Hi,
Looking for some initial advice before I book an short notice day off work (hard to get at my job) and an urgent dentist appointment.
2 - 3 days ago the gum around my lower right back tooth has completely pulled away leaving a decent sized gap. Picture attached.
I had a dentist appointment about a month back and some work done on 2 of the other back teeth (other side top and bottom) due to some decay near the gum line - my jaw sits very close and tight to the back teeth so I struggle to get a brush round the back of the teeth.
My dentist advised me to brush more thoroughly at the back due to the difficult angle and also use my finger with toothpaste on to get more round the back teeth. I don't think I brush too heavily and I use a soft-bristle brush, but I might have been subconsciously brushing harder than before because of the dentist warning me I need to get behind the teeth more to prevent any more issues.
I've also had to pull back the cheek when using my finger to get toothpaste behind the tooth and rub it in, so concerned this may have strained the gum until it has been pulled away.
Up until a few days ago I'd not noticed any discomfort or signs of change in the gum and I've just woken up one morning and found the gum had pulled away when I went to brush.
I'm really looking to get some advice as to if this looks like a case of me brushing to vigorously and putting strain on the gum by forcing my finger round to the back teeth, and if it is whether there is something simple/over the counter I can do/get to nurse it back to health, or if it is more likely to be some level of gum disease that needs proper dental/medical treatment.
Worth noting none of my other teeth show any sign of this (and I've started checking really carefully the last 48 hours), although this seems to have appeared very quickly.
As it stands food and saliva is getting in there and while I can kinda get the brush bristles in the gap and can gargle water/mouth wash in the area it goes deep and I know I'm not getting everything out, which just means more risk of decay below the gum line.
I'm hoping by getting this some advice in the first few days I can try some preventative measures or get an emergency appointment with my dentist if it is something serious.
Cheers for any advice.
Chris
Looking for some initial advice before I book an short notice day off work (hard to get at my job) and an urgent dentist appointment.
2 - 3 days ago the gum around my lower right back tooth has completely pulled away leaving a decent sized gap. Picture attached.
I had a dentist appointment about a month back and some work done on 2 of the other back teeth (other side top and bottom) due to some decay near the gum line - my jaw sits very close and tight to the back teeth so I struggle to get a brush round the back of the teeth.
My dentist advised me to brush more thoroughly at the back due to the difficult angle and also use my finger with toothpaste on to get more round the back teeth. I don't think I brush too heavily and I use a soft-bristle brush, but I might have been subconsciously brushing harder than before because of the dentist warning me I need to get behind the teeth more to prevent any more issues.
I've also had to pull back the cheek when using my finger to get toothpaste behind the tooth and rub it in, so concerned this may have strained the gum until it has been pulled away.
Up until a few days ago I'd not noticed any discomfort or signs of change in the gum and I've just woken up one morning and found the gum had pulled away when I went to brush.
I'm really looking to get some advice as to if this looks like a case of me brushing to vigorously and putting strain on the gum by forcing my finger round to the back teeth, and if it is whether there is something simple/over the counter I can do/get to nurse it back to health, or if it is more likely to be some level of gum disease that needs proper dental/medical treatment.
Worth noting none of my other teeth show any sign of this (and I've started checking really carefully the last 48 hours), although this seems to have appeared very quickly.
As it stands food and saliva is getting in there and while I can kinda get the brush bristles in the gap and can gargle water/mouth wash in the area it goes deep and I know I'm not getting everything out, which just means more risk of decay below the gum line.
I'm hoping by getting this some advice in the first few days I can try some preventative measures or get an emergency appointment with my dentist if it is something serious.
Cheers for any advice.
Chris