A Dental Warning

If you have a weak stomach, you might want to skip this post.

Back in December I visited a dentist for the first time in six years.  I’ve always taken pretty good care of my teeth, so I wasn’t surprised when the dentist told me I (still) had no cavities.  However, he mentioned somewhat casually that I was experiencing gingival recession, probably due to over-aggressive brushing.  His English was extremely limited (it was Taiwan, after all), but from his words and demeanor it seemed like the gingival recession was not a big deal.  He advised me to use a softer toothbrush and brush in a verticle, up-and-down motion.

Six months later, my receding gums have gotten noticably worse on one tooth in particular.  Yesterday, I took a day off work to visit a periodontist at the best hospital in Hat Yai – about an hour away.  What followed was not a pretty scene.  The periodonist confirmed that I have advanced receding gums and that a gum graft will be required!  Before the graft can be done, a sort of mega-cleaning is needed to clean the exposed roots. 

This is not your average cleaning.  Yesterday we cleaned only the top teeth.   I was given about six shots of novacaine but the cleaning was still pretty painful; there was also an insane amount of blood – and this just from a cleaning!  I have to go back next week to clean the bottom, and presumably the week after that I’ll be back for the gum graft.

For those of you who don’t know, a gum graft works as follows:  a layer of tissue is removed from the roof of the mouth.  This tissue is then stitched onto the gums surrounding the worst points of the recession.  After 1-2 weeks I will return to have the stitches removed, but I’ve read the healing process can be pretty painful.  In addition, sometimes the grafts don’t “take,” which could leave my gums in worse shape than before!

Let me emphasize once again:  my teeth are in excellent condition, and this gingival recession is not caused by poor oral hygiene.  I brush 2-3 times per day, floss daily and rinse with flouride mouthwash at least once daily.  My gum recession was caused by an incorrect brushing technique.  The periodontist showed me a new way to brush, and it is totally different from what I had learned previously.

So what is to be learned from all of this?

• Make sure you’re brushing your teeth correctly!  Up strokes will damage your gums.
• Visit your dentist regularly.  Even though I didn’t have any cavities, an earlier visit to the dentist could have identified the problem in its early stages.
• Get dental insurance!  Dental/medical care is much cheaper in Thailand than in the US, but it still isn’t free.  The visit yesterday was $60, and there will be at least 4-5 more visits before this is done.  The graft will likely top $500.  All told, this lovely experience will probably end up costing me close to $1,000.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go practice brushing my teeth correctly.

These instructions are similar to what I was told at the periodontist. Note that the brush is held at an angle towards the gums.