gingivitis...fillings..

Thanks for the reply. I understand it probably sounds like I don't care for my teeth, but I do. I was terrible when I was younger so that's the main reason I can think of the need for so many fillings now. I brush them twice a day now, every day, sometimes 3-4 times a day (maybe one day a week).

The problems with my gum all started after I used crest whitening strips, maybe it's a coincidence but my gums were healthy until then. Its good to know the cleaning will help them. Thank you.

Phoenix Park wrote: »

dee, if you need fillings, better off getting them done, without them the decay slowly but surely progresses through the teeth until you get a toothache some day, and then its usually root canal treatment or an extraction!

Almost every day dentists see someone in pain who also attended 1/2/3 years or whatever prior to this, they were advised to have a cavity/cavities filled but didn't come back to get the work done, and now they need root canal treatment (time consuming and expensive) or worse still the tooth removed. Get the treatment done if you can, it will stand to you in the long run, and definitely note the advice above re diet (reducing sugar that causes decay and flossing/cleaning).

All the best.

Thanks very much for this. The dentist said two of them are urgent, so I'll probably try get those two done in the next month or so. The others might have to wait a while after checking my bank balance unfortunately.

I really don't consume that much sugar - I hate sugary food/sugar in general, don't eat sweets or anything like that, so the only sugar intake would be sugar that's already added to food I eat. I will definitely take the advice and start flossing regularly.

Can anyone recommend the best kind of toothbrush I should be using? I'm using soft headed colgate ones at the minute. Would an electric one be a better investment?

Thanks again!

CyberJuice wrote: »

you can get mouth washes that will help with the gum disease.. go check your chemists and use the mouthwash for a couple weeks twice a day,u dont need a perscription they are just on the shelf next to all other dental products..

you can get corsodyl or oraldene mouthwashes

try stop etaing much chocolate if you eat alot,also same with fizzy drinks and sugar in tea coffee etc..high acidic fruit juices also should be cut down on..you dont want to end up needing a partial denture so cut out as much sugar as possible and get te dentist to give u a good cleaning you wont regret it

if you need to get a big filling done id recomend gettin a black one as the white ones tend to take a long time to settle and they dont seem to be as strong as the black ones

i had 2 black ones removed around christmas time and replaced with white ones, i still cant really eat properly as any time a drink touches the teeth i get some sensitivity and when im chomping down on food it can also hurt,i should have just left the black fillings in,i went back to the dentist and he just said that its the way white fillings are,they can take up to 6 months or a year to settel in and stop hurting..

I was using corsadyl for a while there but read online it wasn't safe to use it longer than a month, so I stopped. Actually mentioned it to the dentist today and he said it would be fine to use it for up to 2 months so might get another bottle of it. I'm booked in to get my teeth cleaned with him in less than 2 weeks and will probably book the fillings that day (I think i'd be better to get my teeth cleaned before the fillings incase of sensitivity?)

I rarely eat chocolate, maybe one bar a month. Never drink fizzy drinks at all, up until I was 14 I drank ridiculous amounts of them though...now I only drink 2 litres of water a day and juice with vodka the odd weekend i'm out..no other drinks at all (no tea/coffee/etc) I avoid sugary food/sweets as much as possible because I hate the taste of sugar.

Do you really think the black ones are worth it? I had a black one done but my mother told me not to get any more black ones because of mercury or something (im not too clued in about them..) I just wanted to go with whatever is the safer option! I think he is going to remove the one I have already and replace it (its part of the 5 I need done)

I feel very disappointed in myself. I know I didn't take great care of my teeth as a kid, up until my early teens...I genuinely thought I was doing enough by brushing twice a day every day and eating healthy.

How Strange wrote: »

Hi dee I've got periodontitis which I realised after the fact that it's from my mothers side of the family. Most of them have false teeth. Do any of your aunts, uncles or cousins have false or missing teeth? My 21 year old brother who attended an orthodontist up to very recently was told he has early signs of gum disease and he was fastidious about dental hygiene. I told him to tell the hygienist that it's in our family so she can keep an eye on him.

I floss using the little brushes and not dental floss. I floss everyday. I also use periokin mouthwash. My hygienist recommended it as it doesn't stain your teeth.

Now you know about your gingivitis you have to start looking after your teeth properly by flossing as well as brushing. If you smoke stop immediately as its the absolute worst thing you can do. If you don't smoke then certainly don't start now.

I get my teeth cleaned every 3 months and while that mightn't be necessary for you, perhaps discuss it with your dentist and make the next appointment before you leave the surgery.

I was so ashamed when I found out I was weeks from losing my teeth and thankfully everything has stabilised. However I attended a dentist for years for an annual check up and he used to take an x ray on each visit for a loose tooth but apparently he couldn't spot the signs of early gum disease. My dentist and specialist both said it started in me around 16 as it was very advanced by 32.

The main thing now is to focus on the future and invest your time into establishing and maintains good and effective dental hygiene.

Thanks for your reply! To be honest, I don't really know about my dads side of the family as I don't speak to them. My aunts/uncles on that side of the family had bad teeth but to be honest I don't think they took care of them (most were/are heavy smokers and coffee/tea drinks, as well as that I don't think they ever followed the "brush twice a day" rule!) On my moms side of the family I know both my mom and my aunt have a lot of problems with their teeth, but I don't think its gum problems. I'll ask tomorrow just to be 100% sure.

I bought little disposable floss brushes in Dunnes a while back, on one side they have floss and the bottom is shaped almost like a toothpick..very handy. I felt they were easier for me to use/remember to use because they're small and I can carry them in my handbag then dispose of them when I use them.. but I felt like the floss on them was too "thick" for in between my teeth if that makes sense? Maybe I just needed to get used to them better. After that I went and got Oral B floss in Dunnes, I think its called satinfloss or something like that... its thinner and easier to get between my teeth, but it doesn't seem to do the job as well as it should!

Would getting my teeth cleaned every 6 months or so be enough/okay? I don't know if I can afford every 3 months! By the way I don't smoke and definitely don't plan on it. I come from a family of heavy smokers and it has put me right off, thankfully!

I feel guilty that I avoided the dentist for so long, but honestly I just couldn't face it before. After I got that tooth pulled (it was a horrible experience even thinking of it now gives me the shivers) I had nightmares about teeth on and off for about two years. I didn't view the dentist as a health care provider, like a doctor or a nurse, but as an enemy.

The practice I went to today seems to be much better and have lots of recommendations on boards (thats how I found them) so hopefully I will have a better relationship with my new dentist.