I had advanced gum disease and LANAP surgery on my whole mouth, AMA.
Around early 2010(22 years old) I noticed a burning sensation in my gums and I would bleed excessively. I could also tell they were inflamed. The last time I had gone to a dentist was probably when I was 17 years old when I had cheap-o insurance living with my aunt. Previous to this last visit I went to the dentist semi-regularly during my adolescence and teens.
The problems arose during a dark period of my life when I was practically living rough(no job, sleeping on a couch) in active alcoholism and I smoked cigarettes which probably didn't help. I was also bulimic at the time. My gums bled pretty badly. If I sucked in my cheeks like a fish blood would pool on my tongue. It wasn't pretty. I wasn't in a place financially or mentally to take care of myself. I brushed every now and then but never really flossed.
My gums at their worst. TW: Blood
Fast forward to 2016 - sober, quit drinking, no longer purging, semi-stable, with a job that offers dental insurance. My gums were inflamed to the point where I could pull them off my tooth with my nail. I finally made the appointment. The dentist told me things weren't great. I had a lot of build up and my gums needed to heal after a cleaning to see where they were at. I had moderate bone loss. I also needed (2-3 fillings? I can't remember exactly.) My gum pocket numbers ranged from 5-9mm. I scheduled my SRP appointment.
After the deep cleaning, everything shrunk and most of my inflammation was gone. The pain and bleeding subsided a lot and I could finally bite into things without it being uncomfortable. I thought things were okay. After several months my dentist checked my pockets again and they were still not great. The disease was deeper than SRP could reach. He referred me to a periodontist.
Periodontist did my evaluation and said my case was advanced and very aggressive. He made a comment at one point that "even if I was smoking and drinking and never brushing it still wouldn't be this bad as my age." He says my case was likely genetic. He advised LANAP surgery on my whole mouth. It was going to cost me $6000 out of pocket. At that point in time I was working minimum wage and it seemed out of reach for me. But I told myself I would save up and do it. I did. I ate ramen, lived off cheap food, and walked two miles to work and back every day. My credit score was 560 before this so I don't think I could apply for credit care.
It took me a while to save up all that money, but I eventually did. I even dropped my work dental insurance cause it didn't cut it and got my own that was better. During this time I continued to visit my dentist every three months for cleanings & I even got my wisdom teeth taken out for hygienic purposes. My dentist told me I was losing more bone gradually during this time so I needed to hurry. 2019 was when I got it done. LANAP surgery wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It took almost two hours, and I got to watch TV the whole time. I remember the first few hours the numbing wore off I DEFINITELY needed ibuprofen, but I was at work the next day. I have a high pain tolerance though. I spent 10 days on a liquid diet(Huel), and then soft foods after that.
After a year of healing time, I was able to have my pockets checked again and they were all between 2-3s. I was so happy I cried as she read them out to me. I definitely have gum recession now that my gums are at my lower bone line, which made me a little sad as I thought it was ugly, but I was a lot happier that my teeth were being saved. I made a plan with my periodontist that I would do 2 cleanings a year at my perio and 2 and my dentist to maintain stabilization.
I am continuing my cleanings every 3 months right now and I am now in the middle of my Invisalign treatment. My black triangles are definitely bigger now that my teeth are straightening, but I'm not so worried about that for now. I might go for Bioclear in the future.(Edit: Definitely will not get Bioclear as I have been advised against it. Stains and chips over time. Embracing my real teeth.) I wanted to write this up to give others hope that things are possible. I'm not saying it was easy, but it's definitely possible to turn it all around.
Update 08/2024 I will eventually need some gum grafts on the bottom lowers.
Update 2: 09/2024: I had my gum graft surgery three days ago. I had them across five teeth on the lower front and it was a free gingival graft. It's not for root coverage but for strengthening the tissue below my teeth—my gums have thinned there. I need to specify: this experience is different for everyone, and you might have a more pleasant or worse experience than I did. For me, it was awful. My perio did a really good job; I appreciate him. But I don't ever want to go through that again—for various reasons.
The procedure itself was mostly painless as you’re super numb. The only painful part was the numbing shots, but it happens very quickly: three at the site and a few on the roof of my mouth. I couldn't afford IV sedation, so I was awake the whole time. Lots of terrible noises. My saving grace was my headphones. I listened to loud industrial/electronica the whole time to drown it out as much as I could. It was relatively very quick. The worst part was the harvesting of the tissue on the roof of my mouth. Usually, it's only one site, but he needed two for my coverage. I even saw it as he pulled it out of my mouth. Internal screaming Haha—but it was all okay in the end. They were very precise, quick, and professional.
Now—the awful part—recovery. I am a recovering addict, so I chose not to take the Norco prescription. They prescribed me antibiotics and 600 mg ibuprofen. TAKE ONE RIGHT BEFORE YOU GO IN. Because once the numbing wore off, I was like scream-crying over the pain. The worst pain was 1-2 days after the procedure. I opted to just drink Huel that whole time because it's so difficult to move your mouth at all, let alone have a spoon in there. The swelling was also worse on the first day. I iced it plenty while mostly laying in bed. They gave me a stent for the roof of my mouth, which protects it during eating/drinking. That was a godsend. Pay for that. Worth it.
I am currently on day three and feeling much better. Pain comes and goes, but it’s tolerable as long as I keep up with the ibuprofen. I will update as time goes on and will post before and after photos at the four-week mark.