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u/Ok-Most6656

r/USCIS_EB3 r/USCIS r/braces r/PeriodontalDisease
▲ 4 r/PeriodontalDisease

Manual brush cleaning better than Sonicare Electric brush?

Hi,

I've had stable periodontal disease for a while and I've been vigilant about flossing, using interdental brush, and waterpik. I was also using Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush and following the right technique by making sure to aim at the gumline at 45 degree angle.

Recently, I went for my maintenance cleaning and my hygienist said I had little inflammation in some spots and bleeding. I was surprised by that.

A week later I went on a trip and had to use a manual toothbrush for the first time in a year. It was an ultra soft Colgate brush. As soon as I started brushing my teeth with it, I was gushing blood everywhere! I never had any bleeding using the electric toothbrush. I wasn't pressing hard or doing anything unusual.

It felt that the manual brush was cleaning better. I noticed that the bristles were significantly longer than the electric head and are able to go into my gum pockets. Unlike the electric head that is more firm with short bristles. The longer bristles reach the crevices between teeth better.

After using the manual brush for a few days inflammation went down completely and I have no bleeding whatsoever.

I never bled while using the interdental brush or flossing at all.

The manual brush I used is:
Colgate 360° Enamel Health Extra Soft Toothbrush for Sensitive Teeth

The electric head used is:
Philips Sonicare W DiamondClean

Could it be that the manual brush is cleaning better than my Sonicare? Or do I need to buy a different brush head for my Sonicare?

reddit.com
u/Ok-Most6656 — 7 hours ago
▲ 65 r/PeriodontalDisease

How I shrunk my periodontal pockets

I am just sharing my experience in case it helps someone. This is not medical advise.

I was recently diagnosed with early periodontal disease and had my pockets measured at 5 and 4 with a few 6. I had more 5s than 4s, so I was scheduled for deep cleaning in late 2025. By early 2026, my pockets shrunk to 2s and 3s with only a very few 4s. I will share what worked for me but do your own research.

  1. Use an electric sonic toothbrush and aim at gum line at 45 degree angle. Replace your toothbrush head after every dental cleaning.
  2. Use interdental proxy brushes. I find that using interdental brushes helped A LOT. When I skip them, my gums start bleeding again. They are at least as good if not superior to floss in reducing plaque and gingivitis, but they are NOT a replacement for floss.
  3. Floss using C method and make sure you go below the gum line. Use a scooping motion when you floss.
  4. I use diluted sodium hypochlorite (bleach) in my waterpik 2 times a week. This has been very effective for me. I learned about this from Dr. Preston Miller and Dr. Nemeth. There is also a a famous paper by dr jorgen slots on using diluted hypochlorite rinse for periodontal disease. You can watch a video on this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m28hgzV0tU&list=PLzHplkB1_0lljmzwiF-Z0AL7XqXTpn2BK
  5. Use a toothpaste with stannous fluoride like gum detoxify or parodontax. Stannous is antibacterial and helps to better manage mouth bacteria. Sodium fluoride is not antibacterial. Keep in mind that strannous fluoride can cause staining but they are easily removable by a hygienist.
  6. Maintenance cleanings every 2-3 months. Find a hygienist that you like. This is really important as I used to dread dental cleanings as the hygienist I used to go to was extremely judgemental and rude.
  7. Rinse with salt rinse whenever I remember.

This is what worked for me and I hope it will work for someone else. It took a lot of effort on my part to keep up with all of the steps.

u/Ok-Most6656 — 17 days ago
▲ 2 r/braces

Is it normal for braces to create a gap and when will this close?

Is this normal? this gap is getting bigger. It wasn't really there before. I am trying to trust the process but it is stressing me out a little.

Will this eventually close?

u/Ok-Most6656 — 24 days ago
▲ 52 r/USCIS_EB3

EB3 Approved in 98 days - NY FO

Just got approved! I would say approval came a lot faster than expected. I filed EB3 on late February, 2026 and I'm from ROW (priority date was current the whole time). Sharing my timeline here:

**Feb 24, 2026**

I-485, I-765, I-485J filed

**March 23, 2026**

Biometrics completed (FTA0 x2)

**Apr 29, 2026**

Case was transferred to NY FO (according to Emma)

**May 6, 2026**

Silent update (3rd FTA0) on I-485

Silent update (2nd IAF) on I-485J

**June 1, 2026**

Multiple silent updates on I-485

Case closed/approved I-485J

**June 2, 2026**

I-485 approved exactly 24h and 10m later! 🎉

Note: I had around 1 silent update a week between case transfer to FO and approval.

I did not expect my case to be approved in 3 months but I'm really happy it did. I did not get approval immediately after third FTA0 like some cases but the 24h10m pattern seems to hold up for me at least. I got approved 3-4 weeks after 3rd FTA0 which is still consistent with the pattern.

reddit.com
u/Ok-Most6656 — 1 month ago
▲ 15 r/USCIS

EB3 Approved in 98 days - NY FO

Just got approved! I would say approval came a lot faster than expected. I filed EB3 on late February, 2026 and I'm from ROW (priority date was current the whole time). Sharing my timeline here:

Feb 24, 2026

I-485, I-765, I-485J filed

March 23, 2026

Biometrics completed (FTA0 x2)

Apr 29, 2026

Case was transferred to NY FO (according to Emma)

May 6, 2026

Silent update (3rd FTA0) on I-485

Silent update (2nd IAF) on I-485J

June 1, 2026

Multiple silent updates on I-485

Case closed/approved I-485J

June 2, 2026

I-485 approved exactly 24h and 10m later! 🎉

Note: I had around 1 silent update a week between case transfer to FO and approval.

I did not expect my case to be approved in 3 months but I'm really happy it did. I did not get approval immediately after third FTA0 like some cases but the 24h10m pattern seems to hold up for me at least. I got approved 3-4 weeks after 3rd FTA0 which is still consistent with the pattern.

reddit.com
u/Ok-Most6656 — 1 month ago
▲ 2 r/USCIS_EB3

No update after third FTA0

Hi,

I got 2 FTA0 events on biometrics day and 3rd FTA0 on 5/5. My case was transferred to NY FO (non-local) in late April.

RD 3/24 and priority date is 9/23. I'm EB3 Row and not from the 75 countries.

I received a couple silent updates after third FTA0 but other than that I have not received any decision yet. Any idea why? Any similar cases?

I guess the FTA0 pattern does not hold up for everyone :(

reddit.com
u/Ok-Most6656 — 2 months ago