does that mean the teeth are pretty much doomed no matter how diligently I take care of them? I've read about bone grafting, but have a feeling it would be very expensive.
One more question: part of my little ritual is using a proxybrush in the evenings that I dip in Listerine before inserting between my teeth. This makes them feel really clean, but I've since read that Listerine may be detrimental. I've stopped rinsing with it but is it harmful to use it in this way?
Thanks for your wonderful website, it's helped me very much!
My gums were in very bad condition, but after extensive planing and then a lot of (OK, obsessive) home care on my part, they are now much firmer, no bleeding and a healthy pink color. I had 3 broken molars removed and am trying to decide how to replace them - mostly due to financial constraints. Also, my front teeth looked bad because they had drifted and there was a huge space between the upper ones. The dentist used bonding to close the gap and it looks great!
The dentist has been encouraging and said I'd made huge improvements, but then once in a while he'll mention that it would be unwise to spend a lot of money, say for veneers rather than bonding, because there's been some bone loss and I could end up losing the teeth anyway.
So my question is: if there is bone loss does that mean the teeth are pretty much doomed no matter how diligently I take care of them? I've read about bone grafting, but have a feeling it would be very expensive.
One more question: part of my little ritual is using a proxybrush in the evenings that I dip in Listerine before inserting between my teeth. This makes them feel really clean, but I've since read that Listerine may be detrimental. I've stopped rinsing with it but is it harmful to use it in this way?
Thanks for your wonderful website, it's helped me very much!