When I was a kid my parents made me to go the dentist. That went on until about the 10th grade. I moved out early and since then I have taken care of my teeth myself. I brush one or two times a day and floss pretty regular. So I guess maybe its been about 7 yrs since my last dental appointment but I really did a good job on my own. No cavities it feels like and my teeth are perfectly straight but since the past few months I started to notice that my gums are sensitive and painful and swollen. Last week a couple of my teeth started feeling lose and since last Monday I haven’t eaten on that side of my mouth because it feels like the teeth are going to fall out. This is getting scary and I am wondering how bad I have messed up by not going to the dentist. – Chris T from Delaware
Chris,
You didn’t tell us your age, but based on the time you stopped going to the dentist and how long you said it’s been since you’ve seen a dentist, you’re likely in your mid- to late twenties. Your age will help your treatment to be less expensive, and give you a good chance to recover. Although you definitely need an examination by a dentist to confirm it, it sounds as if you have gum disease, and it’s serious. You should see a dentist promptly.
When your teeth are not cleaned professionally, you are not able to control the buildup of tartar on your own. A dentist is able to give your teeth the deep cleaning that they need, or gum disease is very likely to occur.
Gum disease often doesn’t cause pain. Teeth can get loose, spread apart, and fall out without warning signs. You are fortunate that the pain and swelling alerted you to the problem. If you ignore it, your teeth can fall out or need to be extracted. The gum disease will continue to spread and affect more teeth. If all of your teeth fall out dentures or dental implants will be the solution. Letting the problem progress will be very costly. Don’t put off getting help.
This blog post is sponsored by Lowell cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.