Eek, swollen gums

[MoonlightFire]

After being extremely lazy with my oral hygeine for the last year I have decided to turn over a new leaf and lookafter my mouth. I have started using my electric toothbrush twice a day and I started flossing in the evenings about a week ago. Since then my gums have started looking much much better and have stopped bleeding. I am really really scared of mouth infections and gum problems at the moment and lastnight when I checked my mouth I noticed a few places were looking a little bit swollen and red...could this just be because my gums aren't used to the floss yet or I'm brushing too hard? There's no blood when I brush and they don't feel sore when I brush. Has anyone else had this? They're only a tiny bit swollen. I'm so obsessive about my mouth. Anyone got any tips for cutting down checking behaviours? I look at my gums very closely in the mirror at least 6 times a day - it's driving me round the bend!!!

Moonlight x

[PokerFace]

I used to be obsessed with dental hygeine too! I was brushing up to 6 times a day, mouth wash up to 3 times a day and constantly checking, I didn't even have anxiety back then lol! Too much can be a bit of a wear on your teeth and gums as much too little. My gums were red and swollenish a lot of the time and I'd get a stingy sensation but I'd jus be like "yeahhh it's workin! :D" when really it was tryna tell me I was doin too much.

I cut down when my gums started to physically ache lol. I just keep telling myself gentle brushing twice a day and mouth wash 1 or 2 times a day is enough! Come to think of it you probably don't NEED mouth wash lol! Teeth are strong, that's all we really need to do :) xxx

[MoonlightFire]

Oh great, just went on the BBC website to find that there's been a report which strongly supports the link between gum health and heart health. Now I'm freaking out even more. I can't take much more of this. I've got 3 health worries on the go at once plus I've just moved house. I'm so anxious. I just want to feel normal again :(

[debs71]

Try not to dwell on that report. I think they are talking about the link that bacteria from gum disease can cause arteries to become blocked by the bacteria travelling into the blood stream, activating the immune system and inflaming the artery walls, or the small chance the bacteria attach themselves to fatty deposits in the arteries, narrowing them. The point to remember is that heart disease cannot stricltly be said to be DIRECTLY caused by gum disease, but by the things than can CAUSE gum disease like smoking, sugary/fizzy drinks, overall bad diet.

This is another one of those situations where it's just as probable that your mouthcare won't impact on your heart as much as it is possible it might. The only thing we can do is take care of our mouth and teeth, brush at least twice a day and steer clear of the rubbish that causes gum probs. Prevention is the cure.

The bleeding you had has improved because of continued good brushing and care as the gums strengthened and that is a really good sign! They are probably red because maybe you are brushing a bit too vigourously as you are worried.

The checking thing, gee I know how hard that is to stop. I did that all the time when I had severe cheilitis (sore lips) years ago and every few mins I was checking in a hand held mirror which only perpetuated the problem and made me more anxious about it. I eventually put the mirror out of sight and just tried to focus on tv, music, keeping busy. Distraction is KEY with checking probems. My lips cleared up on their own eventually, and I am convinced it is because I got back to normal and stopped the endless mirror checks.

xxxxx:blush:

[MoonlightFire]

Thanks so much Debs and PokerFace :)

I guess I should concentrate on being pleased with how good I've got my oral hygeine now and how my gums don't bleed when I brush anymore and are looking nice and pink...in most places :) I've done really well so far and when I'm brave enough I'm going to go back to using the interdental brushes that my dentist recommended (I'm just flossing at the moment). Also I'll make an appointment for my scale and polish and I'll show off my improved gums to the hygeinist :)

My fears about my mouth are partly due to the fact that my mouth has always been my 'weak spot'...I have suffered mouth ulcers since I was a child and have had a couple of nasty mouth infections over the years too. I also used to suffer a lot from tonsilitis as a child and when I was at university. Now I rarely suffer fromm mouth ulcers as I have improved my diet, cut down on citrus fruits (I used to eat lemons!! I know, very odd!) and changed my toothpaste to a chemical free one. I did get the cold sore virus last month when my anxiety relapsed and that caused some sore spots in my mouth but it's all cleared up now and has healed very well. Even though the dentist was very reasuring I think that may be what started my mouth obsession off again.

I will have a go at distraction today. I checked a lot yesterday but have managed to only look once so far today.

Moonlight Xxx

[MoonlightFire]

Just an update on how it's going:

I haven't checked my mouth at all today :) Lastnight I checked before I went to bed and my gums were looking good, nice and pink. This morning they felt a little better when I brushed them and there was no blood again!! :) I did notice something lastnight which was causing a bit of pain...the gum on the inside of my wisdom tooth seems to have got a little puffy...nothing much but it is definitely a little inflamed. It doesn't smell, doesn't hurt much, the gum is nice and pink and it isn't bleeding. This is going to sound silly but I don't want to make a dentist appointment yet because I'm scared they'll think I'm always bothering them! I booked an appointment for the hygeinist yesterday but I may need this tooth looked at before then. I'm going to just keep it nice and clean and see if it improves. My wisdom teeth are such a pain in the bum!

Thanks again for your comments - they were helpful and reassuring and made me start thinking more about how well I've been doing with my oral hygeine as oppose to worrying about little sore areas.

Moonlight Xx