Gum Pockets?

[SallyUK]

Hello
I have a real fear of declining dental health - the story is that I had lots of work when I was a child/young adult, over filled etc and have many crowns. A few years ago I developed a phobia of the dentist as well as financial problems - needless to say much of the earlier work needed restoring by then. I have now completed all the major restoration and focussing on preventative oral hygiene to keep things stable and pick up on things asap. My phobia is much improved. I still get overly worried about things suddenly declining without warning (I tend to blame myself)........hence why I am here now.

I go to the hygenist every 4 months and a dental check up every 6 months. I had my last hygenist appointment last week and she said the cleaning was really great and we discussed the difficult areas to keep clean but overall I was confident I was doing all I could.

Today I had my check up with the dentist, again, he gave me a glowing report on my efforts and we have to do a small restorative filling and that was all. He checked my gum health with the numbers and all were at 1 except for 2 areas which were 6. He explained that the teeth tilt slightly (they are both molars next to extraction sites) and I should pay particular attention to angling my brush etc but was confident I would do this and things would improve.

So............worrying I read up on all this and now am in a pickle. Bone loss, wobbly teeth, surgery etc? I am confused as to why I would have these as number 6 within 6 months and whether there could be serious damage in that time or if I have time to halt/reverse this situation? I have been run down lately, could that make things worse temporarily? It seems odd to have 1's all over the place except in two areas - I have never had problems with gums before hence my concern etc.

The dentist is keeping such a close eye on me, I am sure he will take action if and when he needs to, he took an xray mentioning checks for bone density but I left before they appeared - presume he would ring if a problem?

Can anyone explain this situation to me? I appreciate without seeing my teeth etc it might be hard. I use a mixture of a hand brush, an electric toothbrush and teepee's. I never notice bleeding in these two places, they bled with the probe today - should I be freaking out about this 'sudden' change as an indicator of something? My dentist did not indicate any over concern at this stage. How long might it take to see an improvement and I presume I can afford this and my teeth and bones wont decline rapidly (catastophising I know)

I am worrying, any clear info appreciated. Thank you.

I also read the COQ10 supplement might help with gum health?

 

[rob wain]

Hello,
I'll try and explain what I think might be happening.
The measurements record the distance from the gum edge to the point where they are attached to the tooth root surface - in effect this measures the depth of the cuff of gum around the tooth.
If you have a lower molar tooth removed when you are younger then the tooth behind will often tilt forwards into the space.
The effect of this tilting is that the cuff of gum becomes stretched and much longer- hence the higher number.
It isn't the same as a measurement of 6 on an upright tooth and doesn't neccessarily mean that there is any infection however it does indicate that the area will be more difficult to clean and is at higher risk of problems in the future.
Hope this makes sense - upshot is, don't worry but do work hard to keep it clean and keep up with the preventive regime - that was a brave and wise decision.

 

[SallyUK]

Hello,
It isn't the same as a measurement of 6 on an upright tooth and doesn't neccessarily mean that there is any infection however it does indicate that the area will be more difficult to clean and is at higher risk of problems in the future.
.

Thank you very much, I think this makes sense to me and is logical as all other gums are fine. I guess it is an awareness point as much as anything and does not mean I have started with major gum disease. There definately doesnt seem to be infection, gums are not puffy or sore etc.

For some reason it freaked me out, the mention of checking bone loss on x rays, although I am certain this is done as routine each check up, I just put two and two together this time and ended up with fear of a major issue!

I have not filled the gaps left by extractions and the dentist said there was no need unless I had the finances etc as the bite allows for all teeth to have a surface etc and are not visible, but that they will shift, but very slowly. I was never trusting of leaving the gaps having read so much online about how 'bad' that is, but in my situation I do believe it's OK to watch and wait as it were rather than begin more work on my teeth unless I really want too. The number 6 pocket set me off wondering again about all these decisions I have made.

It's really an individual thing I guess and I need to trust my dentist

Thank you for explaining the specific areas of pockets, I will be extra vigilent.

Update: I called my dentist to ask about my xrays, he said bone health was good and explained that the gum health around these spots is up and down, hard to clean area as tilted (as you said) There is no immediate concern, there is ALWAYS a level of concern with my teeth as thats how we will keep on top of it - I understand where he is coming from. He did add to the mix that he needs to recheck a root filling I had years ago (not by him) just to check its all ok - so I will have an x ray next week. Fingers crossed that is stable - it's quite exhausting stuff