Persistent Gingivitis & Gum problems

[SparkyIreland]

Hi there :)

Roughly ten years ago I had my first set of veneers fitted, was really happy with them and have had new sets fitted over the years, anyway, in that time I have had persistent Gingivitis in only the areas where the veneers are fitted.

Antibiotics take the infection away aswell as the bad taste and bleeding gums. Problem is that after the antibiotic has finished the bleeding gums and infection comes back.

It has never been a severe case of gingivitis, but it has been there for quite sometime. My main concern after reading around the net in the link between heart disease and gingivitis, it now scares me to think that there could have been 10 or more years of damage to my heart, is that the way it works? Or is it only in more severe cases of gingivitis.

I recently was told that I had high Cholesterol, and being 27 I thought this was strange, so I am starting to panic.

Any advice would be excellent

[Laura35057]

After brushing and flossing faithfully and being in otherwise good health, I'm frustrated to always leave the dentist's with some kind of prescription mouthwash or toothpaste for gingivitis. at age 20 (just a year ago!), I even started to see my gums recede around one tooth. very uncomfortable/disturbing.

I finally found something that has gotten rid of it. I take one of those rubber gum stimulator tools, dip the end in a 1 parts hydrogen peroxide 1 parts water solution and run it along my gumline throughout my whole mouth once a day. I make sure plenty of the solution gets between my gum and my tooth and run the stimulator back and forth like 10 times on my more problematic teeth. I encourage you to try it, I no longer have gingivitis because of this daily habit!!  

[StratRebel]

First advice I would give you is to keep the gums as clean as possible. Bleeding gums anywhere is typically a sign that food or bacteria are getting packed there.  Brush and floss...personally I would recommend an ultrasonic toothbrush, I have used mine for almost a decade and would never switch back.

There is absolutely a link between infections in the mouth and your heart.  However, most of the problems come about when something else has damaged your heart and the infection from your mouth compounds the problem.  So to answer your question, no, you do not have 10 years of damage to your heart.

However, an infection like gingivitis is never a good thing.  I would talk to your dentist/hygienist about how to improve your oral health care.  A few minutes of work a day can save you from a lifetime of problems.