Receeding gumline - how far gone am I?

[mystery31322]

Well, I've had receding gumline. It's getting lower and lower. I'll post a few links to pictures for you.

It is getting more and more worrysome for me.

I'm 21.. No insurance or anything, unemployed due to health issues.. So it's hard to get dental care. I didn't start getting cavities till I was around 16 or so. Then it all went downhill.

I believe I've always tried to take decent care of my teeth..

Here's the pictures:

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/811/newreceding.jpg
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/5954/newreceding2.jpg

I'll post a few more if needed.

Thanks in advance for the advice,

Stephen

[kayla276]

Your teeth are very valuable, you need to keep them as long as you can.

Maybe you are brushing too hard and need a softer tooth brush.  Floss everyday
if you can, it helps.  It is so important too floss and it really doesn't take that long.

Flossing I heard is just as important as brushing.  You know the saying, "Only floss the teeth you want to keep!"    so it is very important to floss, it really is. Some people
dread it until they find out what not doing it is doing to their gums and teeth.

I would rinse with salt water for a rinse if you cannot afford anything else.

My gums seemed like they were receding similar to yours, mine are a 3mm
I think they told me.  

I rinse with salt water every once in awhile for several days and then quit and do it again for several days.  

I had alot of trauma to my teeth though from inferior crowns which is starting to heal.

Good luck.  If you go online and read about gum disease, it is sort of scarey.

It's better to take care of your teeth now than to wait until you get older and from my experience you need a good dentist which is hard to find from what I have experienced.

You are young enough that your teeth will last if taken care of properly.

[mystery31322]

I've had cleanings.. I've had a full gum scaling/planing in the past.. Didn't help matters any.

Can't afford a dentist now, health issues, unemployed, no insurance etc.

It looks like it's receding worse all the time.

[StratRebel]

Your recession actually looks worse than it is because of the inflammed and puffy gums.  If you clean up the tissues so that the go back to a normal color and more importantly normal contours, you will change the way things look a ton.  You do have the starts of decay along the gumline of several teeth, which might be saved with fluoride or a small filling.

I would suggest finding a dentist that focuses on prevention to help you clean up the gums first and go from there.  A good cleaning and some oral hygiene habit changes is an important first step.  It takes about 2 weeks for gum tissue to heal if well taken care of.

[mystery31322]

You didn't mention how bad the receeding part looks. Wondering how much gum is left.

[mystery31322]

I've been trying to just drink water. Not too much else. If I do, I brush my teeth as soon as I can after drinking it.

I used a SonicCare toothbrust till it broke down, didn't do much good..

No way I can afford braces... No insurance, etc.

[StratRebel]

Do you drink a lot of sodas or juices?  I see a lot of gingival imflammation, redness, and plague buildup.  Something in your oral hygiene is not working.

I would suggest getting off the high sugar/acid drinks.  Pick up an ultrasonic toothbrush, like SoniCare.  Those two things alone will do wonders. Chewing sugarfree or xylitol gum between meals will help a lot too to keep your teeth clean.

And whenever you can, you need braces to fix your crowding.  Crowded teeth trap a lot more food and are harder to keep clean.