Gum Disease, has it gone too far or is it still curable?

[TheTeething]

So, it's quite shameful to admit,but I have not been to the dentist since.. Ever. I'm currently 17-18. I used to brush on and off, and I do get scaling done in school. I have just recently went to a dentist clinic and they did not say much, they did state I have gum disease, although how far along I am, I'm not sure. Didn't say much, just that, and that I should floss and brush daily, you know, the usual. Now, I brush thrice a day, floss once or twice, depending.
My question is, is my gum disease, if I have any, curable or do I need to see a periodontist to have treatment done? I wish to have a second opinion but my mother does not wish to do so, I suppose the treatment is a tad too expensive perhaps.. Or she thinks there's nothing wrong, I don't know.
But yes, any advice on what I should do would be greatly welcomed. And if anyone has a video on how to floss the back molars, that would be great. I can't seem to get to those. I can also feel gaps between my teeth and gum line, only on the front lower teeth though.

 

[Amaria]

Hi, I am not a dentist my any means but I don't think your situation is as bad as you think. I mean, when you google gum disease you see people who look like they are in far worse condition. Like I said I am no dentist but my advice would be to not freak out too much (easier said than done I worry a lot myself haha).

From my understanding gum disease could mean gingivitis or peridontitis. If you have gingivitis, it can be reversed by a cleaning at the dentist and you maintaining good oral health. If you have peridontitis (I never know how to spell it right) then you might need a specialist to do a deeper cleaning (root scaling I believe it is called) and while it can't be "cured" because you cant reverse bone loss, it can be managed and you can keep it from progressing.

It really sucks to have bad news about teeth but on the flip side I think its great that you have good brushing/flossing habits now that you are still young. You can awlays find youtube videos for tips or even explanations about gum diseases. My advice would be to send an e-mail or contact your dentist for a better explanation of what's going on so you can get out of your head. Either way, it will be just fine! Hope it helped a little.