Early Stage Peridontal Disease/Cleaning fears?

[Hypochondriac98]

Hi everyone,

I had an appointment with a new dentist this morning, a family owned practice. My mother recommended them to me because she was very happy with her treatment (both personal and dental) when she went a few months ago. I went today for the first time in almost 4 or 5 years. The last time I went to the dentist, they weren't very kind. I have a really sensitive gag reflex so the bite wing xrays are hard for me, the dentist just thought I was being a difficult young girl back then, and I ended up leaving in tears. We ended up having some insurance issues, so I wasn't able to go for a while, but we got everything worked out. The new dentists seem very kind and understanding, but I'm a little concerned about the cleaning job I had done today. Obviously I got xrays (panoramic and child sized bite wings) since I haven't been seen in a few years, and I got my teeth cleaned. I struggle with tartar buildup, mostly on my bottom front teeth, but there was a large accumulation in my whole mouth. The woman was very kind, but she only used a scraper to remove the tartar. The last time I had my teeth cleaned, they used the ultrasonic tools, so I was a little confused by this. While I was in the chair, everything felt very thorough. She told me she wouldn't be able to remove all the tartar in one sitting (remember it's been at least 5 years) so I said that was fine, and she told me she would remove a good majority of it. She then hit me with "you have the beginning stages of periodontal disease, and I'm glad you caught it now!". So obviously now I'm concerned . She did answer my questions about the disease, but I feel like she only gave me worst-case scenario answers such as "You don't have pockets in your gums YET. You don't have bone loss or gum recession YET" and it scared me because I'm only 20, and my biggest fear IS losing all my teeth at a young age. She did tell me this disease seems to be genetic, as my mother also has the beginning stages and my grandma got false teeth at a young age. I guess what I'm asking is can anyone, maybe someone with periodontal disease explain what "Early stages" means, tell me if I can STOP the disease in its tracks, and will I DEFINITELY lose my teeth one day? I also want to know if leaving some of the tartar on my teeth is normal procedure. She said I did have alot, because I haven't been to the dentist in so long, but if I have all this tartar, doubled with early stage periodontitis, why would she even leave a little bit on? I have another appointment for a cleaning in 6 months, but I've been obsessively checking my teeth all day since my appointment, and I still see some tartar in between a few bottom teeth, and the back of my mouth. She removed a good bit of it, but I still see some, and I'm very concerned about this. One of my front bottom teeth also has a greenish tint at the base, like a light green, and the gum looks like it has dropped down a bit. That sounds like gum recession, and its been that way for a few months. She didn't mention it at all during my appointment, but that sounds like a red flag, and I'm freaking the heck out. Sounds like a recipe for "This tooth is probably going to fall out!!!" Does anyone have any experience with any of these things?

 

[Hypochondriac98]

I forgot to mention , I'm still having some bleeding gums after my cleaning when I brush. Is this normal?

 

[Enarete]

"you have the beginning stages of periodontal disease, and I'm glad you caught it now!".

Hi Hypochondriac,

sorry to see that you haven't got any replies so far, hopefully someone experienced or educated can reassure you a bit soon. Sadly I do not know much about periodontal disease or tartar but I do know a bit about the mind.

There is a lovely and very accurate quote on the embarrassment page here on the site:

"If you suffer with dental phobia, it is possible that you’ll interpret remarks which others might simply regard as helpful advice or fair commentary as negative – and pretty devastating."

It might be possible that you just keep overthinking about that comment in a way that twists it into a confirmation of your worst fears. When I look at the remark, I can see a lot of good news there - in the second part of the sentence! You caught it now and the dentist is glad about it. That must mean that you won't lose your teeth because if you would, the dentist couldn't be happy about it. So for me it sounds more like good news - a bit had happened already but it doesn't matter since you are back on track to dental care now.

If you have any insecurities about what was said or done, it might be a good idea to go back and ask your dentist, just to be able to sleep calmly again..

All the best wishes

 

[assertives]

I'm not a professional, so maybe other dentists can shed more light on this. From what I've read and understand, the early stages of gum disease is gingivitis, aka gum inflammation.

Gingivitis is reversible, but if left untreated, it could progress to periodontitis, where there is bone and gum loss. There is no cure for periodontitis because bone loss is not reversible. So the fact that you don't have bone loss or gum pockets, it is a good sign.

I can't comment on the reason for your dentist to not clean everything out. I usually get mine cleaned thoroughly before leaving the dentist, so I'm not sure if the procedure is different if you started out with alot.

If your gums are still bleeding, it means there is still inflammation, continue to brush twice a day and floss daily diligently and see if the bleeding goes away. If not, go back to see your dentist.