Worried about the future of my teeth

[Section_31]

Ughh....

Im very self conscious about my mouth. I have perfect teeth in terms of how straight they are, no cavites, ect ect. Ive always been very up to par with taking care of them.

The problem is my gumline. Its receeding. Its been happening since about 2003 and its not good. Ive tried dietary changes, special toothpastes, ect and nothing seems to stop it. Im always gentle when brushing and not working it like im using sandpaper....

I just see how bad its getting, i dont like anyone else seeing, not even my wife.

Im scared by the time im 45-50 ill need dentures

Anyone else have this?

 

[Phoenixx]

I have a receding gumline in the front on the bottom. It's hereditary, since my mom had it and I believe her mother had it too. Neither of them took the best care of their teeth though, and now my mother is missing two of her bottom teeth. I try to take very good care of my teeth, and so far the receding has stopped. I hope it stays that way.

 

[Kinetik]

No, I'm lucky with my teeth. Have you tried going over this with a dentist to figure out the cause? The treatment varies based on that, from what I can gather.

 

[Section_31]

Aye, ive seen a few dentists about it. Unfortunately everything theyve recommended thus far hasnt had any effect.

Im not ready to give up though.

 

[Piece_By_Piece]

I don't have the same problem as you do, but I've surely got a big problem with my teeth. They are so yellow :/ They've always been. It really bothers me and keeps me from smiling, because I don't wanna show my teeth. Anyway, sorry I couldn't be of help.

 

[Feathers]

Piece, you can smile without showing teeth too
Some 'brown-ish' or 'yellow-ish' teeth can actually be healthier than 'perfect white'!
A friend with 'white' teeth had false teeth at 30!! (She had some very unhealthy eating habits and health problems/possibly eating disorder and such - and eg brushed teeth after throwing up, which is very bad for teeth!!)
She's still 'hot' and pursued by guys whenever she's single (?)
Her health improved once she got the dentures actually (?)
The dentures can be a bit annoying (she was devastated when had to get them!), but apparently - survivable??
(And no one needs to know-??)

I've heard some antibiotics (meds) taken as a baby can make teeth more yellow-ish/brown too?
Most people don't even notice these things though... (unless you're trying to be eg a supermodel with photos of teeth or such)

I've been worried about my teeth at times too... (and panicked when was told gumlines were receding in my mid-20s also, the dentist had a way of scaring people - btw I still have all the teeth I had then, I feared many would fall out before that and had recurring nightmares about it etc) a friend reassured me a bit, her dad was in the teeth biz - so I suggest you talk to someone calming maybe?

most people where I live have had problems with gums at some point in their life - my dad sure has had this (and is only getting 'real' dentures now after 60+: he's using the stick mixer a lot! ) even some dentists have had problems with gums... some relatives got false teeth after 50, and actually 'preferred' it that way?? (no toothache anymore, said grandma, and happily munched on cookies??)

it can be tricky to get the nutrition 'right'... and may need adapting... vitamin C can be important...
(it's not good to brush teeth after 'acid' fruit/food though...) so yeah, it can get a bit annoying, what to eat etc... I haven't quite figured it out yet either, some people recommend some herbal teas etc...

G., you're lucky you have good teeth otherwise!! I'm sure your wife will still love you no matter what!!
2 of my Grandpas had practically no teeth later on in life (and didn't tolerate dentures well!!) we still loved them LOTS!!! (and they managed to eat almost everything - what they couldn't, they spit out, or adapted food habits...) I think for your job you don't need 'perfect teeth' on job description??

a friend was dating a much younger girl and he was worried about his gums too, she didn't mind it at all - ?? (most people are not as obsessed about teeth as some of us can be, at least I'm speaking for me personally )

it can be good to have separate dishes for salad at the table etc, and if you have kiddies to not put stuff in your mouth to 'clean' like some parents do etc. (bacterias can transfer this way, I read, I think...)

It's good to do what you can, most likely your teeth will stay okay for at least a while though (and I think too much stress can make things worse too?) so I try not to worry about it (too much) hehe

Woo, I googled up some forums for people who have fear of dentists or such too!

Take care & ((Hugz))

 

[Section_31]

Feathers, your so great!. Very useful info on here .

Can we start calling you the oracle?

 

[kihira]

You probably don't smoke, but just to add to the information here:

Tobacco Use Increases the Risk of Gum Disease

 

[Section_31]

ha, thats correct. i dont smoke

 

[Feathers]

hehe I'm just older & wiser
(and have had a lot of relatives with bad teeth )

It's still good to do all you can - just to relax and take a deep breath too...
/I've given up on becoming Miss World or next Nicole Kidman or such so Lady Oracle will do just fine haha - oh wait no, I googled that and it's already taken, and not in a good way!!/

Think about all the cool things you can still do with or without teeth writing with cool people online is definitely one of these things... (and chocolate! ahhah lol!!)
I try to stay away from sugar & cookies for teeth health (when I can) so yeah haha..

Some people do get gum aches after dentures (if they don't fit well) or they need to be repaired etc, it can also be less hassle than with 'real teeth'... (if they fit well) Most say to keep your own teeth as long as possible... Some people get dental implants these days, maybe ask about them too?

Overall, it may be good to write down any possibly remaining fears, and ask any people who have had dentures/gum disease and dentists/experts about it?

Disclaimer: possible TMI (don't read if you're easily queasy): I think it's crazy that where I live there are 3 year waiting lists for dentures, and my dad was told to 'get 'em now' or in 3 years next! (Wouldn't it be wiser to let him wait as long as he can still eat with own teeth?)
The friend with dentures told me to 'sign up now' a few years ago already when she was getting hers (I was sceptical about that lol and haven't signed up yet and don't intend to for a while - I hope).
If you ever had teeth pulled, teeth are strong with long roots (at least mine) so I'm counting on that too!

Sorry if this is TMI (I sometimes couldn't listen to people talking about teeth too)

PS I'm enjoying the dental fear forums, it's good to know heavy dudes with tattoes and ex-marines have had fear of dentists too!!

WOW, there are even 'dental phobia certified dentists' worldwide (I didn't know anything like that existed?? Possibly not in our country tho, hm? yet? /wants to find one/)

Thank you for starting this thread, I'm learning lots of interesting & important things as I go along (& google for amusement & info!) It's easier than looking at these things alone!

 

[Section_31]

TMI? theres nothing in there that was TMI!

ANd your STILL the oracle!!! Mods! give her that title in her sig!

 

[Lea]

I read that Coenzyme Q10 is good for paradentosis.

 

[Feathers]

lol Gunman good to know it's been helpful

mods please no, haha (I see I got to 'neutral' status now, quite happy with it!! )

Lea, never heard of that before! Interesting! (I've heard of sage tea and such, and I've done salt rinses/brushed teeth with salt.. not sure how good that is for the teeth tbh.. I've read salt can kill bacteria so hm? I muchly prefer salt taste-wise, rather than toothpastes, double-check with any dentists though.. my dad has used salt or diy powders before, I couldn't understand why until I tried it the taste is soo much better.. again, not sure how good it is for actual tooth health.. I've had troubles with some toothpastes/when switching before... some people also wrote online they could have 'food sensitivity' to toothpastes-?)
been too lazy to use sage tea on a regular basis though... (except when I had sore throat) I keep meaning to lol! (I've heard a few different 'recipes' so it can be a bit confusing) maybe I could start a 'regime' again hm?

again, double check any of this, it's just hearsay and herbal books (and my mum) and such..

 

[Lea]

There are special teeth powders for brushing instead of toothpaste, but it´s rather for whitening because it contains soda, my mother uses it. Brushing teeth with soda works similary as air-flow (the sand they use is actually just soda as I was told). But I don´t know what this should do with receding gums? I don´t know what to do about it, only I read that people have great results with the Coenzyme Q10.

 

[sillyrabbit231]

I hate my teeth. It's crooked and a bit yellow. yes it's disgusting right?

 

[Illusions]

Some 'brown-ish' or 'yellow-ish' teeth can actually be healthier than 'perfect white'!
A friend with 'white' teeth had false teeth at 30!! (She had some very unhealthy eating habits and health problems/possibly eating disorder and such - and eg brushed teeth after throwing up, which is very bad for teeth!!)
She's still 'hot' and pursued by guys whenever she's single (?)
Her health improved once she got the dentures actually (?)
The dentures can be a bit annoying (she was devastated when had to get them!), but apparently - survivable??
(And no one needs to know-??)

I've heard some antibiotics (meds) taken as a baby can make teeth more yellow-ish/brown too?
Most people don't even notice these things though... (unless you're trying to be eg a supermodel with photos of teeth or such)

I've been worried about my teeth at times too... (and panicked when was told gumlines were receding in my mid-20s also, the dentist had a way of scaring people - btw I still have all the teeth I had then, I feared many would fall out before that and had recurring nightmares about it etc) a friend reassured me a bit, her dad was in the teeth biz - so I suggest you talk to someone calming maybe?

All along I've been frustrated that my teeth aren't white as I'd like even though I do take care of them. That's interesting to know.

 

[Feathers]

My dad made his own DIY powder from 'burnt' eggplant and salt... (he found it in a book on healthy food he had black teeth then though! lol - he then switched to 'just salt' I think...)
I read that soda can be 'harsh' on the teeth (or hair), so if teeth (or hair) are not so great, it may be better to stay away... same for 'whitening' powders/toothpastes, I just don't use'em...
not sure about salt, some people online have said it could be a bit abrasive too? check with a dentist if you can - maybe depends how strong your enamel is too? I try not to brush harshly/too much...?
salt has been used in 'old times' according to some people to clean teeth too (?) similarly like soda...
I don't know which would be more abrasive, salt or soda, there seem to be different opinions on this online (?) haven't personally tried soda yet..

some foods (like red wine or coffee, some tea, cocoa...) can 'color' teeth (that's for someone who woried about colored teeth before) so one can choose to stay away, or some food can 'de-color' the teeth then... or you can drink white wine instead of red, if this might be a problem (or stay away ) though red is said to be healthier-?

I've switched to salt because I wanted to go 'wastefree' and more 'natural' and I read that someone was using some other stuff for 'anti-bacterial' treatment (ginigivitis - inflamed gums - is usually caused by bacterial plaque, if you read up on it) I wasn't comfortable with colloidal silver or such (some people went grey with that-??) thought salt would be a good substitute maybe-? (since salt is also 'anti-bacterial')
Some 'home recipes' to help gums online talk about salt too... (?) I don't know how trustworthy they are lol.. Some people just gargle salt water... (?) (when there is a cold too)

hope this isn't TMI lol

 

[Feathers]

All along I've been frustrated that my teeth aren't white as I'd like even though I do take care of them. That's interesting to know.

Yeah, my teeth are not 'pearly bright' either - most people don't even notice it tho - even flatmates who lived together... (?)
It was quite reassuring to find out these things... At least 'something'! haha

you may wanna ask your mum/parents/relatives if you got any strong antibiotics as a kid/little baby and if the doctor said anything about coloring the teeth also?
Trust me your parents were more concerned about keeping you alive than about any 'teeth color'!! And there are MANY more important characteristics in a person!!

 

[CyclingSoPhob]

I've read somewhere online about a simple operation where the gum is slit and a sliver of gum tissue from another part of the mouth is used to raise the gumline. It sounds painful but it may be something to look into. As long as the dentist gives you painkillers during and after the operation it shouldn't be too bad.

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

My teeth are crooked and soft and filled with cavities even though I brush 3 times a day.

I think it is so common to have dentures and dental sciences are always improving; so by the time you're 40-50-60 and may need some; you could be pleasantly suprised!

You are lucky to have nice teeth now, Gunman. Enjoy them while you can. Eventually we'll all need dentures.