red gums

[Guest]

Ooo I know that feeling with the fingernail scraping. I'm always doing that especially along the gumline to try and remove plaque. I could get loads off and it would always come back within a couple of hours, and it smells horrible too

When I used the corsodyl a lot it seemed to be much better, but after hearing it's not good to use it for too long I'm trying a week-on-week off cycle. A few days into my week-off and I think I'm noticing more of the plaque coming back.

I'm feeling a bit nervous this morning. I've just realised that this time next week I'll have the dentist tomorrow. Aaaahhhh! It's still a while away but the reality of actually going is starting to set in now. Before it felt so far off it seemed like it was never going to happen lol.

Faye

 

[Guest]

Hi

i just read a message from faye and i had a tear in my eye i am going through the sama as you. I havent been to the dentist for about 6 years because i am terrified of dentists. I have a build up of tartar behind my bottom front teeth, i really want to have good teeth so i bought a electric toothbrush which is great but i cant get rid of the tartar thats there and of course my gums our red too. I was so scared to go to the dentist because i dont know what to expect behind my teeth after the tartar has been removed all sorts goes throgh your mind like will my teeth be black and horrible. And also scared of what the dentist will think of me. I have got an appointment in two days time and am petrified but really want them nice and clean. Is it going to hurt and what will they do when i go.

thank you
Claire

 

[Guest]

hi its claire again sorry about my spelling i feel alot better already knowing im not the only one with this problem. Its horrible that you cant smile because your teeth look dirty

Thanks

 

[Guest]

Hi Claire-

If you are going in for a cleaning, it really does not hurt. Unfortunately, I believe a professional cleaning is the only way to remove the plaque once it becomes hard. If you are getting the root planing, again, there was no pain for me. But the dentist will go ahead and numb you. Honestly, it just felt like tooth cleaning.

As to what the dentist will say, hopefully you found a nice one who will treat you with kindness and respect. I was afraid, too, of what he might say so I cut him off at the pass and just told him I hadn't seen a dentist since I was a child. But he turned out to be very encouraging and congratulated me for getting in the door. I believe dentists have "seen it all", so a little plaque shouldn't scare them. If I had stumbled on a dentist that liked to browbeat his patients with humiliation, I would have never gone back for a second visit. Remember, you can get up and leave anytime you want.

-James

 

[Guest]

Hi Faye,

I'm almost certainly going to be having a root scaling and planing done at some point in the very near future, I'm not looking forward to it at all but great people on here have said it isn't too bad at all. I'm also expecting a few fillings as I haven't been to the dentist for years.

I just had a root planing and scaling done today. With no anesthesia at all as I am completely phobic about having any sort of numb feeling in my face. In all honesty it really wasn't bad. I brought my portable CD player with me and concentrated on the Vivaldi and taking deep slow breaths. It did help.

The worst part? At least for me was the noise. The ultrasonic scaler sounds like nails across a blackboard. I just hated that, but the music gave me something else to focus on in terms of sound.

Good luck with it.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Pansy That sounds like a really good plan to take music along, I think I might do that to try to take my mind off of it. I find I concentrate too hard on bad things and end up making myself feel worse, so that should really help.

Faye

 

[Guest]

Bit of an update

Morning!

Just wanted to wish everyone a good day and to update as to how my little story is going.

I'm still brushing and flossing twice every day, I haven't used any mouthwash for a week but I will when I eventually get some Listerine. Some of my gums are looking much better, the gums around the back of my mouth are looking very much pinker than they were a couple of months ago. However I still have some red patches. My bottom front teeth although they have had the tartar removed, still look red, though not as bad as before. The teeth at the side of the front four still have tartar on the front, and the gums under them are red so I'm wondering if this is preventing my front ones from getting better. Anyone have any experience of this? Also (it's a bit grim), when I push my gums on these lower teeth a very tiny bit of white stuff seems to seep out next to the tooth. I hope this is either me pushing plaque out from under the gum, or a sign that my immune system is sorting out the infection. Might need a bit of a deeper clean for these.

Also there is an area on one of my front top teeth that is red, though I can't see any tartar, and the gum above about 3 teeth around my canine tooth is still a bit red. The dentist removed the tartar from there three weeks ago I think.

I think I might buy some more of the chlorhexidine mouthwash and try to use that one week on and one week off. Does anyone know how long it could take for the red patches to clear up?

In the meantime I've just made another appointment, in three months time like the dentist said.

Anyway, best be off to do some work! Back soon!

Faye

 

[Guest]

Hi Faye - gum disease can be a bit of a bummer to get under control. It takes a while to develop, so you can't really expect it to go away overnight .

If you asked my honest opinion, I would say that it might be an idea to consult a dentist privately to help you get this under control (if finances allow). Dentists in the NHS system are under a lot of time pressure and as a result, you may not be able to get the best possible care.

Just going on your description, it is possible that you might need a deeper cleaning for the front teeth (though you shouldn't rely on "distance diagnostics" from a layperson, and I may be totally off the mark, lol). If you like, I can move this thread to the "Your Dentistry Questions Answered" section so that a dentist can chip in and give a more qualified opinion ...

 

[Guest]

Hi Faye,

your current dentist may see NHS as well as private patients. So it may be worthwhile giving him a call.

With regards to using Listerine (from another thread): "Listerine (or other alcohol-based mouthwashes) are NOT the best ones to use. Firstly, they dry out your mouth, leaving you more susceptible to tooth decay. Secondly, they don't just kill harmful bacteria, but also the good bacteria in your mouth. They have a negative impact on the mucosa (the membrane lining the inside of your mouth). Listerine does kill the bacteria involved in gum disease, but it has so many negative side-effects that the risks outweigh the benefits."

Take care.

G.

 

[Guest]

To be fair to Listerine, it does actually kill the bacteria which cause gum disease... for someone who isn't decay-prone, it could be a viable option... on the other hand, it's not as "powerful" as chlorhexidine. And it's not very kind on soft tissue.

Chlorhexidine isn't recommended for permanent use though (also because of the potential of staining teeth), so a 1 week on, 1 week off regime might be an idea, after you're finished with your prescribed course.

 

[Guest]

Hi Lets and G and thanks very much for the replies. If it is possible could this be moved to the Questions section?

I'd forgotten that Listerine wasn't the best, I think I will try the chlorhexidine again at some point. I think I might carry on the cleaning and flossing for a couple of weeks and see how that goes. Then I'm off on holiday for a week so after that if it's still not much better I'll try to get a private cleaning done. It's still loads better than it was, but there is still a lot of tartar around. Definately want to get rid of it

Thanks again,

Faye

 

[Guest]

I'm kind of coming in halfway through this since I didn't see the earlier thread.
To get proper healing the tartar has to be pretty thoroughly removed, if there are still chunks of it lying deep below the gum line then things won't get better.
Chlorhexidine is good but does stain teeth with prolonged use, as well as messing with the normal balance of organisms in the mouth. It's better to use a mouthwash that doesn't actually kill bacteria, just blocks the harmful byproducts.
Carry on with the cleaning and flossing for good, not just for a couple of weeks

 

[Guest]

Hi Gordon,

Thanks very much, I'll have a nose about for a better mouthwash to use. I admit that although covered in tartar, I only really noticed my teeth getting dirtier arount the front when I was using Corsodyl for a couple of months so I think it did stain them a bit. I'll definately be brushing and flossing twice a day for the rest of my days

I'm definately going to find out about the private cleaning after my holiday. I want to get rid of every last bit

Thanks again,

Faye

 

[Guest]

Good game plan - it's not really possible to get rid of that stuff by yourself, and the area can't heal properly if it's not removed. It can be hard to get a thorough cleaning on the NHS fee scale - which is a bit of a bummer...

Regarding mouthwashes, alcohol-free ones with chlorine dioxide dioxide are very good. In the UK, only one brand is available (over-the-counter) in pharmacies - Retardex (CloSysII). In the US, they're all mail-order only. Some brands include OxyFresh (also available in a fluoride version), CloSysII, and a few others (can't remember the names right now, but a google for "chlorine dioxide mouthwash" should bring them up).

 

[markande]

Same problem here...I have been worried a lot about receding gums, and even now I am...but I got the subgingival scaling done which removed a lot of plaque and also quit smoking...gums are back to pink color although recession is still there. but I try to forget about it and concetrate on keeping good oral hygiene.