Posted by writeradmin
I’m 36 years old and have never been to a dentist. I didn’t grow up with a family who could afford dental care and I didn’t think about it for a while after I left home because I wasn’t in the habit. I recently started having some problems with my teeth. It occurred to me that I can go to a dentist now. I have a decent job. When I first went to see my dentist they told me I needed a lot of work. I was diligent and had several root planing and scaling appointments. The hygienist was positive and we were seeing improvement. The gums were pink and I had the deepest pocket at 8 mm. Her recommendation was that we could make even faster improvement if I also saw a periodontist. I jumped on it, excited to get my mouth healthy. I was with a periodontist in just two weeks. This dentist had a completely different story. He said that my pockets were 3mm deeper than what the hygienist told me and didn’t think there was any point in saving my teeth. I thought that was the whole job of a dentist. I’m only in my 30s. I don’t want dentures. What could have gone so wrong in just two weeks?
Ellie
Dear Ellie,
I can feel your frustration and I am right there with you. It is possible for one of both of them to make a mistake in measuring the depth of your pocket. One could have poked through without realizing it making the measurement too big. The other could have hit a deposit of tartar and thought they’d reached the bottom of the pocket. I can’t tell you that without an examination. What I can tell you is that you would not have had that much change in just two weeks. I can also tell you that I don’t have a ton of confidence in your periodontist.
They made a blanket statement about how none of your teeth can be saved. I doubt that. Your hygienist was positive. You were making (and probably still are) good progress. Don’t give up. Dentists vary in their willingness to save teeth. I would go back to your hygienist and keep doing the work with your dentist there. You can ask for a recommendation for a better periodontist if you want to do extra.
If something were that bad with your teeth, they’d be loose. You haven’t mentioned anything like that. Your gum disease sounds fixable to me.
This blog is brought to you by a compassionate dentist in Mt. Dora Dr. Michelle Stillman.
Once you have the healthy smile you deserve, you can reward yourself with some teeth whitening.