My Dental Visit Today

[M0RNA]

This is odd. With noone else seeming to have developed gingival pockets after snus use for a couple of years I'm starting to wonder whether it's something about me? I know one of the medications I take causes dry mouth. Could this be the problem maybe? I'm was Googling last night and read that dry mouth can make your more prone to gum infection and tooth decay (although it only seems to be my gums that are affected) My oral hygeine is good (brush/floss/mouthwash twice a day), I alternate where I place my snus and take a vitamin c supplement so not sure what's going on really ?

I'm like a walking pharmacy...and yes, I also take a couple of the type of drugs which can cause dry mouth. I find that using chewing gum can help (get the sugar free stuff). I think I have an oral fixation, and always have to be doing something with my gob....so I find that chewing gum means that I can have a break from the snus for an hour or so every now and again, plus the act of chewing stimulates the production of saliva. It also means that when I do put a big pris in, I appreciate it all the more for not having had any for an hour or so. Give it a go, it may be the missing part of the equation as your oral hygiene regime sounds top notch

[lxskllr]

To go along with what MORNA said. How about Firebreak gum? http://www.buysnus.com/snusbrand/Fir...ewing-gum.aspx I have some samples that I got from Buysnus, but I haven't tried them yet. Perhaps they'll give you a more pleasant nicotine buzz since they're made with real tobacco.

[Jason]

I'm was Googling last night and read that dry mouth can make your more prone to gum infection and tooth decay

That is true. It's why hardcore drug users usually end up losing teeth after so many years of abuse; the constant cottonmouth means no saliva to cleanse the teeth and gums of built-up bacteria.

[Tony]

Hello all, have been reading this site for a while and mwood72's problem and decided to dive in. I too had chronic dry mouth. My dentist believed part of the problem was sinus congestion which made me a "mouth breather" and my gums being sensitive to alcohol (most mouth wash). The things that worked for me was eliminating my chronic congestion (snus tastes better now ) with a neti pot, using an alcohol free mouth wash, and an oral lubricant at night. Crest Pro Health for the wash and Biotene for the lubricant. Hope that helps.

[mwood72]

Ok, how's this for contrasting dentist's opinions -

The last time I went to the dentist she told me that I had tobacco stained teeth, had 3 deep gingival pockets (caused by tobacco) and told me to stop using tobacco before things got any worse.

I've had a bit of a toothache the past week and so had to go to the dentist today. I had been dreading it all week and had even been using NRT for a week (so not very happy) so that if I was laid into again for using tobacco I could at least have in my defence that I had taken the 1st step to get off it. It turned out my dentist had left and a new guy had taken over. He had a look at where I was experiencing the discomfort and said that he could see nothing wrong other than a bit of hard plaque between the 2 teeth where I was getting the discomfort. Apart from that he praised me for the good nick my teeth and gums were in and just quickly drilled the plaque away. Totally gobsmacked I asked about the 3 deep gingival pockets that the other dentist had seen and he said that he couldn't see any and that everything looked very healthy and clean. He even did an X-ray to check nothing was going on below the gum line and that was clean also. Needless to say I left a very happy man and am just enjoying my 1st portion of General Original in about a week!

[darkwing]

See? If you have the time and energy it is good to get a second opinion about such things. Doctors and dentists often have varying degrees of knowledge about some issues and they also have beliefs that they take into their practice. This affects the way they deal with patients.

[lxskllr]

Great news mwood :^) Doctors like your previous dentist need to be kicked in the balls. Lying to change people's lifestyle in inexcusable. It's the same thing with the War On Drugs® here in the USA. They've made so many incredible statements about drug use that you can't believe anything they say. Instead of using facts, they make up stories to further their goal.

Doctors think they know more than the average person, and they are better equipped to handle people's lives than the people themselves. There's nothing special about being a doctor. I've met too many dumb asses with degrees to put any stock in a piece of paper. Anybody can be a doctor, all they have to do is go to school to learn it.

Doctors and governmental organizations need to give people factual advice and data, and let everybody make up their own minds. Lying to further an agenda damages credibility for the people in position of authority, and is just plain wrong, and unprofessional.

[chainsnuser]

Yeah, I second darkwing and lxskllr!

Besides of those dentists, who are actually not educated well enough to do their job (which hopefully are only a few) there are also those, who just want to make money by doing expensive things like gingival surgery (whether the patient needs it or not). Most dentists are self-employed businesspeople, so what to expect?

Besides of that, I trust my dentist, but only because I have the same dentist since 1980 and I know that he knows, that I'm no 'cash-cow' anyway. I always choose to get my fillings without anaesthetisation and always cheap amalgam-fillings (not only cheaper but also more durable than golden ones AFAIK). BTW, he thinks positive about snus (at least compared with my former heavy smoking habit).

But most important is to hear these good news about you, mwood72!

Cheers!

[The Wolf]

Off-topic:

It's the same thing with the War On Drugs® here in the USA. They've made so many incredible statements about drug use that you can't believe anything they say. Instead of using facts, they make up stories to further their goal.

My knowlege of the War On Drugs in the States isn't that high (or however the **** one should say that correctly ), but I know the basics and I'd say that the anti-drug propaganda here is at least as idiotic as in the States. They consider LSD lethal and marijuana higly addictive and very aggressive drug. I myself haven't ever tried any illegal drugs but I trust doctors etc. and their saings about drugs' effects little more than the coverment's. **** the facts when you can manipulate people and demonize drugs and especially drug-users. Actually right now a Finnish hockey-pro Jere Karalahti have been charged for financing drug transportation to Finland and the prosecutor demands six years of prison for him, while rapists and pedophils get usually couple years of parole, at most. You can get a bigger sentance just using drugs than if you rape a child. And that sure sucks ass.

[Kindrd]

You can get a bigger sentance just using drugs than if you rape a child. And that sure sucks ass.

That is absolutely crazy, IMO an easy justification for capital punishment. I always bring up the war on drugs when someone bitches about the costs in Iraq. People would fall over if they ever payed attention to how much money we spend to lock people up who are only really hurting themselves. The real funny thing is all the anti-drug people around here would be happy to discuss it with you over a beer. You have got to love the hypocrites.

[The Wolf]

What I forgot to say was that no matter if you're getting caught using drugs or raping a child, you won't propably go to jail nor get even parole just the "ticket" to pay. And it is possible that the one who used drugs will have a bigger ticket to pay. Of course this depends on your age (and most sertainly the child's age if she/he is, say, 13 to 16, the crime seems to lose all it's 'shittiness'), 'cos they can't put an under aged person to jail here. Of course this is just an example but it has happend. I am strictly against capital punishment but sometimes it does seem to have point...