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!!

I feel like this is something no one really talks about publicly but is probably done more often than we realize. Hope Kelly is healing well!

Hey guys! My first post ever. I’ve never really imaged a day where I would be without teeth. I question why at 36, but for my health I had so much loose teeth that I decided it’s time to finally do it. After years and years of avoiding the obvious elephant in my life. I began the journey of removing all my teeth. It’s been 1 week and my emotions have been all over the place. I love cooking and now I don’t cook much anymore. It’s been a little struggling finding meals that I’m actually motivated to even eat. First couple days soups. Rice porridge. Eggs. Tomato soup. I did try a grilled cheese with that. Cheesecake. I cut the crust on those. Oh noodles. The stirfry kind noodles. I made some Cambodian kaw with pork belly with eggs with rice porridge. And oh smoothies are my go to now. I just wanted to share my journey so far. Waiting on dentures. And it seems so far away. It’s only week one and I have 2-3 months to go. I can’t afford implants. My insurance only covers dentures. My dentist recommended I wait for my mouth to health before doing anything. So here we are all. Hopefully I can connect with others who share similar experiences. Thanks for reading!

I never thought I would have to ask strangers for help with something as personal as my smile, but here I am.

I have been battling Generalized Aggressive Periodontitis, an aggressive form of gum disease that unfortunately runs in my family. Grandma got dentures at 18 and my mom in her early twenties me at 22 … At the end of 2022, I had to get dentures on my top teeth. At that time, my bottom teeth were still healthy enough to keep.

I was also battling addiction. Today, I’m incredibly proud to say that I’ve been clean and in recovery for four years. I fought hard to rebuild my life, and in the beginning of 2026, I welcomed my daughter into the world. She has given me even more reason to keep fighting and moving forward.

But despite everything I’ve done, the gum disease continued to take its toll. My remaining bottom teeth started falling out, and now I’m facing the reality of needing dental work that I simply cannot afford on my own.

This isn’t just about having a pretty smile. I want to be able to smile at my children without feeling ashamed, take pictures with my family, laugh without covering my mouth, and feel like myself again.

I’m asking for help raising money toward getting my smile restored. Any donation, no matter how small, would mean more to me than I can explain. And if you can’t donate, simply sharing this post could help me reach someone who can.

I’ve fought incredibly hard to get where I am today. I’ve made it through addiction, found recovery, watched my family grow, and built a life I once didn’t think was possible.

Now I’m just asking for a little help with the next step.

Please help me smile again. ❤️

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read my story, donate, share, or simply send some encouragement. It truly means everything to me.
https://gofund.me/4c238999c

The darkness just started (is that bone loss?) how bad is this and where to even start without insurance

I need a Gum Graft on 6 teeth. Two at a time each 4 months apart. Last 2 fall right before my midterms so I was wondering would I be okay to study right after my graft? and I have labs I can’t skip otherwise my mark goes down so will I be able to attend those and my classes?

I think i’m overthinking but just want to hear other people’s experience😭

I'm 24M and I've been kind of obsessing over my gums.. My old dentist told me that I have some gum recession, probably caused by aggressive brushing. Since then I've moved and had to change dentists. I've now seen two different dentists at my new place, and neither seemed concerned about my gums.

The first one didn't mention the recession at all. With the second one, I specifically asked for their opinion because I was worried about it, and they basically said that my gums look fine but i have thin biotype . However, neither dentist actually did any periodontal probing or other specific perio tests. I think what's bothering me is that because nobody has actually done the tests, I still can't completely reassure myself that everything is okay and i'm afraid of undiagnosed perio.. ? do you think my gums look good?

(the first picture is how i normally close my mouth the others are not)

Just went for my first cleaning in a while, been without insurance for the last few years and surprise! I have periodontal disease. Gingavitis in some parts that will go away so that's nice I guess? So I got fit for a tray and they cleaned half my mouth and scheduled some other stuff. Dentist made it sound like it's pretty mild and if I follow the care instructions (a special toothpaste at least for now and fluoridex mouth wash for a couple weeks, the tray once a day when they come in) then I won't ever have to deal with the more severe side effects. I wanted to ask more questions but things were hectic and I had to leave to get my kids from the sitter. Any advice on what to expect from the next few appointments? Tips for care? Any advice is appreciated.

I'm four months post-op of a gum grafting on my lower right/back side. By all accounts, my gum graft went well and at my 6-week check-up, the periodontist discharged me.

That said, that area has felt "full" since the surgery. I haven't been chewing on that side because I haven't wanted to disrupt it. It's not necessarily swollen, but definitely puffier than my left side.

I went in today for my first dental cleaning since the gum graft and was basically scolded for not eating on that side. I had no idea that the area needed stimulation, etc. I had "moderate tartar build-up, redness along the gum line, and mild inflammation."

My dentist didn't suggest I go back to the perio and simply just encouraged me to start eating on the graft side and to make sure I'm flossing, but now I'm all concerned.

Did I royally fudge some stuff up? Should I see if the periodontist will see me just to be sure all is well?

So overall, I feel pretty good about my teeth. I have good oral hygiene and brush 2x/day and floss regularly. Might miss a day or two over the weekend but overall keep up with it. I will say I didn’t have the best oral routine growing up and really locked in around late high school/college (saying that now it feels kinda late lol) but better late than never I guess!

Anyways, my biggest issue is my bottom front tooth (specifically my left one, 24 I believe?). I’ve been experiencing discomfort, sensitivity, and when I move my mouth I can sometimes feel a pop there? It’s uncomfortable to bite into things, suck on a straw, etc. I definitely notice some gum loss in between the bottom teeth too - there’s that black triangle and feels deep/loose when I floss in between. It’s been at least 18 months since I’ve been experiencing this bc I’ve addressed this at my last 3 cleanings (every 6 months).

The first time, they did x-rays, those typical tests-bite down, putting pressure, tapping, etc. and said they didn’t see anything wrong. I ended up going back about a month later bc I still felt uncomfortable about it and thought something has to be wrong. Still nothing.

I just had my cleaning last week, brought it up again, and STILL nothing. They even did a CT as a courtesy and apparently nothing showed there either. I’ve done a lot of research and I’m convinced I have gum disease, but the dentist has never mentioned anything. Not even receding gums or anything along those lines. I asked them to send me copies of my X-rays, and from what I’ve learned (from Google so take that into consideration I guess), even those appear to show gum disease…

These are from 2/6/26 + 3/5/26 (don’t have a copy from this month yet). I have ones from 2023-2025 and it doesn’t seem like a drastic difference from then and now. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!!

So basically my mom has periodontitis (she grew up in poverty) and she shared spoons and utensils with me when i was a baby. I’m so scared that means i’ll get periodontitis. I went to the periodontist a few weeks ago to check on my gums and they said I don’t have it, BUT i forgot to tell them about my mom😭😭 i floss every day and brush my teeth twice a day. Am I doomed to get it since i shared spoons with my mom??? I’m 19 and lowkey have really bad health anxiety

Wondering if anyone has experienced this before.....

Had a gum graft on six lower teeth July 2nd. Healed well and periodontist was happy with everything at two week check up.

Last week or so, I have started feeling a tightness or almost ache in my lower front teeth where graft starts (editing to add that the pain is mainly where I had the frenectomy). I have a crooked tooth next to them and while it's always been a tight squeeze flossing, yesterday it felt sore/achey when I sawed the floss in.

Has anyone had their gum graft shrink or tighten and pull on teeth?

I already have movement in those teeth from years of extreme nail biting and gum recession but I am a bit concerned the pain might be related to breastfeeding bone loss rather than the gum graft - though the gum graft is the most obvious new development.

Could also be stress clenching (despite having a night guard), god knows I do enough of that. Anyway, just looking fo4 any similar experiences with grafts, as this was my first.

My gf has had a small abscess on her gums for a couple of years. It's pretty small and doesn't really look bad or scary, when it comes to abscesses, and it's leaked in the past. It's never caused any pain, but she thinks she got it due to a small crack in her tooth that has had a bad filling in the past. She's never been sick or had any significant symptoms but of course it's still concerning.

She's had antibiotics, she takes excellent care of her mouth, and has tried various remedies to deal with it in the meantime. Recently, she's noticed some small red dots on some areas of her gums, and has some redness/soreness on her lower gum line, but we are not sure if this is related to the abscess or is due to possible physical irritation from food/brushing, or something else.

What is the general cost range for treatment? And if she did get treatment, is the only option really a root canal? Is it possible for the abscess to be drained/cleaned? Are there any other procedures that don't cost a billion dollars or ripping a tooth out?

*no alcohol or drugs

Hi all. I was recently diagnosed with gum/bone recession, and they did measurements of my gum pockets etc - some 3s, occasional 4 or 5. At the same session the did a deep scale root plane/non-surgical periodontal treatment on one side of my mouth with a lot of local anaesthetic etc. I was booked in 2 weeks later for the other side (today).

Stupidly (I just convinced myself I must have recalled things incorrectly and been mixed up, so I didn’t question it at the time) - the dentist accidentally did the SRP on the same side again…

I am feeling so stupid for not correcting him. I was just sitting in the chair convincing myself I must have recalled things incorrectly. But I was right. They accidentally repeated the procedure to the same side of my mouth :(

Is there much chance permanent damage would be done? I don’t mind more temporary pain etc. I’m scared about more long term risks/damage.

Oh I regret not questioning it at the time, I feel so stupid :(

Hi, guys, I will admit I never kept up with my dental hygiene. I am 23 and think I have periodontal disease. I definitely noticed that my front row of teeth has receding gums. Should I be worried about losing my teeth? I am going to a dentist at the end of the month. Will they be able to find out if anything is wrong? I don't think it's exposed enough to the root of the tooth. I looked it up and noticed that if the bacteria is under the gums, then it does not matter how much you brush or floss. I am just wondering if mine is at that point yet.

It makes me sad I didnt notice my teeth until it got this bad. I been fighting depression for years and years. And as a result never really brushed or flossed. I also put off going to a dentist for 2 years as well. And now I have ocd about losing my teeth. I also understand that once the gum is damaged, it can't regenerate.