OK, the second dentist in two years is telling me I have Oscar-quality gingivitis, which results in the scurvy-like loss of teeth due to bone loss.
The first place suggested using a flouride rinse, but the new place stressed the importance of punishing, De-Sade-esque flossing and the patience of Job, in order to actually wait out the interminable 30-seconds-per-quad that the horrible instrument of entrapment known as a Sonicare requires.
The upshot of all this is incredible gum pain shortly after dinner, and consequent crankiness and pain-related personality deformations. Too much gum, indeed.
Hmm, sounds bad.
the flossing thing is less masochistic than in bygone days: the dental aid industry has lots of cunning little devices that allow you to reach into all those gaps without trying to stuff both hands in your mouth.
daily use of those and lovely-tasting Listerine (none of that minty stuff for me) has helped tone down the griping from my sensitive choppers . . .
Sorry to hear this! I had this condition in college and it is no fun. You might also want to take diet into consideration–apparently it can be aggravated by lack of protein or poor nutrition in general. I was given some sort of peroxide-based mouth rinse to deal with the bleeding…Listerine would probably work just as well. And yes, you have to floss etc. But you’ll look so much nicer when you’re old if you have teeth. 😉
When I was a kid with braces my parents set a timer to force me to brush for five minutes. The two minutes required for a Sonicaring is mercifully brief. In fact it always goes faster than I think it should. I don’t see how you could thoroughly brush your teeth in less than two minutes.
Don’t worry, as your gums’ condition improves, the Sonicare gets much less painful.
My dentista gave me Colgate ‘Prevident 5000’ fluoride toothpaste, which makes me imagine that I am a robot president whenever I brush my teeth. The Fruitastic flavor tastes good (but tastes like bubblegum, actually, not any kind of fruit). I don’t think there is any way to enjoy flossing one’s teeth. Yuck.