My gums are receeding they are sensitive and bleed when i eat what is the best treatment?

Q. Hi There, I am 46 years of age i have hardly any decay in my teeth, however my gums have been receding over the past 2 years….I have attended regular check ups and cleaning appointments. My dentist has not given me much advice he say’s it’s where i smoked? but i also clean my teeth twice a day so maybe over brushing as well…Anyway they have receded and have very sensitive gums…They have got worse over the past few weeks. My main front tooth is loose and the next to it? My dentist still leaves dirt around my teeth after a cleaning consultation? Anyway i have not eaten properly for the past 2 weeks….as my gums are so sore…my dentist say’s thats what is to be expected?..My whole gum hurts and if i eat anything hard they bleed…Not right or good at all….He is trying to persuade me to have implants to replace my 2 loose teeth? …surly this is not correct? Sorry for wafaling on! My question is what is the best treatment? dentures, implants? at the moment i want all my teeth gone as i am suffering a great deal…I can not change my dentist as there are no dentists in my area available…My dentist is private,yet i have lost all faith in him?….can you give me any advice on gum treatment and tooth replacements. I don’t mind paying for the correct treatment and implants/dentures if i knew what i needed? Regards From a very sore and hungry L

A. Dear L,

Sorry to hear about your predicament. It does sound as though you have gum disease.

Receding gums can be due to the bone underneath dissolving away as well over brushing ( sometimes the way your teeth bite together can make the problem considerably worse). You mention that you smoked and research definitely shows a link between this and gum ( periodontal) disease. Sometimes patients come and see us complaining of bleeding gums. This is an obvious sign that there is gum disease but people who smoke actually bleed less ( that and the fact that smoking increases gum disease is an unfortunate mix!). This means that our detection of gum disease can be rather late down the road with smokers. In your instance the front teeth are now loose which means that you have lost the bone around these teeth – advanced gum disease.

You mention that you have had a cleaning consultation with your dentist. This sounds like they are treating your gum disease. Following this treatment it is not unusual for your teeth to be more sensitive.

As far as your best treatment options the possibilities are dentures, bridges and implants but it all depends on how severe and how treatable your gum disease is. I cannot be more specific without actually having seen you. Suffice to say it is generally a good idea to get all gum disease under control before embarking on any of the above options.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Dr Julian Caplan – Director on the board of the BACD View My Profile Dr Caplan

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