Very anxious about teeth and gums. Please help

is #8 my front right tooth? And was it like that in the photo of one year ago? im worried about the speed that this is happening at. thank you again for your time, I wont ask again.

Pictures ate very very difficult to evaluate. They can be taken at different angles and make things look extremely different. BUT to answer your question the photos look essentially the same except the red inflamed papilla and maybe slight recession on your right front tooth. 1 mm is minor!!! I personally have a few areas of recession as well. I would NOT stress it. I would follow recommendations I have made or those of a dental provider by you.

its so hard not to worry though. I post on another forum and they think I may have desquamative gingivitis caused by oral lichen planus. This is how red they look tonight....

Will the Chlorhexidine help if it is that?

Ingabella, you are not going to get any better advice than from LaineyRDH. Going to another forum where there are no professionals to give you advice is not going to be helpful to your anxiety. Its only going to make you worry more with different opinions on whats going on in your mouth from laymen that probably barely take care of their own teeth and gums. So, you can continue to get advice from an RDH or you can take advice from laymen. But thats not fair to LaineyRDH who is trying to help you based on her many years of experience. At some point you are going to have to listen to her and get the rinses she suggested and perhaps go see the dentist for an exam and treatment if necessary. We are both here because we care.

I do not agree honestly with either of those suggestions.

Desquamative gingivitis envelopes the entire gingiva in most cases, all the way up the gum to the vestibule. It occurs in people who have underlying autoimmune diseases. i of course do not know your medical history but id assume you would know if you had something like Lupus etc. In rate cases it can be from an allergic reaction.... hence the reason I suggested discontinuing any SLS products for 2 weeks to rule out allergy.

Lichen planus is also autoimmune and usually shows on the dermal layer of the skin arms, legs, trunk as well as the oral mucosa. It appears as white plaques not sloughing tissue.

You are more than free to take my suggestions or that of the other forum but at the end of the day I can not stress enough the importance of seeking a professional in office dental evaluation!

Thank you David for your kind words

im still waiting to see a specialist. i do really value your opinions Lainey, thank you. all i do is focus on how my teeth have degenerated. i mean, look at the black triangles i have

i cant smile like this, my smile is ruined. im 45, so maybe i just have to accept my teeth are no longer perfect. here they are today

Ingabella, as much as i care, you are going to have to take some proactive steps yourself to help yourself with your problem. Start by getting the rinses and tooth brush LaineyRDH told you about. You made appointment to see a specialist already, so thats excellent. The specialist with be able to assess the situation first hand and treat you accordingly from there. Afterwards you will feel much better and your anxiety will wane. I suggest you just wait patiently for your appointment and stop over thinking this. You are one step away from relief. LaineyRDH already told you she cant really do anything from the pictures you take and send. So hang in there, see the specialist and feel better. Lets us know how you make out.

You are correct that your teeth and gum are not perfect. Many peoples are not. Age definitely affects the bone levels and gingival heights as it does the rest of our bodies. Do you heal from a cut or a sprain the same as you did when you were 20? Is your eye sight the same as when you were 20?! I sure as hell know the answer for me is absolutely NO!

I again will reiterate that in my opinion you are still within normal limits BESIDES the redness and inflammation. I feel with 100% certainty you could get that under control by following my suggestions.

Unless you know where the fountain of youth is you need to embrace the ageing process and do your routine maintenance to maintain what you have as long as possible.

I have always lived by "you have to move a muscle to make a difference". Talking and stressing will not bring results.

I would love to hear what the specialist recommends. Id assume it is with a periodontist? They will measure the pockets and most likely do some thorough cleaning but my bet is they will stress home care and maintenance.

I have the rinse and the toothbrush. She has been very kind. in one of your previous replies you said my teeth looked good, so good in fact that you thought they were an advert. That's what I wanted to and needed to hear, as my self confidence is so low. That's how I want to remember this thread.

I still stand by what i said previously. Aside from you, no one can tell. If you didnt say anything, i would have never guessed you had any problems. Are you married or have a boyfriend? Look, we all have things we wish were different and worry about, for instance, I have clubbed thumbs and i hate them. They give me much anxiety. As a kid playing baseball and football my clubbed thumbs were always a problem, but i learned to accept my flaws and still end up getting women to like me and ended up getting married twice, so they really dont bother me as much anymore. Still hard though, so i know what you must be going through and why you should listen to LaineyRDH as you have done. So hang in there. You will have a beautiful smile for a long time to come.

you dont think the gap disfigures me then?

And just so you know, I am going to be seeing a psychologist about it. I'm not well, I just feel consumed by hatred for my teeth and myself

I say not even a little!

I am sure you are beautiful in many ways including your smile. Give yourself a break and love you for you girl!

yeah, you need to get over that. you have a beautiful smile and i am sure the rest of you is just as beautiful too. Did someone do or say something to you to make you so down on yourself? I just dont get it.

Somebody said "What's up Doc?" inferring my teeth were like Bugs Bunny. However, that was only after I started noticing the redness, soreness and gum recession. I'm really hoping the Chlorhexedine helps, but it didn't last time I used it a few months ago. I've been told that stress makes inflammation worse, so it's a vicious cycle really.

Something I haven't told you is that I smoke. I've cut down to 4 per day and I know it's the worst thing I could do for my gums.

I smoke also, A pack a day. I dare not quit during this pandemic. Anyway, you dont have bugs bunny teeth, so who ever said that to you has eye problems. But i understand how anxiety works, so i understand how that comment could trigger you to worry. But like LaineyRDH said, you have to accept the fact you are getting older and your gums are going to recede without question. You can only do so much and then its up to mother nature. I also have receding gum line, its because i am 50 years old. I have a bridge on my upper front tooth, so on that tooth, my gum sits behind my bridge, and my gum line is noticably different on that one tooth. I did not like it at first but i rather the gum look screwed up than walk around without a tooth there, ya know? At some point you are going to have to stop being so OCD about it, because you are going to drive yourself insane with every little thing thats going to happen to your body as you get older. Its unavoidable. The only thing you can do is take care of yourself the best you can and hope for the best. You have a great smile and yhe problem with your gums, only you know about and can see. I dont know as much as LaineyRDH, about gums inflaming and turning red, so i wont comment on that. Again, i dont think you have anything yo worry about, you are seeing a specialist, so thats better than anything i can tell you. It will all work out for the best, so dont worry, okay?

Smoking will only increase the risk for periodontal bone loss. I would say to limit and discontinue as soon as you can. Not only for your mouth but your full body health.

Mean people say mean things. That is a fact unfortunately. My teeth may be in great health but I have had people "make fun" of me for other things such as my weight in the past. I can not or will not let them affect my mental health. I have learned to take peoples comments with a grain of salt and use it as fuel to better myself! I am currently 130 pounds lighter than I was 15 years ago!

I know it is hard and it takes practice but you can do it. Embrace your inner beauty and love yourself.

I posted this photo on another forum and asked if the gap looks bad....someone replied and said that the unevenness stands out more. I didnt even realise my teeth were uneven! Oh God, I'm a freak 😦

i saw a doctor today and he said my gums are looking better than last time I saw him, but that it is a chronic condition that I need to learn to live with. He suspects Oral Lichen Planus

Ingabella, i dont know why you went to another forum. It undoes all the confidence building i was trying for with you. That person just added to your already OCD anxiety. Your teeth do not look uneven. The pose with you mouth, your lips look uneven and its giving the illusion that your teeth are uneven. Its just the picture, your teeth are more even then mine are and i have a bridge there, and bridges are made with even teeth. You need to get that others persons thoughts out of your head. Your teeth are absolutely fine. I am glad the doctor gave you a good report on your gums. That should be a relief to you. Do you feel any better? I mean aside from what that other person said about you teeth being crooked? I think they are beautiful and good looking for your age. I am not trying to be nice, i am trying to help you get over this. To stop worrying over something that you have know control over, like the doctor said. It is what it is with your gums, they look great and only you can tell theres a problem. Nobody else can tell. You have a great smile and you should be proud of it and not second guessing it. I am not a liar, nor have i ever been one. If your teeth and gums were jacked up, I would definitely tell you. and you can take that to the bank. I will see if i can get LaineyRDH back on here to comment further as she really wanted to know how you made out at the doctors. okay, be safe.

I am happy to hear you saw a doctor. If he says Lichen planus (very mild case in my opinion) than I would have to say follow his recommendations. I'd assume he gave you a specific steroid rinse to use during flare-ups. It is very good news because now you have a diagnosis and a plan of action.

As for the "uneven" teeth, I did mention and/or suggest Invisalign. crowding is a pretty easy thing to fix but you have to remember that would be for aesthetic purposes only. I myself did invisalign because I had crowding as I think I mentioned to you at one point. It works very well and can help tremendously with your self-esteem . there is a substantial out-of-pocket cost for that but in my opinion for me it was worth it.

Hi Lainey, he said he suspected Lichen Planus. I was just wondering, is it ever OK to have red gums? I mean, is it just normal for some people? I can't really remember ever not having had red gums. Maybe I'm just worrying for nothing....?

Also, what is your view on antibiotics for a gum infection, if I do have one? Will they work?

Red gums happen for many reasons.

1. lack of proper home care including thorough twice daily brushing and efficient daily flossing.
2. increase in hormone level due to monthly cycle or pregnancy or change of life.
3. mouth breathing which dries out the tissue and inflames the papilla. Usually happens in the front teeth not so much the back.
4. medical issues that are auto immune such as lupus, or medical therapies such as chemo and radiation.

   Normal healthy properly cared for gum tissue is not red, inflamed and does not bleed.

   when an infection of the gum happens it usually happens in an isolated area. This is usually caused from a deep pocket that you are unable to cleanse all the way to the base of that pocket. This is why I said it is very important to go to the dentist and get those periodontal gum measurements done. Normal healthy gums have from 1 to 3 mm worth of pocketing and normally would not get infected. Anything above 4 mm becomes very hard to clean thoroughly in the bacteria forms and infection. these type of infections are usually treated with a localized antibiotic placed directly into that pocket. Sometimes systemic antibiotics are used as well.

sorry Lainey, it's me again! I was just looking at photos from a year ago and noticed some big changes in my mouth. Can you see how the tooth to the left of my front tooth looks a totally different shape? I haven't chipped it. Plus there's a black triangle there that wasnt't there before.

first photo a year ago, second today

Sweety, LaineyRDH, is on a trip to North Carolina to help her sister move. She will be back in a week or so. I am not sure i can get her back on this forum. She thought she had helped you and everything was going to be fine. You are really being overly obsessive with your teeth. Only you can see these flaws you are pointing out. I thought you were actively seeing a specialist for your teeth? I am confused a bit because i thought you were happy with what the doctor told you. So whats going on? What happened to make you question your teeth again? Or is it that you are getting older and worrying about your appearance more? I am not sure how to help you, but i dont want you to think i dont care, because i do, i went out of my way to get Lainey on this forum just for you. I dont know how much more reassurance i can give you. You are going to think what you are going to think despite what i or anyone else tells you. I am 50 years old and i think your teeth look great, and you should be proud that you still have them all to be honest with you. Many women i know would die to have s smile as good as yours. My wife is barely 50, has gum disease and is losing her teeth. She would love to have a mouth full of teeth like yours. You are very luck and dont ever think otherwise.