I Need to Defend Myself First
I need to clear something up first. I'm not one of those people who only floss right before dental appointments.
I actually brush and floss twice a day religiously and consistently: in the morning and at night, with the kind of commitment, discipline, and optimism of someone who thought she was doing reasonably okay. 😄
And yet… I ended up at the dentist this week because I've been having gum pain on the lower right side of my jaw for about one week.
So I finally went to see Dr Priyanka at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur. She took one look and basically confirmed, "Yes, the gum is infected."
And there was even pus coming out from one side.
Alamak. This is exactly the kind of sentence you want to hear while lying under bright dental lights. 😭
The Annoying Reality of Teeth Crowding and Periodontitis
For context, I already knew I have periodontitis (gum disease). I also have teeth crowding, which means certain areas are harder to clean no matter how disciplined you are.
So despite regular brushing and flossing, bacteria can still accumulate deep around crowded areas and gum pockets.
Adult life is really humbling sometimes. And yes, dental treatments are usually excluded from insurance claims, which makes the whole experience even more annoying.
Oral health maintenance is one of those things that quietly becomes expensive over time. I've actually written before about my frustrations with how costly healthcare is becoming; you can read more about it in this blog post.
Okay, back to periodontitis. Look, periodontitis is not one of those "buy better toothbrushes and toothpastes, and magically everything disappears" situations.
It's more of an ongoing management thing, which could include damage control, you know, trying to keep bad oral bacteria from turning your gums into a war zone.
After cleaning the infected gum, Dr Priyanka also sent me to the imaging department to do an OPG (orthopantomogram) x-ray so that she could evaluate the condition beneath the gums and around the bone support more thoroughly.
So at the next appointment, the treatment plan for my periodontitis will be based on what she sees from the X-ray findings, which honestly makes me feel both reassured… and slightly nervous. 😭
Apparently my adulthood is just going from "Yay, no cavities" to "Let's evaluate the bone support around your teeth for a no-extraction plan."
Character development indeed. 😄
I Came Home with Antibiotics and Oral Probiotics
After the X-ray, I came home with antibiotics to clear the infection and BioGaia Prodentis Lozenges.
Now THIS caught my attention. Because I've always associated probiotics with gut health. You know… yoghurt drinks and digestive health commercials.
But oral probiotics?
So today I learnt that our mouth has its own microbiome too, which means our mouth is basically an entire ecosystem – a tiny bacterial civilisation with good residents and problematic residents.
The oral probiotic lozenges are meant to support healthier bacterial balance in the mouth. The strain inside this one is Lactobacillus reuteri, which has been studied in relation to gum health and oral inflammation.
So now every morning for the next five days, I will be taking the antibiotics. Then, every night for the next 30 days, I will be taking one lozenge in my mouth while reflecting on how adulthood slowly turns all of us into people with highly specific wellness routines. 😄
Did You Know That Oral Health Would Become This Technical?
Honestly, if you told my younger self that one day I would care deeply about:
- gum pockets
- gum infection
- oral microbiome balance
- probiotic strains
…I would not have believed you.
The funny thing is: when people talk about health maintenance, we usually think about exercise, skincare, hormones, supplements, sleep…
But oral health quietly sits there like, "Excuse me. I, too, can become expensive if ignored."
And to be fair to me, I wasn't completely ignoring it. That's the frustrating part.
Fun Facts I Learnt From This Dental Episode
- Sometimes even when you are trying your best, chronic conditions still need ongoing maintenance, especially something like periodontitis.
- Teeth crowding (which can be genetic, thank you very much) can make cleaning difficult even with good habits of consistent brushing and flossing.
- Gum infections can still happen despite consistent oral care.
- Oral probiotics are apparently a real thing now.
And perhaps most importantly:
Adulting is just progressively collecting more specialised healthcare products over time. 😄
