Periodontal Disease

Year's ago I was 'diagnosed with periodontal disease. I heard that and panicked. Sounds like such a scary word. Anyways, being the chicken that I am i never did anything. They told me about the scaling and planing procedure which made my tail go further between my legs. It's gotten to.the point where a couple of my lower teeth are definitely loose and I'm having trouble using them. My question is:

Can you have periodontal disease in just part of your mouth? Or os the whole mouth affected? I know my bottom teeth are horrible and the recession is easily seen. But the rest of my gums look ok. If you go for the scaling & planing, does the entire mouth get done? Is it a procedure that needs to be done for the rest of 'permanent teeth life'? I know I will have to go like 5 times because they do it in sections. Can gums start to 'reattach' to your teeth?

I'm scared but it's like the more I think about it, the more at ease I feel. Til I get to the office I suppose. I might not be so at ease then.

Hi welcome to the fourm.

I understand how scary this all sounds to you but I think you will find that once you start to tackle the problem it won't be as bad as you are thinking.
Have a word with the dentist and explain how you feel they will be able to explain things to you and help put your mind at rest.

You can get periodontal disease in part of the mouth and the other can be fine. I had it at the two lower front teeth but the rest of my gums were fine. The only way to try to get it under control is by the regular treatment from your dentist as they have explained to you. It will also take a good cleaning routine to be developed by you as well to maintain the work the dentist will be doing.

The treatment should be totally pain free as they can numb you for it and usually do, try not to worry too much which is easier said than done I know.

All the best to you

Hi Lexie35,

It's not a death sentence. I have periodontal disease but after the scaling procedure and learning a healthy flossing habit, I haven't heard a bad thing from my dentist in years.

The scaling procedure, as Carole says, is painless but a little nerve-wracking and annoying. You'll be completely numbed up in the quadrant they're working on, and then it's... well, annoying. Some high-pitched squeeky sounds, and some scrapy sensation. But it shouldn't hurt at all. Bring some headphones and good music to keep yourself distracted.

After scaling, if you take care of your teeth at home, your gums should get healthier and the gaps will get much smaller.

Flossing. Vow to start. I never flossed at all until my 40's, but a few years ago vowed to start. My advice is, get lots of floss, promise yourself to spend a minute to two flossing every night (or morning), and then do it. It will suck at first. You'll be clumsy and your gums will bleed, and maybe at first you can only do a few teeth, or a quadrant. Don't spent twenty minutes and kill yourself. Do as much as you can do in a minute or two. But do it every day. (Obviously, follow whatever advice your dentist give you after planing-- you may need to leave that area alone for a few days.) You'll get better at it. It'll hurt less and bleed less. I swear to you, after maybe a month, I was flossing my whole mouth, no pain, no bleeding, in a couple minutes. Now I floss every night, and it takes a minute, and my dentist rants about my gums and teeth. (Keep in mind, I'm a guy who thought I'd lose all my teeth, never even brushed most of my teenage and adult life.) Oh, and if you can, get an electric toothbrush.

Anyway, there is life beyond, and you're not doomed to a life of constant deep scaling and receding gums. Every mouth is different, but if you start working on a good brushing/flossing routine, every day, you can rebuild healthy gums and keep your teeth for a long long time.