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Surgery Even Though Gum Pockets are Reducing?

  • Thread starter petrified2death
  • Start date
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petrified2death

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Joined
May 19, 2009
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42
Is it normal for a periodontist to push the oral gum surgery even though we are seeing improvements/reduction in my gum pocket measurements? Ever since he first measured me, he had said that for sure we are going to have to do the surgery (which was understandable because I had high numbers). But I had asked him, "So let's say that the deep cleaning works good and my gum pockets reduce, are we still going to have to do surgery?" He answers yes. In just 1 month after the deep cleaning, my pockets reduced by 2 mm (from a 6 to 4). The highest number I heard this time was 6 instead of 8. Basically, there has a been a reduction of 2 mm everywhere. And I'm scheduled for a regular cleaning in 3 months and I'm sure there will be more improvement when he sees me then. He was talking to me about having the oral surgery done sometime next year when my insurance money "renews" since I spent it all this year.

I want to get a 2nd opinion, but at the same time it will cost money to get one. I'm going to have to pay for xrays and evaluation all over again (this time out-of-pocket since I ran out of money from my insurance this year).

Is it possible that there has been extensive damage from not getting checked in 15 years (well, I know there is) that only surgery can fix? I'm pretty sure that I have "Advance Periodontitis", so is that why we need to do the surgery even though there has been improvement? I guess I will have to ask him that but I don't want to sound like I'm doubting his expertise. I'm just confused because in doing my research, I have seen that scaling and root planing is normally the first step when the periodontitis is aggressive and oral surgery is a for sure thing. But then in other places I have read, "If the gum pockets do not reduce, oral surgery may need to be done". So which one is it?

With insurance, I'm going to have fork out about $5300 out-of-pocket for this surgery....ouch. Plus, I need to see a regular dentist to check for cavities and get my wisdom teeth out (this for sure will be out-of-pocket because all the insurance money will be saved for this darn surgery).
 
Last edited:
6mm pocket depth is well into the range where surgery is needed. Anything over 3-4 is impossible for the patient to maintain.
 
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