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Worried my gingivitis is going to progress to periodontitis.

L

Lordofthedance

Junior member
Joined
May 7, 2019
Messages
14
Location
Belgium
So I finally went to the dentist yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I thought: both the hygienist and the dentist were nice, calm people, who didn't point the finger and helped me relax. Apparently, I have mild gingivitis, one cavity and I grind my teeth at night. I was told to use a mouthwash, so they could remove the build-up of tartar in two weeks. I was also told to floss. The only problem is: I cannot reach between my teeth, cause they're too close together. Also, I'm a bit afraid of using floss, since I have a little iron wire at the back of my lower teeth. I once got floss stuck there and had to get a new wire. I told the dentist about the narrow spaces between my teeth and she told me it would improve once I had the tartar removed. I'm still worried though: I fear that if I don't floss in these two weeks, my gingivitis will only worsen.

Also, there's the problem of the bruxism: I don't think I have done it previous to a few weeks ago when I started stressing about my teeth. Yet I can't stop panicking, thinking the dentist missed something and worrying that things will only go more downhill, in the next two weeks. The waiting is really stressing me out. I have had two terrible nights, where I barely got any sleep and my whole body seems to ache when I lay down. Also, I don't have a mouth guard or anything, so I'm unsure of how to stop grinding my teeth when I'm unconscious.
 
The dentist is right, at the moment you have tartar bunging up the gaps between your teeth, flossing and a scaling by the hygienist will improve this and make it even easier to get the floss in in future, which will in turn help to make sure you don't get gum disease.
Avoid the metal wire with the floss, ask your hygienist to show you an alternative means of cleaning in this area, something like a TePe brush will do it better and not risk damaging the wire.

Somebody on here posted that the best tip they'd had about night time clenching was just to remind yourself about not clenching before going to sleep, it seemed to work. Mild bruxism from time to time doesn't really do any harm, so try not to worry about it overmuch. It won't make all your teeth fall out or anything like that :)
 
So, I just had a check-up at the dentist and was diagnosed with gingivitis. I have a deep cleaning scheduled in two weeks. I have a lot of tartar build-up and I'm extremely anxious about this moving on into more dangerous territory e.g.: periodontitis in the weeks to come. I can't really floss, due to a lot of tight spaces in between my teeth. I can only really brush and eat/drink healthy and it makes me feel powerless to stop this stupid infection. It just feels like a vicious cycle at this point. I do have a strong type of mouthwash, but I'm not sure if that will fully do the trick if I don't floss. For the past two days, I have woken up with foul breath and it's making me feel extremely self-conscious. I used to pride myself on my minty fresh breath whenever I brushed. This infection is honestly taking up a lot of my energy, to a point where I can't really focus on anything else anymore and feel drained constantly. I know that it is pretty standard for dental procedures to be spread out over a certain amount of time, but I kinda wish my teeth had been cleaned already. People tell me to quit worrying and that it's gonna be okay, but those people aren't dentists...
 
I am so sorry for repeating half of my story. I meant to start a new thread.
 
Gingivitis doesn't progress to periodontitis in a few weeks. Maybe a couple of decades. Nobody knows why some people move from gingivitis to periodontitis, so it's entirely possible that in your case it never happens at all... I've seen people who haven't brushed their teeth AT ALL for decades who only have gingivitis :)

About 90% of the population has gingivitis in at least a few areas of their mouths...
 
Thank you for always replying to my anxiety-ridden requests. I am going through a lot of stress at the moment. Rationally I know that I was seen by professionals, they saw my x-rays and they know their stuff, but there's just always this little nagging voice going: "What if?"
 
Lord of the dance,

Sounds like you have some positive momentum built up but really it is hard not to worry and what if between appts.. even if you are reassured , anxiety can do that. Go easy on yourself, you are doing amazing with all this.. and keep writing here.. :). If you feel extra nervous about it anyway to see about cancels that might come up before the 2 weeks.? working for a medical clinic I know we get things that come up for people, sickness, late meetings at work, out of town emergencies.. maybe you can get in earlier and relieve your mind? not sure if your own schedule would allow but its a thought?
 
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