gums :-(

[rkh3]

Have had receding gums for a while, nothing needing action though. Been using snus since last November. Went to the dentist yesterday and I now need to see a periodontist for some reconstruction. Dentist said it is just normal progression, I'm 55. I happen to believe that snus hastened it though, I have recession everywhere but the gums by the molars are most needy, that is where I have been using the snus.
Bummed because I am 99% off cigarettes because of snus. Now, I am trying to decide to still use it or go back to smoking, I know I can't quit nicotine, tried too many times.
Crap!

[danielan]

I'm 55. I happen to believe that snus hastened it though, I have recession everywhere but the gums by the molars are most needy, that is where I have been using the snus.

I'd tend to think that numerous years of smoking did more damage then several months of snusing.

But more to the point - you put snus by your molars?

Don't they drip really bad back there?

[dxh]

Have had receding gums for a while, nothing needing action though. Been using snus since last November. Went to the dentist yesterday and I now need to see a periodontist for some reconstruction. Dentist said it is just normal progression, I'm 55. I happen to believe that snus hastened it though, I have recession everywhere but the gums by the molars are most needy, that is where I have been using the snus.
Bummed because I am 99% off cigarettes because of snus. Now, I am trying to decide to still use it or go back to smoking, I know I can't quit nicotine, tried too many times.
Crap!

You can climb a mountain without teeth. You can't climb a mountain without lungs.
Give the shit up if you are worried about your gums, but don't start smoking. That logic is very flawed (it often is with addicts...I know I am one)

[lxskllr]

You can climb a mountain without teeth. You can't climb a mountain without lungs.
Give the shit up if you are worried about your gums, but don't start smoking. That logic is very flawed (it often is with addicts...I know I am one)

Yup. Rotten gums are better than rotten lungs. Try using some nasal snuff in addition to snus so you can give your gums a break.

[razzor7]

Haha, dude... if your doctor said it's normal progression FULL STEAM AHEAD CAP'N!

[dxh]

Also. Tea tree oil helped my mom's gum disease.
I would look at herbal things that can promote gum health

[rkh3]

I tried nasal snuff, can't do it.

I thought the same thing, well he said it is normal progression, I won't quit. My sister has had gum surgery 2-3x, she is 7 yrs older...........never smoked and certainly never did oral tobacco. In fact her first surgery was when she was in her 40s. It does run in the family.
Just upset that it happened. Been through the quitting thing with patches, gum, lozenges, Welbutrin, ecigarettes (still use those), etc, nothing worked as well as snus.
Just so happens that this occurred when the gd pact act hit. Now even if I wanted to in MA I can't buy what I like. Waiting on a shipment from Buysnus to see if it gets through.

[dxh]

I tried nasal snuff, can't do it.

I thought the same thing, well he said it is normal progression, I won't quit. My sister has had gum surgery 2-3x, she is 7 yrs older...........never smoked and certainly never did oral tobacco. In fact her first surgery was when she was in her 40s. It does run in the family.

Genetics play a huge role in many things. I would agree that snus might play a slight role, but based off of the info you gave on your sis I would say you were gonna have some issue regardless of snus.
Best of luck

[rob i]

Hi- very infrequent poster here.

Since I was 17 years old, dentists have been telling me that I brush too hard, and that at some point I will need a gum graft. By the time I was 37 I had significant recession on all four canines. top AND BOTTOM. I was sent to a periodontist and asked her if my snus use caused this. She didn't know about snus, and assumed it was just regular dip. She didn't like that I used it, but said that it wasn't the cause of the recession since the recession was so symmetrical, and was much more likely the result of the anatomy of my jaw. Also, since I snus on top, and the bottom canines were just as receded as the top ones were. She explained that many things cause recession. Anatomy being a HUGE factor, brushing, and general aging.

She was NOT promoting snus use at all, but rather just giving her honest opinion on what she believed was causing the recession. The recession had been there for far longer than I had been snusin.

[lxskllr]

Sorry about your mouth. Are you gonna get a graft? Your analysis is about what I'd expect. Recession being more individual amongst users.

[precious007]

Yup. Rotten gums are better than rotten lungs. Try using some nasal snuff in addition to snus so you can give your gums a break.

couldn't have said it better lx ! :^)

going back to cigarettes?Hell no, never!

[jdman321]

I'd say smoking did most of the damage. I've been smoke free for about 3 weeks and already have noticed healthier gums, even where I place my snus. Smoking along with natural occurrences are probably the main culprit. That changes from person to person though of course, so do what you feel is right. You CAN live without nicotine though. The first couple weeks will suck but after that you can do it if that's what you need to do.

[precious007]

or you can live with less nicotine

if snus is affecting your gums... try lozenges or gum (not as effective but you'll get your nicotine fix)

try patches or inhalers (inhalers are pretty satisfying)

[rob i]

I did get a graft. They only do one tooth at a time, so I have 2 left to do. I was very aware, for YEARS before i started using snus, that this was going to eventually have to happen. The way the doc explained, everyone's gums recede as they get older. General anatomy plays a tremendous part, and things like brushing too hard, clenching teeth, tobacco use, are smaller mitigating factors. Though she is clearly not a fan of tobacco use, she was pretty darn positive that snus didn't cause this. I would have needed this graft had I never touched the stuff. It's been over a year since my first graft and at the last dentist appt, my dentist commented on how nicely the graft came out and how it still looks great. And yes, I do snus in the area of the graft and it hasn't seemed to change or recede in the course of an entire year. knock wood.

also, there was / is no gingivitis and my gums are in healthy shape according to my dentist.

and for those who need eventual gum grafts, please take my word on this and go for the synthetic skin option vs the grafting from the palate option. I still have a dent in the roof of my mouth from where they took the graft. It also got very infected (dry socket) about a week after I had the graft done. My dentist wanted to blame snus for the infection (i snused on the opposite side of the graft after the surgery), but in the end it was discovered it wasn't the snus that caused the infection, but was rather caused by self medicating by smoking a popular but controversial non tobacco herbal blend....... Hey they told me no cigarettes. No one every said anything about..... (really hoping you guys are catching my subtle hints here).... And the reason that smoking anything can cause dry socket is due to sucking and pulling smoke into your mouth, which in turn dislodges clots in the wound, causing bacteria to rush in. When that happens, just hope you have some serious pain killers and antibiotics as the pain is indescribable.

the reason she blamed snus for the infection at first is because nicotine is a vaso constrictor and can constrict the blood vessels in your mouth, decreasing blood flow, which is not the best thing when you are trying to heal a mouth wound. This is true, and I can see that the healing period may be a bit longer if you snus after oral surgery, but should NOT CAUSE an infection. The infection was caused by smoking during healing. Another way to get the same infection that I did, without smoking is to drink things with a straw. Sucking on anything can cause dry socket after oral surgery. On the other hand, sucking on snus portions during healing can cause this as well. I took great pains not to do this. It is my own dumb ass fault that I smoked. And I mean, within hours of the surgery. I thought it would help with the discomfort. As smart as I think i am, I can be a real moron at times.

Rob

Rob

[lxskllr]

Good luck going forward. Hopefully the rest of the grafts go a little smoother :^)