Gum Recession & Bone Loss!!! Need Advice & Stories Pls! Am in total panic mode here:((

[phobichick]

I'm a female 45 yrs old, I go for 3 month cleanings & have been stable as far as pockets etc.., however we always knew one day the inevitable would happen because my lower front gums have been receeded for years, but looking at them now they are at the very furthest they will go at this point. Teeth are great as far as never having any decay problems -- unfortunately for me, my issues are:

bottom 4 teeth the gum is recessed to where there is "minimal gingival tissue left" (was told by dentist that if I dont really consider seeing the perio now about a possible gum graft that they just may not even be able to do it & could lose good teeth. My bottom teeth are perfect its sadly the gum recession is soooo thin and soooo low and I have no darkening or any sensitivities "yet".

Other problem is on bottom 4 fronts...the bone loss is alot and is "horizontal".

I guess my question is..is there anyone out there with any similar situations or had this type of thing happen and if so, what did you end up deciding to do. Im freaking out all day and letting this consume me like some huge baby and at the same time I want to be gutsy and say look you have no choice in the matter anyways because you will FREAK OUT if you lose your teeth.....I wish I could be like some people and just make the call, get in the chair and say "just do it".

I guess this sounds more like a venting post but I would really like to know if anyone has had gum grafting before, how bad was your situation or was it similar to mine and is there hope for me without of course you seeing my teeth lol...also I have a feeling the "implant" talk would come in to play but again..how can you do implants with bone loss...unless of course they do bone grafting which comes to my next question....

Isnt that PAINFUL as you know what???? C'mon people tell me all details cuz I like to know every single detail (the good, the bad and the ugly) lol. Im a nervous wreck about this!! Also do you know if its possible to have bone grafting IF the teeth still exist?? Or....is it only when teeth have been extracted?? With bone grafting Im not sure exactly what all it really entails but if anyone had it done I'd like to know about pain, how long etc...the obvious questions and also did you use your own bone or cadivar bone? (yuckie) but Im not seeing myself going into the hospital to have it drawn from my hip!

Ok Im yacking..sorry for the lengthy email Im just really a big baby about this...but at the same time Im getting daggon SICK of the worries!!!

PS** I forgot to mention that when we looked at my last xrays last couple years it literally looks as if the bottoms of my front bottom teeth are literally sitting on "top of the bone thats left"...I tell ya, they are so surprised they dont wiggle, am loose or have any darkening or any sensitivity...but...lately, Im starting to "feel" a little strange feeling at the margin of the one tooth!! Again, the dentist said last week that I should start thinking about this because I have veryyyy thin and minimal gingival tissue left...so I cant help wonder why a gum graft would even work at this point??? hmmm? I mean it doesnt ADD to the gum right? Its onlly adding "thickness" to the bottom of whats left of that gum? Plus getting one gum graft leads to another doesnt it? and so on...like a temp fix???

Thanks!

 

[Gordon]

It sounds like you really need to see a periodontist and get a clear opinion on the state of your mouth and some solutions, really the longer you hold off on this, the more chance there is that you could compromise the treatment you need done.

I've got no personal experience of perio surgery but people I've inflicted it on usually say that it's not as bad as extractions as far as after pain is concerned.

You might get more answers from folks who've had perio surgery themselves if you post in the Support section, rather than here.

 

[phobichick]

It sounds like you really need to see a periodontist and get a clear opinion on the state of your mouth and some solutions, really the longer you hold off on this, the more chance there is that you could compromise the treatment you need done.

I've got no personal experience of perio surgery but people I've inflicted it on usually say that it's not as bad as extractions as far as after pain is concerned.

You might get more answers from folks who've had perio surgery themselves if you post in the Support section, rather than here.

Thanks and you are right...I'm just a complete nervous wreck...get so overwhelmed over all of this....and now not sure if Im thinking irrational but I have almost a good idea what the perio will say..I may not even have that option at this point for a gum graft I think it will be temporary since this was "sorta" said 5 years ago and here I am still with my bottom 4 front teeth. Thing is..something is changing and I know, feel and see it and I do need to get in there asap. But even if she said we could do gum graft being "conservative" and just "see how long it will help hold the teeth in"...my thinking now is (not sure irrational or not?) but to go the route of just fixing the problem permanently...and that is: extracting the 4 bottoms. It was mentioned 5 years ago but I didnt want to even think that because my teeth are nice down there...its just so sad that its horizontal bone loss (and barely any gum there...and when I say there is barely any gum there barely isnt any gum ( sniff* Makes me so nervous I go by the mirror constantly looking for changes and rinsing with Biotene. So front extractions would be painful? for 4 bottom fronts? Just trying to be armed with some decisions so I feel in control (in case)...but I do feel thats what she will say and so does my hygenist.

Then questions come to play about partial? Bridge? and I believe the perio told me 5 years ago that we could NOT do a bone graft down there but could on my uppers (which have vertical -- one day).

Partials -- I hear of this new Vasplast is this a good one?
Bridges: Seems like more visits, more tooth structure taken to one day have issues with more teeth....not sure about this...even tho I know its more a fixed issue then a partial.
Flippers? Much different then partial really?

And I have no clue on the going rates for having:

surgery to extract 4 bottom fronts
being put out for it
impressions
partial placed

much less visits...and I pay out of pocket dental
Im sooo overwhelmed I cant take this anymore........

 

[Gordon]

So front extractions would be painful? for 4 bottom fronts?

No, not especially painful.

Partials -- I hear of this new Vasplast is this a good one?

Yes, it's quite good. It has some disadvantages:
It's expensive
It can't really have other teeth added to it later
It needs to be cleaned with a special ultrasonic cleaner gadget
Patients love them though, at least the ones I've tried.

Bridges: Seems like more visits, more tooth structure taken to one day have issues with more teeth....not sure about this...even tho I know its more a fixed issue then a partial.

Yep. Also depends on the gum support for the teeth which are holding the bridge in place, they need plenty of bone to support the extra loading.

Flippers? Much different then partial really?

Same thing.

And I have no clue on the going rates for having:

surgery to extract 4 bottom fronts
being put out for it
impressions
partial placed

Me neither
Where do you live? Might be able to have a slightly less wild guess then...

 

[phobichick]

No, not especially painful.
Yes, it's quite good. It has some disadvantages:
It's expensive
It can't really have other teeth added to it later
It needs to be cleaned with a special ultrasonic cleaner gadget
Patients love them though, at least the ones I've tried.

Hey Gordon...thanks on the Valplast...sounds nice so far it looks to be nice (for a partial)..even though losing teeth for one FREAK ME OUT! lol. But sometimes, we gotta do what we gotta do. I know my dentist is all for implants and Im sure thats a better way to go but sometimes we dont have the money when we have these crisis come up on us (sniff)*. Anywho, I live in the Annapolis, Maryland area...would you happen to know an "average" cost just so I can think about some things before I even get my options?

I had read somewhere that it was close to $1,000 just to be IV sedated for extractions now that blows me away! Thats crazy! Is it really that expensive even if say it was for 4 front bottom teeth on single roots and probably take no more then even 45 minutes or so? BUT I'd been going all out to SAVE my teeth I dont wanna sit there watching them plier them out either and have a panic attack in my chair. Never had a tooth pulled in my 45 years of life! HA!

In your opinion, would you perfer Valplast? or a Flipper? If you had bone loss and gum recession to the furthest it can gon on bottom 4 fronts? I know you cant see my mouth but just in your profession and all that good stuff (smile)*....advantages, looks and cost all summed up.

I think Im not really liking the bridge idea.....might have been an easy out years ago but if I had money I'd opt for implants (IF that option is for me)...but if I cant afford them...?? Possibly the flipper or valplast. Gosh I hope there are no problems with "bottom valplast"?? that doesnt have a metal clasp is that right? How does it stay in? Sorry for all these questions.

Valplast versus Flipper......is there big cost difference? (on average)

Ok and finally...(sorry I dont know how to do the quotes from me and you from past email)...ok...being that Im in the Annapolis, Maryland area and at your wild guess...hehe...how much (on average) ya think it would be for:

IV sedation
4 front bottom teeth extracted
impressions
Partial (Valplast or Flipper?) .....

(implants IF optional but dont have $$$....isnt there something they could do as far as doing only TWO implants maybe? and connecting a fake bridge that way like a partial fixed or whatever? But dang thats probably like buying a new car huh?)....I guess go back to the partial valplast or flipper idea? YIKES!!! OK SORRY for questions...just trying to get my ducks in a row so I dont go freaking out questioning again but can make rational decisions....

Thanks Gordon)

 

[Gordon]

1) I don't have any idea of costs in that area, but maybe somebody else does.

2) I would think that the fees for IV sedation vary quite a lot, it's probably worth asking around. The longest part of IV sedation is always the recovery time, the treatment time is pretty much irrelevant, there's always an hour or so recovery time at the end which costs a bit... need to provide support staff, monitoring etc.

3) I'd pick Valplast every time if it was for me.

4) Valplast is metal free. The clasps are made out of Valplast too.

5) Cost difference is a lot, probably 2.5x

6) You don't need 4 implants for 4 extracted lower anteriors, 2 would be enough. I really don't have a clue how much it would cost, like I said earlier, perhaps somebody else could give you an idea.