Health anxiety and possible periodontitis. Scared.

[alwaysworried101]

Hello, all. I am a 29-year old male who has had some form of gingivitis for the past 6 years or so. I remember my dentist pointing it out back then, but didn't pay much attention because it said I should just brush my teeth properly and see her regularly. Basically, my gum line, where the gums and teeth meet, are kinda reddish.

I have diagnosed health anxiety, but haven't been really worried about dental problems even with this until now. I think being stuck at home, pandemic and all, has made me more focused on my body.

Ever since I was a kid, I have always been told by dentists that I have the perfect set of teeth. I never had the need to wear braces. I never had a toothache in my life. Over the past 6 years, I've seen maybe around 3 different dentists all of whom said that I really have nice teeth but "yeah, you're gums in the front are a bit irritated, but they're mild. So I'll just clean this and then you do this and that so they'll improve."

I'm so frustrated because nothing hasn't changed much. I just want to reverse the inflammation and turn my gums into perfect pink. In a way, the problem hasn't gotten any worse. It's just that, the inflammation hasn't gone away completely.

Okay, I understand I do have some problems with my dental habits:

1. For the longest time, I've always brushed my teeth less than 30 seconds with the vertical technique only. Please don't judge me. I do this because I have this wrong mentality of "the lesser I brush, the lesser I harm my teeth with all the movement so they won't bleed."
2. I rarely floss. I only floss whenever there's food stuck in my mouth.
3. I rarely do mouthwash. And if I do, I only gargle it in my mouth for like 10-15 seconds.

I've had some blood tests and all for other unrelated dental issues and they all come back fine. I don't have any bleeding problems that I know of.

Anyway, it's been a week since I've consciously altered my dental habits. I've been brushing for two minutes, been using mouthwash for 30 seconds, and been flossing regularly. I haven't been bleeding since I started doing these except for tonight, I saw some blood when I spat.

I know I need to see my dentist to do more deeper and more professional cleaning, but with the pandemic, they only accept dental emergencies for the time being so I guess I have to wait. It's been more than a year since I last saw a dentist.

I do think with the long time that this has been going, I do think it's some sort of periodontitis already. Is there hope for me to somehow make my mouth healthier? I feel it's the end of the world.

 

[Dr M]

Good day Alwaysworried101.

Firstly..don't despair!
In the beginning when trying to alter your brushing and flossing habits, it can be completely normal for it to bleed. Remember, your gums are inflamed and with inflammation, comes bleeding. The most important thing to do is to continue, since the inflammation will disappear and the bleeding will become less and less.
If you're worried about damaging your gums when brushing too hard, I recommend an Ultra Soft tooth brush for all my patients. A lot of them tell me that they feel it doesn't clean their teeth as well as they feel it should, but that is not the truth. With the correct frequency and technique, it does the job just fine. If you brush too hard, with a toothbrush that has hard bristles, it can actually damage your gums and teeth even more and lead to bleeding.
Give it some more time to see if the altered habits make a difference.
With regards to periodontal disease, it will be difficult to give you an opinion about that, since a periodontal examination and xray might be needed.
In the mean time, just continue your good oral hygiene habits. The fact that you made this decision is already a step in the right direction.
The next step will be to see a dentist again for a thorough cleaning and examination, since sometimes, if we don't floss and brush as we should, especially in the lower anterior region, plaque can become mineralized and then unfortunately it becomes very difficult to remove with a normal toothbrush, causing constant irritation and bleeding.
If you have underlying health conditions such as hypertension or diabetes or even certain hormone fluctuations, this could lead to hyperinflammation and this could then be investigated if all else fails.
Stay positive!