newbie with severe gum disease- terrified!

[skymonkey]

Hi all,
I'm 32 years old and was recently diagnosed with aggressive periodontitis, basically very severe gum disease. It has progressed rapidly over the past few years and I've lost a lot of bone. It's only a matter of time before all my teeth fall out.
I was an idiot and avoided the dentist for a while, but am now getting treatment at a dental hospital. Though I'm not sure there's much they can do really as the disease is so advanced.
I'm so worried about what is going to happen, the stress is taking over my life at the moment.
Is there anyone in the same boat? People I know have problems with their teeth, but I don't know anyone else with gum disease.
skymonkey x

 

[olivacs]

Hi there,
I too am in my 30's and have gum disease. Mine is not as advanced as you describe but it is moderate. I just broke my fear and went to the dentist this March for the 1st time in 12 years. I was a nervous wreck and still am to this day. I feel I have been at the dentist at least once a week.
I have had 6 teeth on the bottom front extracted because of the disease and bone loss and have been given an immediate denture. I know how you feel but you should give yourself a pat on the back for taking the first step of going. Some of your teeth may be able to be saved with a bone graft. Ask your dentist about that. Unfortuantely, the teeth I had pulled were being held in by my own tartar...gross i know but they did a bone graft at that time to prepare me for implants a bit later down the road.
It is common to feel so anxious and nervous and you are not alone. I just joined this forum a few days ago and already have gotton some wonderful advice.
Hang in there and know you are not alone!

 

[skymonkey]

hi, thanks so much for your reply, and sorry you're going through this too.
my saying that there was nothing they can do was exaggerated; they are treating me, but I meant that in the long term basically my teeth will all fall out. so far I haven't lost any teeth and I'm just going through the deep clean process then will be re-evaluated. and i'm not too scared of all the procedures, just of the long term prognosis, and the fact that, like you, i'll be going to the dentist/hospital all the time. i'm trying not to think about it all too much but it is consuming my thoughts at the moment.
are you in the uk?
x

 

[olivacs]

Hi there,
I am in the States and not the UK. At least they are treating you and there is some hope your teeth may be saved as long as possible. I iwsh I could remain calm during all the procedures but I am now obsessed with looking at my gums and teeth all of the time and I hate it. My next appt is tomorrow for scaling on the lower right quad right next to the area of my extractions and i am terrified!!

Gum disease is not fun at all!

 

[skymonkey]

Hi again,
I know what you mean about obsessing. I'm always feeling around my teeth with my tongue, and thinking about when I should next clean my teeth.
What have you found to be beneficial in terms of home care? I'm being so so diligent with flossing and brushing, have been for months, but my gums seem to be receding so fast now! i'm hoping this is just them tightening up as they get better or is this just wishful thinking?
You're right, gum disease is pretty depressing, need lots of distractions to take our minds off it!
Really good luck with your treatment, it feels so brutal when they're doing all that scraping doesn't it. My 2nd quadrant is next tuesday, to be honest I just want it all to be done now so we can see if it helps at all, just want everything to be stabilised, with or without teeth, so I can get on with my life.
Keep me updated with how everything goes, I'm there with you!

 

[olivacs]

Hi there,
I have been brushing and flossing like you as well. Have you noticed any of your teeth tightening up after the cleaning? I have one slightly mobile tooth that is part of the cleaning tomorrow and we are hoping it responds to the scaling. I have noticed a difference in my gums since I started in most places.
Immediately after the cleaning session they have told me to rinse with salt water rinses twice aday to help with the healing. Additionally they gave me a prescription mouthwash called peridex.

I think the worst is the waiting until after all the cleanings before they tell you your fate for your teeth. I am the type of person who wants to know now and do not want to lose any more teeth. My insurance has reached its maximum for coverage for the year so now the rest will be out of pocket cost to me.

I really enjoy you posting back and forth with me. I am an emotional wreck over tomorrow's appt coming up and reading your last post makes me feel like you can really relate to me

 

[skymonkey]

Hi again,

Well I can't really tell whether or not the gums have tightened up to be honest. They do seem less inflamed than they were but the disease just seems to have flared up recently, my gums and teeth never really bothered me before (hence the lack of urgency in getting treated!) but now they're feeling a bit achey and swollen in some places. So I'm a little skeptical and worried that the disease is just progressing too fast to stop!

Have you been given any antibiotics at all? I haven't and was just wondering whether they might help as the disease seems so 'active' at the moment. I'll ask the dentist at the next visit.

And how are you finding the partial denture? Are you adapting to it ok? I'm sure it won't be long before I'll be needing something similar. Hope your bone graft works out; implants are something to look forward to (and save up for!).

It is good to know that I'm not alone so I'm looking forward to hearing how you get on. Really hope the cleaning sorts out your mobile tooth!

 

[greenwood]

Hi Skymonkey,

I'm sorry you are going through this. What a frustrating thing to have to deal with. Do you know the cause of your aggressive kind of gum disease? Could there be some other sort of medical issue behind it if you have been brushing and flossing daily for a while now and still have aggressive flares anyway? You mentioned that your gums and teeth didn't bother you before now... Did you know or suspect some sort of gum issue or was this a surprise because of the lack of pain? Did you have bleeding gums or other signs?

 

[olivacs]

So great to hear back from you. The dentist had me on amoxicillon right after I went for my consultation and before the extractions and then again immediately after the extractions. Since then I have not been on them. I feel similar with the deep cleaning..in fact the past few day i noticed my gums seem a bit sore. I think this is because they are re-attaching to the tooth and changing. I was quite concerned about this myself but when I look at them they really do seem to be shrinking and forming properly around the teeth again. I will ask tomorrow and let you know what they say. We can then ease both our minds about it. Have you tried salt water rinses? this may help if they feel inflamed a bit plus it will kill all bacteria hanging around. I do have to say the partial I have is not all that bad. It's just a pain to have to take it out at night and clean it and then put it back in at morning time. I finally have got the right fit for it last week I think...at least for now. I know there are supposed to be some drugs out there...antibiotics even that aid in severe gum disease but I haven't asked about them. I think one of them starts with a "p" but it escapes me right now. So what is your next step of treatment?

 

[Poppy36]

I'm in the same boat too, and in my 30's. It is very depressing (I really wish we could check in to hospital for a couple of weeks and come out with it all fixed don't you?) and I too find myself obsessing over it...it's just dreadful. I don't know as yet what my prognosis will be, but I imagine it will be the same. At least we are headed in the right direction now and taking care of the problem, it's far better than ignoring it any longer. How are you finding the deep cleaning? X

 

[olivacs]

So there are more than just a few of us in our 30's going thru this. What a comfort!
The deep cleanings for me have not been that bad thus far but today i have the section near my extraction site being done and i am terrified. Make sure they numb you before the cleanings because that helped me not feel a thing. I was sore for a day and it wasn't too bad. Every so often though I do experience sensitivity. Do you know how deep your pockets are...3, 4, 5.
Mine range from 3-5 but thus far only a small amount of them have been 5's and nothing higher i hope!!

I wish this were all over and still am mad for not following up with my dental care.

 

[skymonkey]

Hi all, just posting before I get off for the weekend, hopefully a few days with friends will be a good distraction from all this worry!

Went to the docs today as my cheek had a small lump in it, he thinks this is an enlarged lymph node due to infection and to keep an eye on it. Didn't seem concerned anyway so that's good. Gave me a prescription for amoxicillin in case any infection flares up again.

Greenwood- The consultant said that the aggressive nature of the disease is down to a susceptibility some people have. It's genetic so usually people know it's in their family, but I don't know of anyone in my family who has it. From what I understand, basically your body has an over the top immune response to plaque bacteria. So if you don't clean adequately and you have this susceptibility then the disease starts and progresses rapidly. Hormonal and dietary issues can make it worse which is why they think it got so bad during my pregnancies. Stupidly I've been sort of ignoring the issue and avoiding the dentist in this time, hence it's now pretty bad! I guess I still get flare ups because I have very deep pockets that I just can't clean myself.

Olivacs- Today my gums do seem to be settling down so I'm hoping they'll have shown some improvement. I think I have some very deep pocketing so deep cleaning won't be enough. The numbers read out during the exam ranged from 1 to 10!!!! It's good to hear that partials aren't too bad, I'm sure I'll need one soon.

Poppy36- Deep cleaning was ok, I've still got 3 more treatments to go. As long as you're well numbed up with local anaesthetic you won't feel any pain just discomfort. And, at least for me, it hasn't been particularly sore afterwards. Nothing to get too worried about anyway.

Ok well take care everyone and hope you all have a good weekend. Thanks so much for your support. We can get through this together
x

 

[olivacs]

Skymonkey,
Glad you went to get your lump checked out and he wasn't too concerned. Try to relax and have a great weekend with friends!

 

[Poppy36]

Olivacs - I don't know how deep my pockets are, I think I don't want to know....I wish this were all over too! My treatment starts a week today, so I'm still waiting to start.

skymonkey - glad the deep cleans are ok...I'm due in work half an hour after my first deep clean....hope the numbness wears off in time (or that I don't have to answer the phone lol). Hope you had a good weekend and managed to take your mind off it.

 

[olivacs]

Hi skymonkey and poppy36:

Just wondering how you guys are doing..This Thursday I have my fianl quad deep cleaned/scaled and once agoain my nerves are kicking in. I will be thankful once I complete it though as it will be another step closer to better dental health.
As for the numbness the 1st time I went it took about 3 hours to wear off, the 2nd time was about 30 minutes (no joke), the 3rd time was about 2 hours, so we shall see how long it is this time.

Best of luck to you both and update me on how you are doing!

 

[skymonkey]

hi all

olivacs-glad all's going well with you. i had my second quad yesterday and it seemed to take longer than the first. feels totally fine today though. really hoping some of the pockets respond to this treatment. i don't feel like there's much change to be honest, but we'll see. trying to stay positive though. i mean if i am going to lose my teeth i might as well make the most of the time i have left with them!

poppy36- the local anaesthetic wore off much quicker first time than yesterday, not sure why. took a few hours yesterday. it didn't affect my speech though, just gave me a wonky face! so phone calls should be ok.

mangomoon- so sorry to hear that you've been recommended so many extractions. i hope you aren't being forced to make a decision you are not happy with. with such a big decision i'd tend to agree with olivacs that a 2nd opinion would be wise, and definitely query deep scaling costs with other periodontists- surely they can't all be so expensive?

good luck everyone with any treatment/appointments. we'll get through this!
x

 

[olivacs]

skymonkey:
So glad to hear form you! I was concerned about how you were coming along. Glad your second quad is behind you and keeping my fingers crossed the pockets reduce for you. Keep up with the at home care as good as you are and I'm sure you will see improvement. I really just started to notice change in my gums on my upper teeth this past week. I finally feel like they are starting to look normal on top but the bottom really worries me as I know I had bone loss and some pockets are a bit deeper. Last quad for me tomorrow and my nerves are kicking in although not as bad as last week. My appt was supposed to be at 1pm but since then they called me with an earlier appt as someone cancelled. For that I am grateful to get it over with at 10am instead. Try to stay positive for yourself and please keep me posted on how things come along.

Poppy36 and mangomoon: Hope you are both coming along ok. please keep us posted

 

[Poppy36]

Hi all...well I had my appointment, it was just a review to talk about the x-rays. I don't know about depth of pockets or anything but the bone loss is very severe. with deep cleaning he says my bottom front teeth will maybe last another 10 years...which is not so bad I guess. I expected worse. But, I've got to have the upper 4 front teeth out and a partial. I'm going for deep cleaning on the 9th, and a review the following week to decide for definite what is going to be done, I suppose it will be taking an impression of gums or something?

I don't know exactly what kind of partial I'm having yet, but he did say nobody would be able to tell. I'm kind of happy because cosmetically I'm sure it will look so much better, but still worrying what if it doesn't, or doesn't look right, or falls out, etc. Plus there is actually going through having it done.

Hope you are all doing ok xxxx

 

[skymonkey]

Hi Poppy36
Great to hear from you, glad you got through the appointment ok. You sound positive, it is good to get some definite answers I guess. Are you alright? I'm got to wait 6 weeks for the verdict after my deep clean and the waiting will be tough....
It's interesting that you've been given a timeframe for your teeth. I also have severe bone loss but was just told my teeth wouldn't last my natural lifespan.
I'm sure the partial will be fine, obviously will take some getting used to, but as you say, cosmetically they are so good these days. Some of my front teeth are looking very strange now the gums have receded loads after the deep clean. Luckily I don't have a gummy smile so it's not too obvious, but I can definitely see the advantages of a partial from a cosmetic point of view.
It's good that you can get stuck into a treatment plan now. I'm still toying with transferring to private care, but at the same time thinking I'm going to have to spend so much on dental hygienists, dentures etc in the future I might as well stay with the NHS for the time being...
Keep us updated with your progress. Sounds like you have a good dentist
x

 

[olivacs]

So nice to hear from my dental buddies that share the same tribulations as I do.
Poppy36: The partial won't be too bad. I have one for my bottom front teeth because of the bone loss I had. It does take a while to get used to but your dentist is right, no one can really tell. The biggest pain is having to put it in and remove it every night, and cleaning it. I wish it were a more permanent fixture for me.
The deep cleaning is not so bad. Actually thought it would be worse!

Skymonkey: Like I said earlier, have my fingers crossed that your deep cleaning results will be good.

Doesn't it seem weird to see our teeth wothout any build-up. almost hard to get used to..LOL