Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Really weird dental problem

1 view
Skip to first unread message

Joel M. Eichen D.D.S.

unread,
Nov 21, 2003, 3:52:13 AM11/21/03
to
On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 23:48:42 -0600, Jim Patterson
<hang...@arthur.avalon.net> wrote:

>
>I used to have a great smile, but I have obsessive-compulsive disorder and
>can't stop salivating (whenever I think about salivating, I salivate).

REPLY

Actually I do too. It started for me with fast food. Whenever I think
about it, I salivate .........


>The problem is, whenever I swallow the excess saliva (several times a
>minute), my tongue rubs against my front gums and wears on them making
>them bleed. (You can read more here:
>http://raggedtiger.tripod.com/ocd.html )
>
>I've tried over 15 different OCD medications that don't work, and am in
>therapy with a behavior therapist but apparently there's not much to be
>done. All my dentist can think of is to give me a mouth guard, which
>protects my gums at home but I don't wear it in public. My dentist
>verified there is no physical disorder in my mouth causing me to salivate.

Is your dentist Dr. Pavlov by any chance?


>
>So I want to know what to expect after rubbing my gums continuously: Will
>my gums wear away behind my teeth first (where my tongue rubs), or will
>they recede in front at the same time? (They've already receded in front
>some.) Then will my teeth fall out, or will I just have teeth with no
>gums around them?

Nope.No problem.


>

--
Joel M. Eichen, .
Philadelphia PA

DISCLAIMER FOLLOWS:

*********

Dental health-related material
is provided for information purposes
only and does not necessarily
represent endorsement by or an official
position of the SciMedDentistry gang
or any other official agency either
actual or fictitious or Steve Mancuso.

Advice on the treatment or care
of an individual patient should
be obtained through consultation
with a dentist who has examined
that patient or is familiar with
that patient's dental history.

STANDARD DISCLAIMER

Jim Patterson

unread,
Nov 23, 2003, 7:53:21 PM11/23/03
to
> >So I want to know what to expect after rubbing my gums continuously: Will
> >my gums wear away behind my teeth first (where my tongue rubs), or will
> >they recede in front at the same time? (They've already receded in front
> >some.) Then will my teeth fall out, or will I just have teeth with no
> >gums around them?
>
> Nope.No problem.
>
Well they've already receded some (as my dentist noticed), and if I don't
control the rubbing then they bleed. I suppose I should I also mention
that my dad and I have some sort of gum disease that apparently can't be
cured (a specialist noticed our gums are pinker than normal, but couldn't
diagnose anything, or give any advice other than lots of Listerine), so my
gums are weaker than most peoples'.

Someone asked if my tongue also gets sore from the rubbing, and it does
sometimes. But I think my gums are a lot weaker, and I'm rubbing them
right at the gumline where they're more vulnerable.

yuckfou

unread,
Nov 24, 2003, 7:29:35 AM11/24/03
to
Hi Jim, I got obsessive compulsive disorder as well, and this caused
me to not brush my teeth for 6 years due to fear of germs. What an
idiotic thing to do.
Dont really have any good advice, but I think salivating is a good
thing for your teeth, concidering you probably use SSRI meds that dry
the mouth, like I do. Best wishes!

Joel M. Eichen D.D.S.

unread,
Nov 24, 2003, 7:45:52 AM11/24/03
to
Do not panic. If you get up to seven years without brushing, then its
time to worry.

--

Jim Patterson

unread,
Nov 30, 2003, 12:03:24 AM11/30/03
to

Well yeah the salivating is good, so that's why my dentist didn't want to
prescribe something that would make me not salivate. The excessive
salivation is because of my OCD, not any physical problem. The worse
problem is that everytime I swallow, my tongue rubs against my gums making
them bleed.

I'm so tired of my mouth being sore and bleeding because of this, but I
guess no one can help. My dentist gave me a mouthguard to protect my
gums (she can see my gums are receding because of this already), but of
course I don't wear it in public.

All I want to know is: after my gums have been rubbed away by my tongue
(which is indeed already happening), will my teeth fall out or just stay
in without any gums around them?

Paul

unread,
Dec 1, 2003, 2:29:55 PM12/1/03
to
Is the rubbing of the gums occurring behind the top front teeth? If so, you
could have an acrylic guard made to just fit behind your front teeth on your
gums only. It would be like a retainer in a way...the same shape. You could
wear this in public as it would not cover the entire tooth and would allow
you to talk...


"Jim Patterson" <hang...@arthur.avalon.net> wrote in message
news:Pine.HPP.3.96.103112...@arthur.avalon.net...

Jim Patterson

unread,
Dec 13, 2003, 11:01:08 PM12/13/03
to
Yeah it's behind the front teeth. My dentist thought about putting
something like that in to protect them, but said my speech would be
slurred. Is there something better that wouldn't affect my speech?

enk

unread,
Dec 14, 2003, 1:18:03 PM12/14/03
to
> Yeah it's behind the front teeth. My dentist thought about putting
> something like that in to protect them, but said my speech would be
> slurred. Is there something better that wouldn't affect my speech?

Jim, I wore a retainer for several months that caused me to slur and
lisp at first. You can teach yourself not to not slur or lisp though.
I sang in the car, read out loud to the cat at home, and spoke
normally within two or three weeks. You might want to consult a speech
therapist for help developing correct technique since you might have
to deal with this long term if you go the mouth-guard route.

enk

0 new messages