Can a (regular cleaning) by a hygienist help with this gingival problem (??)

[Camisa]

Can a (regular cleaning) by a hygienist help with this gingival problem (??)

Hi everyone-- never thought I'd have to come back here, but I'm a mess. My last big dental procedure was performed in early 2011, and I was a success, although with more missing teeth in the back than I would prefer.

Anywho, I'm now 26, and have been religiously getting my cleanings every 6 months at a cheap franchise dental practice nearby. I have OCD, agoraphobia and other health problems, and I brush, floss, rinse, etc 2-3x per day. My dental saga of years past has made me this way

About 2 weeks ago, I began to get what felt like a toothache in a lone molar, bottom right, but the actual tooth didn't hurt... it was the gum surrounding it. My gums always swell a bit during PMS, and I was on my period. It throbbed, sometimes giving off a foul taste. Went to cheap dentist franchise who normally does my cleanings, they did an x-ray and exam, and said there was no decay in tooth-- I was diagnosed with grinding, dentist suggested splint.

Well things calmed down for a while, but this weekend things got extremely bad and my period is long over. The pain seems to be localized to the gum surrounding the back of the molar. I was getting post traumatic memories of abscesses with the pain, radiating and giving me a headache, and yucky taste coming from the area... so I walked in to the office without an appointment today. Desperate.

The dentist saw me again and tapped the tooth - no pain - poked around the gumline surrounding the tooth with the pick instrument - didn't hurt until he got to the gumline behind the tooth, which sent me through the roof and the area throbbed with pain. He then looked at my x-ray from 10 days ago and told me that I have an "acute gingivitis lesion," and told me there was a bit of a small space between my tooth and gumline that had tartar build-up and could be collecting bacteria.

I mentioned the tooth in front of it was extracted along with the wisdom tooth behind it. I can only guess that is what caused it, but I'd really like to have it addressed before it turns to periodontal disease (if it hasn't already?!) and/or leads to losing the tooth...

He showed me this space on the x-ray from 10 days ago, and there was a small black area between my tooth crown and gumline/bone. The blackened space - It didn't appear to go TOO deep, but of course, I'm now paranoid that I have an infected periodontal pocket. but..The doc didn't seem all that concerned... but told me if the dental cleaning doesn't solve the problem, he would refer me to an Endodontist, because maybe the bacteria made its way down alongside the roots causing an infection from the inside that we can't see on x-ray! But he told me that the tooth itself had no decay and wanted me to have a cleaning ASAP.

The moment of truth will be whether or not the dental cleaning will solve the problem... and I sit here wondering if it is a regular cleaning that I need, or should I ask for a root planing too? I mean, will the cleaning be enough?

I was scheduled for a cleaning with the Dental Hygienist in 2 days (Weds), as I'm due for one anyway (last one was 9/18/12)....

My question is, let's just say, hypothetically, that this IS an infected periodontal pocket... can the Hygienist address this at my cleaning on Weds? Or will this require root planing too?

Can the Hygienist do root planing without the shot? (I would prefer the pain over the shot!!!)

Should I ask about antibiotics? I was treated for antibiotic induced Clostridium Difficile just a couple of months ago after being treated for an unrelated infection am terrified of needing another antibiotic ever again in my life!

I'm devastated, as all my check-ups kept coming up perfect for the last 2 years after all the work I'd had done and fears I'd faced. I forgot how to be brave.

Please help a dental phobe veteran. Nice to see friendly faces and new ones, too

 

[Camisa]

Re: Can a (regular cleaning) by a hygienist help with this gingival problem (??)

Maybe I could get a response if I shortened my problem into less words??

I have extreme pain in my gumline surrounding a bottom right molar that stands alone in my jaw because the teeth beside it were extracted 2 yrs ago. I am 26. It gives off a foul taste now and then. X-ray revealed small blackened space between gum and crown of tooth. Doct mentioned something about acute gingivitis lesion and scheduled Cleaning ASAP.

I am concerned that what I *actually* have is Periodontitis , and what I might actually need is a scaling and root planing...possibly an antibiotic. My dentist did not seem concerned when I mentioned this, and told me I didn't have periodontitis..

Then why does it hurt so bad?

HELP

 

[Gordon]

Re: Can a (regular cleaning) by a hygienist help with this gingival problem (??)

A good thorough cleaning should sort it out, it sounds like you've got a communication problem with the dentist, what he's told you makes sense to me, but I'm another dentist!

Periodontitis is generally not painful until really the very last stages, it's very unlikely from your symptoms that this is the problem, so it's probably gingivitis set off by a bit of food packing down the side of the molar. A good cleaning should sort it out and you certainly don't need antibiotics for it.

 

[Camisa]

Re: Can a (regular cleaning) by a hygienist help with this gingival problem (??)

Hi Gordon!!! Great to see you. Your words bring me comfort.

One last question regarding this: Is it normal to experience pain from this sort of issue? Feels kinda like a toothache around the tooth, and if I bite hard enough, the tooth itself is sore. There's a feeling of fullness in the area. But they didn't see any cavities in the tooth, on x-ray or visual exam.

 

[Gordon]

Re: Can a (regular cleaning) by a hygienist help with this gingival problem (??)

Yes, pain is the usual presenting symptom. Plus usually a kind of bad taste and sometimes a bit of bleeding.

My older son had it when he got some pear skin stuck up the front of his upper central incisor. I've also seen a fish bone getting lodged in somebody's gum as well... (shudders, I feel about fish the way most folks here feel about dentists!)