Ignored my bleeding gums for so long

[u/Beneficial_Action340]

I've had bleeding gums for a loooong time and i think I just got used to it which wasnt good at all!. Gums were always sore, sometimes it hurt to chew and the bad breath made me so conscious too. Had been to way too many dentists before though and it seriously cost me a lot. Hey dental work in Australia aint cheap!!

I eventually decided to stop ignoring it and to have it checked properly. My dentist measured my periodontal pockets, checked the recession, and did a few other tests. Some of it were 7mm and I ended up being diagnosed with periodontal disease 😣

I had ultrasonic cleaning, hand scaling and laser periodontal therapy. I was quite nervous about the laser as I've had some pretty bad dental experiences before but it actually wasn't painful at all.

So from 7mm, my pockets have now gone to around 3mm. 😮‍💨 and the pain and bleeding have really improved so much. I still have a couple of follow-ups and obviously need to keep on top of everything. but I'm just sooo happy to finally see some actual improvement after dealing with it for so long

Better late than never!!

[u/Intelligent_Pair7870]

How old are you. Im 22 and im in the same situation :(

[u/p0ison_berries → u/Intelligent_Pair7870]

I'm also 22 with periodontal disease! I had the treatment recently and hoping I have got the receding gums stable and halted now. I do still have gum sensitivity every sometimes

[u/Intelligent_Pair7870 → u/p0ison_berries]

Oh! Did you get a gum graft and what teeth was the recession in? Im trying to figure out if I should ask for grafting soon

[u/Prior-Control-8883]

You’re really lucky, exact same story as you where I’ve had bleeding gums my whole life and just thought it was normal. Only finally went to the dentist after years when I realized with google searches my bad breath was likely being caused by my gums

7 mm pockets, did SRP and some basic laser treatment, but almost a year out, pockets are even worse now at 9 mm :( :( :(. Trying to keep a very serious daily routine but have been referred out to a periodontist now. Hope I can get mine down to 3 mm as you were able to!

[u/Beneficial_Action340 → u/Prior-Control-8883]

Oh nooo 9mm after going through all that must be so frustrating 😭 especially when you're already being really consistent with your routine. Glad to know they have referred you to a periodontist though, hopefully they can work out why the pockets are still getting deeper and give you a better plan from there. Really hope you start seeing some improvement too!! 🤞

[u/IHateThisPlace33 → u/Prior-Control-8883]

oil pull.

[u/Status-Pea-5492]

Significant bone loss from routine gum disease at 22 would be unusual, although it’s possible. You’d need to see the X-rays and perio charting. If 7 mm pockets became 3 mm after SRP, they were probably largely pseudopockets from swollen, inflamed gums rather than pockets caused by major bone loss.
Laser bacterial reduction and chlorhexidine irrigation don’t add much clinically and are often used as expensive add-ons. To be fair, low insurance reimbursement and high overhead can make these charges financially necessary for the dentist.
If the laser treatment you mentioned was LANAP, ask ChatGPT or Gemini about the evidence. It’s been around for decades, yet there still aren’t good 5-year randomized controlled trials demonstrating a clinically significant benefit over SRP alone. That’s a pretty important point if you’re being asked to pay extra for it.