You are in the EXACT same situation I was in years ago. Well, my teeth were never perfect at any point, but never had any cavities. But my reply here is basically what I would say to myself back then. For some background, I just got upper and lower partial dentures for all my front teeth. I think a lot these days about wishing I could go back and change things, make different choices. Perhaps I can at least help you avoid my situation.
The result of putting off the treatment is never going to be anything but a worse situation that it would have been had you went in for treatment earlier. And you will eventually HAVE TO face up to the situation and the longer you wait the less options (and the more expensive) it will all get.
They can actually do quite a bit to treat receding gums, even if they have gotten bad. Having regular deep cleanings can help prevent the need for dentures/implants by years. The deep cleanings help stop the bone loss.
At the very least, you need to have a professional assess your situation and give you your options, even if like me, you are just burying your head in the sand.
I know now in hindsight that I was just avoiding facing up to the reality of the worsening situation, but let me tell you the shame and regret of letting it get worse and worse when you look back and realize you could have actually done something to slow down the damage — that is far worse than facing up to the reality. Trust me!
Also, I now look back and realize all those times where I thought things were "so bad" and "beyond hope", I actually could have done something to salvage the situation had I faced the reality and gotten treatment.
I kept thinking the situation would accelerate and force me to face up to it, but instead things got visibly worse very slowly (and I had no major pain), but the unseen damage (bone loss) was getting worse and worse.
You will eventually have no choice but to have this taken care of, but the longer you wait the less options you'll have. And you'll look back and say "if only I'd gone in back X years ago!".
I feel very dumb and ashamed for waiting so long, and for not staying on top of the treatment once I finally did go in. All that avoidance did me no good in the end, and just made the eventual situation I had to face more severe, expensive and left me with less options.
There's a good chance things aren't as bad as you think they are, but the longer you avoid finding out the truth, the more likely they actually will get as bad as you are fearing.
If I would have just gone in each time I thought, "oh man, this is bad", I would have actually been able to get the situation under control. It sounds like you are where I was a few years before I actually went in for the assessment. I would give anything to be able to go back and be able to go in and have things treated back at that stage!
There will still be damage, but the sooner you go in the better they can manage it.
Make an appointment first thing tomorrow. Trust me on this, you will be so glad you did.
