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toothache?? gum recession?? i’m so scared

H

hannahxx

Junior member
Joined
Feb 19, 2021
Messages
3
Location
UK
hi everyone:) i’ve been reading threads here for a while, but only now brought up the courage to make an account and a post.

i’m just making this post to vent and also for some reassurance. i’m pretty scared right now and would really appreciate someone telling me it’s all going to be okay. (or if it isn’t going to be okay, what i should expect)

for the past week i’ve had a toothache in a lower front tooth. i can’t really identify what tooth exactly the pain is coming from, and it’s intermittent - i don’t usually feel it when i’ve first woken up in the morning... anyway, i have an appointment booked for next week but i’m sooo anxious about the state of my teeth. my gums are very recessed on the bottom. my gums used to bleed and i’ve had a deep cleaning treatment before (maybe 2 years ago?) - after that i bought an electric toothbrush and my teeth no longer bleed. i’m still extremely concerned about recession - lately my teeth have been feeling loose. i don’t think they actually are. i tried moving them in the mirror and i could feel some movement but i think it was just the illusion from my fingers pressing down. idk.... sometimes they’ll click but i read thahs normal for crowded teeth? there wasn’t really any visual movement.. i don’t think so anyway. i’m not sure.

lately i’ve been slacking with my dental hygiene (only brushing 1x per day, no flossing), but since i noticed my toothache i’ve been taking better care.

i’m only 21 so i probably don’t have advanced periodontitis, right? my gums aren’t swollen and don’t bleed, but they’re very recessed (in my opinion) - 3 or so years ago the dentist said i had mild recession but it’s definitely gotten worse since then. one tooth especially (the one that aches ;-;.) i thought maybe i was grinding my teeth and that was the cause of the pain, but i’m pretty sure i don’t.

i’m so scared that in the week before my appointment a tooth will fall out or something. this has been causing me so much distress... has anyone else been in a similar situation? what is likely to happen at my appointment? can this probably be managed with good at home care and deep cleaning, or will i need something more than that? i’m so scared or surgery or losing my teeth at my age. i feel so embarrassed that i let things get bad. i have adhd and was deeply depressed during my teen years and i didn’t take good care of my teeth. i’ve had braces before and i’m worried that that combined with the recession means i have bone loss and my teeth will fall out )));

i’m worried about the toothache too, i’ve never had a cavity before so i don’t really know if this is one. honestly though, i’m more worried about the state of my gums. both are causing me concern though aha.

sorry about how rambly this is. i’m coming down from a panic attack. honestly, i’m pretty tough in all other aspects of my life, health is just one area where i feel so powerless.
 
Hi hannahxx:welcome:,

nice to have you here, I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to post :)

It’s great that you plucked up the courage to schedule an appointment and that is the only thing that counts. Jumping straight to your fears: it’s very unlikely that you will lose any teeth and it is even more unlikely to have any serious problems at your age. Brushing 1x a day may not be the text book home care, but it’s still great. I have seen people who haven’t been brusing at all and their teeth could still be saved. By the way, I haven’t flossed at all until the age of 30 and was only brushing once a day (and even skipped flossing in the evening regularly, which is basically a crime!!!) and I was pretty ok, so neglected care doesn’t necessarily mean you will have problems. It is much more about how and what you eat.

Teeth move all the time. They are not grown in the bone, but rather hang there on small fibres, so if you press your finger against a toot and try to move it, you WILL find a degree of movement. Usually big enough to freak you out, but again, teeth are supposed to move a bit. Your teeth won’t fall out.

So for now, if you can, just try not to take your worries too seriously. You are having an appointment and will know what is or is not going on soon and if there is anything that needs to get fixed, your dentist helps you.

Your appointment will most likely be a check up. You can read about how that looks like here, but I suspect you are familiar with that since you have been to the dentist before.

Hope this helped to ease your mind a bit and fingers crossed for your appointment.

All the best wishes
 
Hi hannahxx:welcome:,

nice to have you here, I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to post :)

It’s great that you plucked up the courage to schedule an appointment and that is the only thing that counts. Jumping straight to your fears: it’s very unlikely that you will lose any teeth and it is even more unlikely to have any serious problems at your age. Brushing 1x a day may not be the text book home care, but it’s still great. I have seen people who haven’t been brusing at all and their teeth could still be saved. By the way, I haven’t flossed at all until the age of 30 and was only brushing once a day (and even skipped flossing in the evening regularly, which is basically a crime!!!) and I was pretty ok, so neglected care doesn’t necessarily mean you will have problems. It is much more about how and what you eat.

Teeth move all the time. They are not grown in the bone, but rather hang there on small fibres, so if you press your finger against a toot and try to move it, you WILL find a degree of movement. Usually big enough to freak you out, but again, teeth are supposed to move a bit. Your teeth won’t fall out.

So for now, if you can, just try not to take your worries too seriously. You are having an appointment and will know what is or is not going on soon and if there is anything that needs to get fixed, your dentist helps you.

Your appointment will most likely be a check up. You can read about how that looks like here, but I suspect you are familiar with that since you have been to the dentist before.

Hope this helped to ease your mind a bit and fingers crossed for your appointment.

All the best wishes

thanks for your kind reply.

I’m feeling a lot better about the situation right now, although I feel like i won’t be totally calm until i’ve had my appointment haha - my toothache is bothering me, and i’m still scared of looseness even if it’s irrational, but i’m working on it. I’m going to just try to keep up with my brushing and flossing and hope that any issues i have are fixable and inexpensive. I’ve been to this dentist office before, and all the staff seem friendly, but i’m still pretty nervous. glad i’ll be getting answers soon though:)
 
Hey there.

Sorry to hear you're so anxious. I'm in a similar situation right now with my teeth. I have periodontal disease and at my last cleaning it was noticed that my front bottom teeth are a little more wiggly than they should be. I'll definitely be getting it taken care of but I have to wait an entire month to see the specialist! So my anxiety is high as well. For every day I have to wait to see the specialist, I'm going to find something to look forward to. Even if it's something really small, like a movie I'm going to watch after work. That way when I find myself worried about my teeth I'll think of what I have to look forward to. Maybe that can help you?
I've learned recently that all teeth wiggle and are supposed to. Otherwise eating and talking would be hard. Try not to wiggle them. It will only make you worry more. You did the right thing making an appointment. Your teeth wont fall out on their own.
Take care and I hope I helped you at least a little.
 

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