Question: I have had gum disease since I was 26, right after the birth of my 3rd child…I have bone missing between the teeth but since I now take a lot of vitamins and really liked rinsing with baking soda…bleeding is stopped bone may still be disappearing but at a slow rate. I have my teeth cleaned 4 times a year since I was 26 yrs., as preventive measure.
Any suggestions to get the bone back between the teeth or any suggestions on proper care would be appreciated… Angelia in MO
Answer: How long ago were you 26? Periodontal disease is caused by specific situations or conditions and it may be the pregnancies, not the children. The alveolar bone around the necks of the teeth does recede with age, beyond 20, and will not return. Baking soda can be used weekly or so but not every day. It will damage the necks of the teeth.
Needing the teeth cleaned every 4 months is overkill and an admission that someone is not solving the cause of the problem, and I do not mean the patient. Some real causes are listed on our web site: excessive dental care, measuring gum pockets, floss, harsh dental materials, the traumatic bite on fillings and crowns, missing teeth, lifestyle stress, AND Diastemic spacing and deviations.
Check out the web site – especially the article on Osteo-Endo-Cystic Therapy. You might send your x-ray of #8-9 like in that article. Have you had orthodontic braces? When I was a kid out of school, St. Louis used to be the home of the finest dental school in the world at Washington University, esp in Orthodontics.
Regards, Mark DDS