Receeding Gum on one tooth

Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
2
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.

IMG_20140609_193523.jpg

Chris
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2014
Messages
151
Hmm. That's quite a pocket. I think it's definitely worth a visit to the dentist to determine if this is just a tissue problem or if the bone underneath is involved. No over the counter remedy will be able to address this.

Best of Luck
 

Vote:
Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
2
Thanks for the advice.

I went to the dentist yesterday, no sign of tooth/bone problems or gum disease and no increased sensitivity. I've got quite a packed mouth of teeth so they think the gum may have simply become fatigued from the wisdom tooth straining the gum at the back, and just slipped loose. Nothing they can do about it, so just a case of keeping it as clean as possible and see how it goes between now and my next check general up in a couple of months.

If anyone else sees my pic and has something that looks similar do go to the dentist, mine talked me through possible causes/potential issues and how best to clean it.

Tips that they gave me, if you struggle to get an appointment straight away -

1. Get an 'Interspace' Tooth Brush - they have a long thin handle which curves at the top and has a tiny tough set of bristles, so you can get into the pocket and behind the wisdom tooth to scoop any debris out and clean below the gum.
2. Dunk the above brush in a strong mouthwash, so that you can get that right down behind the gum.
I've been doing this the last 48 hours and it actually works really well at cleaning out the pocket.
3. If the above doesn't work for you my dentist recommended getting a medicine syringe, like what you use for putting medicine in babies mouths, and use it to flush mouthwash deep into the pocket and clear out anything stuck in there.

If the above doesn't help and you start getting pain then it's possibly a case of wisdom tooth removal, which is obviously a last resort and not just a little painful if tooth is still very secure.
 

Vote:
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
1
This looks from the photo to be a wisdom tooth. Healthy teeth have a layer of gum around the collar of the tooth called “ keratized tissue”. It is pink in color, thicker, and stronger and you can see it around the neck of the tooth or two in front of your wisdom tooth.

By the time you get that far back in the mouth, you often only have the thinner “mucosal” tissue, which is vulnerable to detaching from the tooth. In my opinion, chances are this will always be an issue. Of course I would want to see an Xray first, but I suspect it would be more prudent to sacrifice the wisdom tooth than to try to deal with this situation as it recycles every so often. My recommendation would be to visit an oral surgeon to discuss and confirm the need for removal and what all is involved with this procedure.
 

Vote:

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
7,570
Messages
22,158
Members
11,351
Latest member
weekendmaid

Latest Threads

Top