Irritated gums/ Stimudents

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#1 Post by **sarcpres** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:46 pm

Hello,
I have been noticing that my bottom gums look quite irritated in the front and today i asked my doctor and he said they were "irritated and fragile." the last thing i want is to damage my gums. He said that i was not using my Stimudents correctly and showed me how to poke around and stimulate my gums. Is this the right thing to do? Is there anything else I can do in addition to stimulating my gums, like rinse with Peridex? I just want to fix this ASAP. I brush 3x day, floss/ use mouthwash. Thanks for any and all advice!!!

#2 Post by **jennielee81** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 1:50 pm

Make sure you're using a SOFT bristle brush and not scrubbing hard with that.

I have always had healthy gums but once I got braces, I was being a little TOO diligent with my brushing and irritated my gums on the top right side.

#3 Post by **swan** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 3:26 pm

I don't know what Stimundents are. I was just shown to brush the gums lightly in a circular motion with the same soft toothbrush I use for the teeth.
So you basically do the same motion you would do to brush brace-less teeth, just below the gumline to stimulate the gums.
I would go over each area only once or twice though to not overdo it.

One more thing. When I notice any area of my gums getting irritated and I do the gentle brushing that area very soon gets better. Sometimes brushing in the direction from gum to tooth with a single stroke (only that direction not back) helps when the gums are already irritated.

#4 Post by **Chris** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 8:23 pm

One word...ROTADENT! I had large gum pockets many years ago, went for root planing to clean them up. Dentist told me about the electric toothbrush Rotadent and after I used it I never had a problem with my gums. It has contour tipped and regular round brushes.

Also there is a product (need a prescription from dentist) that you swish with that actually shrinks those pockets and heals the gum. Now if I can only think of the name of it.

Ask your dentist. Maybe it was peridex, just not sure. It worked great for me too.

#5 Post by **swan** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:12 am

I have to second Chris' recommendation for the Rotadent toothbrush. I've only gotten mine a week or so ago, so I don't know yet what the long-term results will be. But my hygenist recommended it for the same reason, the gum pockets are a little too deep and I had too much plaque buildup within a short time although I tried to brush well with a manual brush. The Rotadent is gentle, but does a great job with the brushing.
When you go see your hygenist, he/she may recommend it anyway, when they see your gums. It's only available at the dental office, not in stores. I think the investment will be well worth it.

Chris, did they also tell you to use the Rotadent with gel toothpaste only?

#6 Post by **sarcpres** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 9:05 am

What do you mean by saying the gum pockets are a little too deep? Mine just seem swollen and a little pulled away from the tooth at the top.

#7 Post by **swan** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 8:39 am

The hygenists measures them, 5 mm (five millimeters) is too deep. They like to see just ones and twos, maybe threes.
My gums don't look swollen or anything, at least to my untrained eye.