Someone asked a question about gum disease over at Afro Punk and I thought hey I should put that on my blog too. Oooooooooooh man, I could write a book on this. Maybe I should, LOL.

This disease SUCKS. Be very glad if they catch it in the early stages. I have lost 3 teeth because of this. Luckily they were in the back, but of course it affects my chewing and I will have drifting with the rest of my teeth as I age unless I get implants. Which I can’t do until my gums are healthier. I have gone from rotten teeth, gums bleeding every time I brushed to very rare bleeding when I brush. If you have gum disease here is what you need to do on your own as well as get the proper treatment from a periodontist:

-Make dental floss your best friend.

-Carry it with you and floss after every time you eat!

-Go old-school with the mouthwash, Listerine. Some of the other mouthwashes are not that great, you need a good anti-septic.

-Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Aim for at least 60oz. If you get a plastic water bottle that’s 20oz, that’s an easy way to keep track. Fill it up 3 times during the day and drink it.

-Try not to drink any soda or pop or kool-aid or juice between meals. Even natural fruit juice. But if you do, treat it like food and at least rinse your mouth out afterwards.

You do not want to give the germies any ammunition.

-Soft toothbrush! Your gums need gentle, persistent care. Some dentists may tell you to use a hard toothbrush because that supposedly ‘toughens up’ your gums. uh-uh no way. That can increase bleeding from the gums or trigger it if your gums are not bleeding already when you brush.

and no I am not a dentist but I played one on TV. Ok not really, I just always wanted to say that.

-If you date a lot, avoid deep kissing. This is because having gum disease is like having tiny open sores in your mouth. So you are prone to getting more yuckmouth stuff from kissing a bunch of different people. Keep it to a close-mouthed kiss. If you have one partner you have been monogamous with for at least 6 months, deep-kissing is ok because you already have their cooties and vice-versa, and they aren’t going to give you somebody else’s cooties. But avoid getting his or her genital-juices in your mouth until you have your gum disease under control.

-Do not go cheap with toothpaste. I used to get the 89 cent, whatever was on sale toothpaste. All toothpaste is not equal. Colgate Total is great for gum disease because it has triclosan in it; it is the only toothpaste I now use. Another good mouthwash is Peridex, it has an anti-microbial called chlorhexidine. It’s expensive though. According to my dentist Listerine (or it’s store brand equivalent) is just as thorough for killing the germies.

-Your diet is very important, eat lots of dark green vegetables like spinach and mustard greens; seaweed. They are very iron and calcium-rich veggies. This is important because gum disease rottens your teeth from the root inside out. You’ll be chewing something and next thing you know, part of your tooth has crumbled away.

-Try to brush after each meal but if you can’t, at least twice a day.

-Do not EVER go to bed without cleaning your mouth. A half-hearted sleepy brushing is better than no brushing at all.

-and carry that toothbrush with you too. a half-hearted quick brush in a bathroom at the mall food-court (or some other public place) is better than no brush at all. When people look funky at you (and you will get funky looks for brushing your teeth in a public bathroom) point at your bloody spit and say GUM DISEASE. Ok maybe not but for real, develop a thick skin and do what you have to do. Your dental health is serious business!!

Gum disease is very deceptive because your teeth can look fine all the while your gums are sick and eroding, see?

I had just had one of my rotten teeth taken out about a month prior to that photo (pic: July 2004). Gum tissue doesn’t grow back either. Gum disease can also affect your whole body, especially your circulatory system. Stop this in it’s tracks while you can. This is serious business!

I cried and was all skeeved out when I found out how truly jacked up my mouth was. I was very angry with myself for neglecting my dental health for so long…but all I could and can do is move forward and save my remaining teeth and get my gums back to optimal health.

Here’s some more info:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/periodontitis/DS00369

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