bad gum disease!?

Question

how can i get help with my gum disease? any treatments out there that really work. i don't have the money to get the treatment done at the dentist. any suggestions of where or what i can use to help this?

Answer 1

This is not a substitute for proper treatment, but maybe it will buy you some time until you can get proper care.

Go here and click on the link about brushing, flossing, etc:

http://www.ada.org/public/games/animation/interface.asp

Also, add the use of a device to hold a toothpick to get under your gums. MOST adults have at least some degree of gum recession or pocket formation. I don't mean you are all walking around with flapping gums or anything, but most have pockets that would measure at least 3 mm deep. This is still considered healthy and normal by most standards. It is often a GOAL of periodontal treatment to get patients to the point where they have 3 mm pocket depths or less. The thing is, almost ALL of your teeth have concavities on the surface of the root once you get down to that level. Dental floss can only stretch from Point A to Point B and you simply can not force it to clean in any depression that exists between those two points. Go to this site and scroll down to the three "Large Tooth Models."
http://www.anatomy-resources.com/human-anatomy/sh292.htm God bless these people for accurately depicting this concavity on all three types of teeth. If you look carefully just beyond the point where the enamel ends, you will see that the root surfaces have slight dips in them - even on the incisor! This is the place where dental floss just can't clean.

Now go see what a Perio-Aid looks like at this site:

http://www.perio-aid.net/page2.html You will not find this in stores, but you may find something similar. Or, you can ask your dentist if he/she has Perio-Aids in the office. The web site does not really tell you how to use the Perio-Aid properly, but I can try. Load the thing as shown in illustration #2. Take the toothpick tip under your gum until you feel that you have bottomed out. Do not use any excessive force. You just want to get to the place where the gum attaches to the tooth. It SHOULD feel the same as it does where your skin joins your fingernail at the tip of your fingers. The exact same chemistry holds gums to teeth as holds skin to fingernails. Once you are touching bottom, just proceed around your tooth as if you are cleaning your fingernails, maintaining contact with the bottom of the pocket as well as the side of the tooth as you go. You should start all the way in the back of your mouth on the back of the back tooth and scallop around each tooth, tooth-by-tooth as you move towards the front of your mouth on the cheek sides of your teeth. Continue on around the arch. Once you get all the way to the other side, switch over so that you can clean the same teeth AGAIN, but by gaining access from the roof of your mouth. The toothpick can only go about half-way through the teeth and you need to clean them from both cheek side and palate side. After you are done with the uppers, of course, you will repeat the whole procedure with the lowers.

This will take a few minutes to do as you are learning, but eventually, it will only take about 2 minutes. When you first start to do this, it will most likely bleed. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THIS for the first 3-to-5 days. After the 5th-to-7th day, you should have virtually zero bleeding. If you still have bleeding, it is time to go ask your dentist what else needs to be done.

If you want to go even farther than this, mix up a paste with baking soda and fresh peroxide (regular peroxide) and carry that paste into the spaces between your teeth and gums with the Perio-Aid. Pick up a little on the toothpick before placing the toothpick in EACH PLACE you are about to clean.

Answer 2

One option would be to look for a Dental Hygiene school that is closest to you. In the mean time, it would be helpful for you to keep the bacterial levels low by brushing 3 times daily and flossing 2 times daily. Also use a mouth rinse, something without alcohol. I would suggest Crest Pro Health or some other type of rinse that is alcohol free. Going to a school to get work done takes time, but also saves money. The cost is a fraction of what it costs to get it done at your regular dentists office. Also, check with the office administrator at your dentists to see if they offer payment plans/credit options. Even if you can't do it in 2 appointments, try one appointment each month until everything is completed. It is slow going, but worth it. Periodontal disease (gum disease) is definitely serious and not to be ignored. There are several studies that link it to diseases such as heart disease and others. Let your dentist know you are serious about getting this treated and hopefully they will be able to help you out.
Good Luck!
RDH in WA

Answer 3

SPEND $40 AND BUY AND USE A WATERPIK IRRIGATOR.
THIS WILL NOT CURE GUM DISEASE BUT IT WILL MAINTAIN YOUR GUMS IN THE BEST SHAPE POSSIBLE UNTIL YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO GET THE CARE OF A DENTIST.
THIS MACHINE IS VERY EASY TO USE AND WILL MAINTAIN THE GUMS THEIR CLEANEST -- MUCH BETTER THAN FLOSSING.