There is hope!!
When I was diagnosed about 5 years ago I was soooo depressed and self conscious and felt hopeless, reading that you can never cure this disease.
I stopped smiling as much and got very paranoid about bad breath.
I did have bad dental hygiene before diagnosis. I barely ever flossed. Just brushed with a regular toothbrush. My gums would bleed, and I dont know why I didn't clue in that something was really wrong!? It's weird, like I was in denial.
Anyway, after diagnosis I had SRP and then started taking dental hygiene very serious.
Now I have a whole routine and I never let myself skip it. Brush twice a day with ultrasonic toothbrush. Waterpik at least a couple of times a day. Floss every night. And chew xylitol gum after meals/sweets.
Well I just saw a new dentist and didnt tell him about my history. I wanted to see what he would say with no preconceived notions.
He said that I have a very clean mouth, very healthy gums, no periodontal issues. My pockets were mostly 1s - 3s, with one 4 at the back.
I feel soooo happy and relieved. I know I have to keep up with my daily hygiene and I'm committed to that. I know I cant reverse prior bone loss, but I would consider myself "healed" in that I have no active disease! Probably I do have more vulnerability to bacteria and have to be diligent to keep it at bay. But I'm just happy that my teeth and gums are in a good place.
Also over the past years I saved up and got tooth whitening and four veneers on my front teeth. They look very natural. I am still self conscious about a couple black triangles, but mostly I am feeling good and back to smiling!
Good luck to everyone, this is a horrible thing to deal with but there is a lot of hope :)