There is a great dentist in Indiana who does laser treatment for periodontal work. This might help get some work done without anestesia, though I don't know. His website is sukel.com or midwestdentistry.com. If you don't live near him maybe you can ask for a referral, or else research other dentists like him. Oatmeal won't help, not even close, and yes you have a serious problem if you don't clean up your mouth. Gum, or perio, problems are the number one reason for tooth loss. It doesn't mean you would die from it, but it increases the amount of bacteria in your blood and can contribute to heart disease, etc. A good biological dentist, and also naturopaths or some chiropractors, may be able to tell you some remedies for killing bacteria. You can ask Dr. Sutter here at curezone, also Tonay Issaacs. Besides oil pulling, as some already suggested, there may be possible help from MSM, collodial silver, to name two things. Collodial silver is a natural antibiotic.