** I need solutions for RECEEDING GUMS pain ** Thanks!

[Reishi9154]

Hi all,

I posted here 2 years ago and you all were very helpful. Apparently I was quite long winded then so I will try to be less so this time.

I was diagnosed with receding gums 2 years ago. I am 28. I have pain when I eat most foods esp sweet, acidic or spicy so avoid all but a few foods and have for years.

I used Toms of Maine sensitive toothpaste, with the same amount of potassium nitrate and flouride as Sensodyne, for 2 years. As far as I can tell it did nothing.

I went back to dentist 2 months ago about at my wit's end for from the pain from eating and receding gums and wanting to know if anything else could be done.

I saw a different dentist this time. He took pictures of the inside of my mouth for me to see so at least I understand what it means to have receeding gums a lot more now. But as for treatments, he said the only thing you could do was MI paste (I have tried and react severely to the guar gum in it, it took me 18 months to figure out why it made my stomach hurt so much after using but I figured it out about a month ago), high levels of flouride (expensive and not comfortable with), and anti sensitivity toothpaste, which I've tried.

*** I asked him, "Isn't there anything you can put out on the exposed dentine to protect it?" He kept trying to tell me that all sealants were made for enamel and therefore wouldnt stick to dentine. I kept saying "But surely there must be something." And he said "I have not found anything that worked." Well, I didn't believe him that there was nothing else you could do. So I went home and researched it for hours and have been doing so on and off ever since. ***

What I Discovered

I discovered there are a million types of dentin sealants out there. I have found them on various dental supply sites and mentioned on various dentist sites. But I don't have any idea which ones work and if they are chemically safe or not (I am chemically sensitive and try to avoid a lot of chemicals.) I have heard of something called oxalates that your rub on your teeth to reduce sensitivity, but I think they may have high toxicity. I am aware of benzocaine related products but those seem to have toxicity warnings as well.

Has anyone had any experience with ANY TYPE OF DENTIN SEALANT and if so what was it? What were the positives and negatives of this product? I hope someone has some ideas for me.

Other Solutions

Colgate Pro Sensitive Relief with Pro Argin

The first night I researched, after several hours I hit upon a toothpaste called Colgate Pro Sensitive Relief with Pro Argin. Pro Argin is a relatively new discovery consisting of an amino acid that is mixed with calcium carbonate and supposed to fill up the dentin tubules and stop sensitivity. It is supposed to provide immediate relief if applied on a sensitive area for 60 seconds and everyday relief used continuously.

Please note that the version with Pro Argin is NOT sold in the United States, although the name and everything else will look the same. I bought it online from Canada.

I tried it rubbing it and holding it there on each of my upper teeth for 60 seconds. When I was done and rinsed my mouth out, the water felt colder than before and seemed to hurt, which had never happened before. The cold air bothered me the next day. It was a weird reaction and I did not feel comfortable using it but one more time with no positive effect.

Sensodyne

Sensodyne has the exact same ingredients as other sensitive toothpastes on the US market - potassium nitrate. Despite this, someone else with chemical sensitivity told me Sensodyne worked better for her than Toms of Maine. I was going to try it, but then I found out I was sensitive to thickening agents in toothpastes such as carrageenan, guar gum and xantham gum and decided not to. Please note that in the UK and in some countries Sensodyne uses strontium chloride instead of potassium nitrate. PN merely soothes the nerves and tries to help calm the pain
while SC and the above toothpaste block the dentin tubules. However upon further research there is some concern over toxicity of SC which may be why Sensodyne changed it in the US - I am not sure.

Dr Collins and Novamin

Just a few weeks ago I discoved this last toothpaste which has another ingredient that it said to occlude dentin tubules AND does not contain any thickening agents - a miracle for me. I received it in the mail today and plan to try it ASAP - although I become EXTREMELY nervous at trying new things, especially things that are not natural products, so it will be difficult for me.

Weleda and PerioWash

In the meantime I switched to Weleda Plant Gel toothpaste which has no thickening agents, and started using something called PerioWash, which is an alcohol free natural mouthwash with many different herbal ingredients. I think it may be helping a little - eating sorbet hurt less after I had been using it a week - but not nearly enough.

I also took flouride out not sure if I should find a way to put it back in.

Tonight I got a little white bubble on my lower lip, I have never had before. Not sure if related to current problems or coincedence.

I have an appt with a different dentist, my childhood dentist, on April 10. I want to come FULLY PREPARED.
I want to know every option, every possibility, because frankly I don't trust him or drs in general to.

So please tell me what you know of that works for pain from receding gums, especially if it is some kind of bonding agent or sealant that can cover the affected areas. Product names and approx prices are good if you have them but I realize most wont so please just tell me if they exist and youve tried them!

PS I lied about the long windedness ... lol

Thanks so much for your help . I hope the above research helps someone other than me lol

Kate

 

[comfortdentist]

What you need are connective tissue grafts which obviously your dentist doesn't perform or even fully understands when a person needs grafting. See a periodontist and get grafts.