how do people with periodontitis or any other serious dental problems get through the day ?

[anonfemale]

how do people with periodontitis or any other serious dental problems get through the day ?

I have been taking medication for anxiety and had some counselling but nothing is working. I don't work, although I do voluntary work sometimes,so I am at home a lot. I am obsessed with looking at my teeth and gums and I cry a lot. sometimes I miss a brushing because I am scared to brush them. and when I do brush them, I have panic attacks. I have a very small mouthandjaw andi worry that my oralb brush might be too big for my mouth. its also affecting my relationship with my new boyfriend. how do you get through each day and has this affectedyour relationships ?

 

[Angeldove]

Re: how do people with periodontitis or any other serious dental problems get through the day ?

I have gum disease - some healthy areas, some not so great areas- including two 7 mm pockets, so I'm dealing with realizing that I need to start taking care of my mouth all day, every day. I went from not brushing at all to now probably putting in 30 minutes or more a day to care for my mouth. I know I'm probably obsessing a bit much- I don't have any loose teeth and my gums have pretty much stopped bleeding when handling them, although I still have a lot of work to do at the dentist teeth wise.

Hubby doesn't care and isn't bothered by the state my teeth are in (which honestly don't look so bad in the front - those the healthy teeth, my molars are kinda bad). So it doesn't affect my relationship, thankfully. I think as long as you are treating yourself/going to the dentist to improve on it, that's the main thing. (We are being stressed out over the cost of my treatment - we had been hoping to put the $$ towards a new car since his is in such bad shape, but now it is going to my teeth. He goes along with it, but I can tell he's not happy about it (he tells me "Well that's what we have to do [care for my teeth]... nothing we can do about it"). It hasn't been making me very happy about myself, but I don't want to upset him any more.

Here's the good news though - you don't have to brush your teeth to treat your gum disease. You can just floss and use a mouth wash or a Water pik to clean out the gums. I know if I brush too much, it upsets my gums and probably is doing some damage to my teeth, so I just will use some mouth wash if I'm worried about my gums/teeth. Some people even recommend not brushing your teeth and just sticking to mouth wash and flossing (although I don't have any intentions of doing that).

For me, I just try to remember that I am caring for my mouth as best as I can right now (morning, afternoon, and night - sometimes in between too), I'm seeing my dentist for treatment, and I'm smarter about my mouth health than I was when at the beginning of the month (I went back to the dentist just a few weeks ago). I really shouldn't be worried/upset with myself if I am doing everything that I can to improve my health and my dentist is helping me do everything he/she can to help me out.

 

[buttrrflygirl]

Re: how do people with periodontitis or any other serious dental problems get through the day ?

Hi there I'm sorry you're feeling this way. I was diagnosed with mild gum disease last week and have one bad area where the pocket measured 6mm. The way I deal with it is to really take care of my teeth and gums. I always brushed twice a day but that was the extent of my oral hygiene. Now I brush softly 3 times a day, floss once and use mouthwash twice a day. It makes me feel better knowing that I'm taking better care of my mouth. I know how it feels to obsess over teeth. I was terrified of my own teeth which sounds crazy. It's in your best interest to start taking good care of your teeth and gums. Perhaps you could find a smaller toothbrush? Are you being treated by a dentist?

It hasn't effected my relationship with my husband. He and my mom are the only ones that know about my dental anxiety and that I hadn't seen a dentist in 20 years. My husband probably gets tired of me talking about teeth and gums all the time.

 

[self pity]

Re: how do people with periodontitis or any other serious dental problems get through the day ?

I have been taking medication for anxiety and had some counselling but nothing is working. I don't work, although I do voluntary work sometimes,so I am at home a lot. I am obsessed with looking at my teeth and gums and I cry a lot. sometimes I miss a brushing because I am scared to brush them. and when I do brush them, I have panic attacks. I have a very small mouthandjaw andi worry that my oralb brush might be too big for my mouth. its also affecting my relationship with my new boyfriend. how do you get through each day and has this affectedyour relationships ?

Oh honey, first calm down. I also take an anti anxiety med. I have peri implantitis mucositis. Sounds really bad BUT, being vigilant by brushing with my sonic care toothbrush, using a waterpic flosser and 2 different mouth rinses for the past week since the diagnosis my mouth is feeling better. At first it hurt but I kept it up.

My husband wouldn't even kiss me before I had full mouth implants so I know how this can reflect on a relationship. Honestly all you can do is follow the direction of your dental care professional.

I also think about my teeth and gums constantly. Trust me it gets old and tiresome. Just keep up stellar cleaning at home and don't miss appointments. You can turn this around!

 

[Blondie1984]

Re: how do people with periodontitis or any other serious dental problems get through the day ?

I also have anxiety that's treated with medication and therapy, and I work from home, so I totally get the 'hard to focus on anything else' mindset.

I was told by my dentist I had periodontal disease, so that was all I could focus on. I know I definitely was talking too much about it to my boyfriend and mom, but eventually I mellowed out when I started having treatments. I used to stare in the mirror constantly (still do sometimes). Turns out I don't have periodontal disease but just gingivitis. My boyfriend was really understanding of the situation. He knew I had a traumatic dental experience as a kid that led to me avoiding the dentist for nearly 20 years. He came with me to all of my appointments and has been supportive.

I have a tiny mouth too. The dentist had to use child-size x-rays for me lol. I use an Oral-B electric toothbrush and the head was a little big, just rotate your wrist and work it around the teeth. The dentist said to brush and floss, no matter how worried you are. If you see blood, don't worry too much, it could be a good thing--means you're hitting an area that might not have been receiving the attention it needed.

Honestly, it's a tough road. It's hard to deal with, but I promise it does get easier. If you ever need to vent, we're all here for you!

 

[Angeldove]

Re: how do people with periodontitis or any other serious dental problems get through the day ?

Oh honey, first calm down. I also take an anti anxiety med. I have peri implantitis mucositis. Sounds really bad BUT, being vigilant by brushing with my sonic care toothbrush, using a waterpic flosser and 2 different mouth rinses for the past week since the diagnosis my mouth is feeling better. At first it hurt but I kept it up.

What mouth washes are you using, self pity? I'm using something that removes the biofilm (which I dip my floss into to get it under my gums) and the Periotherapy mouth wash. I would love to see what others with this are using.

My gums/teeth are also hurting from all of this attention, but I'm noticing a lot less blood when I touch them (just a bit with heavy flossing) and they feel nicer now.

I also think about my teeth and gums constantly. Trust me it gets old and tiresome. Just keep up stellar cleaning at home and don't miss appointments. You can turn this around!

This is good inspiration - I'm stressing out about my 3 month check up in June (yeah I know it's only April). I want to know NOW if I'm improving. I want to hear smaller pockets at the check up - now that I know what my dentist is measuring I think I'm going to be upset if I hear that my two 7 mm pockets got worse or if I have bigger pockets where the pockets were small.