Deep clean & scale today ?

[welshlady]

My 1st post.
Have a fear of dentists all my life but now concerned I am going to lose some more of my teeth. By back teeth are bad. 1 very loose and I have lost a few.
I went for a check up 8 weeks ago the dentist said the condition of my remaining teeth are fine. No decay. It’s just my gums. I have gum disease so today I will have all the teeth cleaned as I have plaque on my lower teeth.
The hygienist said it will be 1 appt for 30 /40 min and no further appointments it’d just then ensuring I take care of my gums going forward.
I am 52 and feel like crying with fear !!!
I used to be so proud of my teeth. No I won’t smile. ! My front teeth are all intact but look like there are gaps. I feel too embarrassed to show my picture ! Will she clean them for me after the deep scale clean ? I’m concerned where the plaque is removed it will look awful ! Please help. Sorry for long post x

 

[jadon47]

Your front teeth cleaning is part of the treatment. Deep scaling is just a more throughout cleaning and smoothing the teeth under the gums to help your gums reattach firmer. Gums heals super quick too, so after 3-5 days you should have healthier gums that won't easily bleed when brush.

 

[Enarete]

Hi welshlady ,

not sure whether I understood - plaque is a sticky substance that gets removed by brushing and flossing at home. What a hygienist does is removing tartar, that's plaque that became hard so that you can't brush it away anymore. Removing tartar is what happens during a simple cleaning. Deep cleaning is a cleaning in the gum pockets and it usually happenes some time after a normal cleaning. We have an article about both in our dental info section, see the links.
I'm sorry to read you do not feel confident enough to show your teeth. If I got you right, you are worried your teeth will get gaps after the cleaning. I can't tell you how probable this is, however getting the cleaning is a good decision and the only thing that will ensure your teeth and gums stay healthy long term. It is ok to have concerns and the best thing to do would be to discuss all of your questions and worries with your hygienist and let her explain to you what to expect and what can be done.

All the best wishes and let us know how it went.

 

[welshlady]

Thank you ! Sorry I meant tarter ! It’s hard on the bottom my lower teeth. I will be brave & try and attach a picture. ! I have just over an hour to my appointment.
Will let you know how I get on ! Yikes x

 

[welshlady]

 

[Enarete]

Good luck and all the best wishes, you are doing the right thing. Just remember to talk to your hygienist about anything that scares you or any questions you have. It's good to make a list for this to make sure you won't forget anything.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Welsh lady,

I had my first deep cleaning 2 years ago and agree with Enarete, you are doing the best thing and will feel better after.. and also agree to let them know what scares you and anything you tell them will help your experience. Wishing you a very good appointment. Let us know how it goes

 

[welshlady]

Thank you ! Here now ??

 

[krlovesherkids777]

 

[welshlady]

I’m out and it was so fine ! No injections ! Just did the bottom and what a difference !!! Can’t wait to get the top 1s done now !! ?

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Welshlady,

That is so great to hear..!! When do you get to get the top done ?

 

[Enarete]

Very well done

So glad all went well!

 

[welshlady]

Welshlady,

That is so great to hear..!! When do you get to get the top done ?

Not until July ! Wish it was sooner ! Can’t believe it’s actually been done ! The gap in my bottom teeth is quite noticeable now though so looking at ways that can be rectified. Veneers are out of my price range at the moment ..... time to start saving ! Thank you !

 

[Dg6300]

Bravo!



This is one of my all time favorite DFC stories.

Excellent. You should be very proud. Soon dental anxiety is going to be afraid of you.

Enjoy.

 

[welshlady]

My gaps are 3 and 1x 3*
Not sure if that is really bad ? This forum is so amazing ! Thank you for all your support today ! X

 

[Enarete]

Do you mean gum pockets? The thing your hygienist measured to see whether you have periodontal desease?

 

[welshlady]

Do you mean gum pockets? The thing your hygienist measured to see whether you have periodontal desease?

Yes, she was measuring the gum pockets.

 

[Enarete]

I'm not too good with those readings and there are different scales used around the world, but you got the cleaning and will get another one.. as far as you keep on seeing your hygienist then there are no "bad" gum pockets I would say

 

[geos]

4 and higher is where you start having issues. In a healthy mouth, gums are normally between 1 and 3.

 

[letsconnect]

It's a bit confusing because the scoring system used in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand is different from that used in the US and Canada. As geos said, in the US and Canada a score of 1 to 3 is regarded as normal (this refers to 1 to 3 millimetres).

In the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, the scoring system used is the BPE (Basic Periodontal Examination). This is different from mm measurements. You can find out what the scores mean on this page:

https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/faq/tooth-numbering-systems/#perioexam