Good news: your gums aren't diseased. You've done an excellent job taking care of your teeth and gums. Bad news: your bite may have shifted from nightly grinding, therefore causing gaps between your teeth, and you may need orthodontics, but your insurance doesn't cover adult orthodontics. Wonderful. Up to now I have always been admired for having naturally straight teeth. Never had to wear retainers, never went through the humiliation of being called metal mouth, never had much trouble at all, and only recently did I get my wisdom teeth (just the lower ones) removed. They weren't even protruding through the gums. The dentist was being cautious about taking them out because of the direction they were laying. When they were taken out I didn't even go under, just a local, and I didn't really need the codine. Just took them for the fun of having my own prescribed narcotics. Just kidding. Just say no. Drugs are bad.

As an adult I have to go through the hassle of getting my teeth straighten. Nothing worse than an adult with a mouth full of metal. Great, I get to pick food out of my teeth at work and in restuarants.