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Scaling

V

vict4ia

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
387
Location
New Hampshire
Up until last week, it had been 20 years since I last went to a dentist. I was relieved when the dentist told me that she expects I will have my teeth for the next 100 years. She said that the bones look healthy and any receding in the gums is within the healthy range. I need one small filling and I had a crown done on Monday. (That went really well. My gums were a tiny bit sore around the tooth for half a day but really, no worse than a paper cut.)

Anyway, the dentist said that I have a little bit of pocketing and will need to get my teeth scaled. My questions are related to that and are as follows:

1) Could the pocketing be the reason why I feel some sensitivity to really sweet foods if they get stuck up around my gums?
2) Will scaling help to take care of the pocketing as long as I keep up with good oral hygiene?
3) I assume that my gums will be a little sore after the procedure but will they bleed?
4) Will I be able to brush my teeth after getting my teeth scaled and should I floss that same day? Or, will I need to give my mouth a little time to recover?

Sorry if I went over my allotted questions. I just want to know what to expect.
 
I had a Cleaning done on Monday & had masses of Tartar scraped off my teeth (think it's Scaling)
Anyway the back of lower front teeth looked really fragile (most Tartar was on there)  
I emailed Dentist,asking whether i should carry on brushing as normal.And she said yes.

So if i had Scaling (think i did) i brushed that night & have done since  :)

Also it really actually didn't hurt. Ask for Numbing Gel,it really helps  :)
Also my Gums bleed a tiny bit during the treatment,but not afterwards
 
1) Possibly, but it might be more related to some minor areas of recession exposing the necks of the teeth or metallic fillings creating a galvanic effect.
2) It sure will help.  Some minor pocketing can be reduced with scaling.  
3) A little bit of bleeding during the cleaning is normal.  It should cease fairly quickly afterwards.  
4) If it's just minor scaling, keep up with your regular home care of brushing and flossing.  For deep root planing and curettage, it might be best to leave the gums be without aggressive brushing and flossing for a little while until they start healing.
Sorry if I went over my allotted questions.  I just want to know what to expect.

That's okay.  We'll just charge you a bit extra for going over.   ;)
 
Thanks to both of you for the answers. Much appreciated.

I don't have any fillings, metal or otherwise, so I guess that's not the problem with the sensitivity. If the problem is with the necks of the teeth being exposed, is there anything I can do to eliminate the sensitivity? So far it's really very minor and not a constant issue but I don't want it to get worse.
 
You could try one of the desensitization toothpastes like Sensodyne, Crest Sensitivity, or Colgate desensitizing toothpaste and see if that helps.
 
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