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Laser Gum Therapy

4

42505

Junior member
Joined
Aug 1, 2021
Messages
1
Location
USA
Hello. I finally got up the nerve to create an account here, after lurking for the past few weeks. I had horrible experiences with the dentist growing up, and ever since then I have absolutely refused to go back. Even hearing people talk about the dentist made my heart race. A year ago when I first noticed one of my wisdom teeth was coming in, I ignored it and just hoped that there would be enough room for it. Every once in a while the area would be a bit tender, but then it would go away and I honestly did forget about it. On July 5th, the pain that started up was completely different. After three days, I finally started to admit to myself that it was only feeling worse and I would need to do something about it. After looking up dentists in the area, I had my mom make an appointment for me because there was no way I'd be able to do it myself. I cried the entire time she was on the phone, and every day leading up to the consultation.

During the consultation, I was told that all four of my wisdom teeth should be extracted, that I would need two crowns (one for an old filling that was breaking down and one for a tooth that had some decay), that I had a couple cavities that needed to be filled, and that I had periodontitis. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. I had no knowledge of gum disease at that point, and they didn't really give me much detail about my condition. They just said I had it and that I would need a deep cleaning, and then there was some mention about lasers. I suppose I could/should have asked questions, but I was already crying as it was and if I'd tried to speak nothing would have been coherent. It wasn't until I got home and did some of my own research (and read stories on here) that I knew anything about measuring the size of the gum pockets and what was normal.

Everything was scheduled to take place a week later (July 19th), and under sedation. I wanted them to do it all in one fell swoop. Even though I was sedated, I do remember quite a few things that happened. And when I heard them say the gum portion of things was starting, I willed myself to pay attention. I heard them measuring my pockets, and while I don't remember how many of each I had, there were lots of 3s, then 4s, a couple 5s, and one 6. I also know that I heard the hygienist say, "I'm going to do the lasers now."

Once everything was over, they still didn't tell me what my measurements were. I realize that, yes, I had been drugged up and maybe they thought I wouldn't remember anyway, but they did give me instructions about other things and my mom was there so they could have told her. Even them telling me that I had some normal sized pockets would have been nice, because all I had been able to think about since the diagnosis was that I probably had the worst case known to man and I was going to lose all my teeth.

Anyway. I was extremely relieved to at least have all those procedures over with, and I told myself I needed to just focus on recovering for a few days. Things have been going well. I'm still healing, but none of my teeth are loose after the deep cleaning (they weren't before, either. I didn't/don't have any of the symptoms of gum disease) which was something I had been super worried about. I've had a lot of sensitivity in one tooth, but even that is finally starting to get better. My worry now is that, on Friday, I got a voicemail from the dental office saying that they'd forgotten to schedule my laser therapy, which they said needed to take place within two weeks of the deep cleaning. It is scheduled for Monday (tomorrow), which is exactly two weeks, but now I can't stop thinking about how I know I heard the hygienist say she did it. Is there some reason why they would need to do it twice? Or that she'd only done part of my mouth that day? I'm also confused because what I've heard about it is conflicting. Some places say it's for mild cases of gum disease, and some places say it's for more advanced. The office said it would only take 20-30 minutes, which also seems to conflict with what I've read. My mind is so overrun with thoughts right now, and I range from thinking they must know what they're doing to thinking maybe they're trying to take advantage of me. I have no idea what to do.

I apologize for how long this is, or if I'm not posting in the correct spot. I saw there is an ask the dentist section, but I didn't know if I should post there because it said it was only for certain questions and I didn't want to get in trouble. Anyway, thank you for reading and for any advice/experiences (only positive ones, please) you might have to share.
 
Last edited:
Hi there,

It might be a bit too late for this, but I suppose the best thing to do would be to have another chat with your dentist, and let them explain exactly what is happening and what the plan is.

Of course, if you feel unsure about them, getting a second opinion (ideally from a periodontist - a specialist in gum diesease) would be a good idea.

We have some tips for finding a dentist who is good with anxious patients here:


and some tips for finding a high-quality dentist here:


I hope everything went well for you today ?!!
 
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