Periodontal disease/26 F

[EndlessAutumnLeaves]

I'm 26 years old. I live with schizoaffective disorder, BPD, PTSD, panic disorder, general anxiety, and social anxiety. I come from a long background of trauma/abuse. I would say that a good 50%-75% of the things I see and hear aren't really there to other people, but when I get scared or anxious I hallucinate and dissociate really hard.

Even thinking about going to the dentist makes me cry. But I just had my first exam and xrays in over 5 years, since I had my braces off. My dentist told me that I have periodontal disease and that all of my pockets are between 4 and 5 mm deep. No loose teeth that I know off. But lots of roots beginning to become exposed, especially the one behind my left canine. They gave me a prescription mouthwash to start using 3 times a day to fight the infection, and since starting it I havent been bleeding as much but my entire mouth has become in great great pain over the last 3 days. The redness has gone down some, I think.

I'm to be scheduled for a deep cleaning in a couple of days, and I was just wondering. What all does that entail? What should I be expecting? I was told that they will be using anesthetic to numb my entire mouth before hand, so I'm assuming it will not be pleasant. I am already hurting everywhere in my mouth, sensitive teeth, sore gums, honestly it's getting hard for me to want to even eat anything right now. But that exposed root behind my canine has also begun to hurt immensely over the last couple of days. Whether I'm resting my tongue on it obsessively, or just doing nothing because I'm distracted, it still throbs with pain regardless.

So my questions are, 1) what can I expect from this deep cleaning? And 2) what, if anything, can I do about all of this pain? I've been taking the maximum amount of tylenol that I can each day because naproxen makes me sick. I really truly dont want to ask my dentist for pain medication. My abuser was/(is) an addict, and I dont want anything like that in my life. And lastly, 3) is there any hope of ever healing my gums and filling in those pockets some? I am absolutely beside myself with fear thinking I am going to lose my teeth before I'm 30 now.

I do not care how scary treatment is. I will do whatever I need to do to save my teeth and gums, even if I'm crying and peeing myself in front of the whole dental team doing it. That's why we have mirrors to practice our tough voices in front of.

I'm sorry that this is so long. If you read this far, you're really awesome. Thank you ?

 

[EndlessAutumnLeaves]

Also: When I arrived for the exam, inside my cheeks had been feeling like sandpaper for about a week. My dentist said that I have been brushing way too hard, and that I'm peeling my gums back as well. So I bought an ultra soft toothbrush, and have started brushing as gently as I can.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi EndlessAutumnLeaves

I'm not a dentist so hopefully someone more qualified will answer your concerns, but just wanted to welcome you to our forum. Thank you for sharing your story here, that can't have been easy!

As far as I understand, pockets that are between 4 and 5 mm deep are a sign of early gum disease, so the probe goes a little further under the gum than it should. In the normal way, this can readily be treated through regular cleanings and good home care. It most certainly doesn't mean that you will lose your teeth.

The best person for advice on home care is your dentist and/or hygienist, but it can sometimes be hard to take everything in when you're feeling nervous. We've got a page on how to prevent gum disease or stop it from getting worse with lots of tips.

It might also be an idea to see a periodontist for advice, seeing how you're quite young. Periodontists are specialists for gum problems, and their advice could be invaluable.

We've also got a page on deep cleaning which describes the process and what to expect.

Thanks for joining our forum!!

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Endlessautumn leaves,

I also wanted to welcome you to the forum. First off I want to say , such a great and courageous job going to the dentist even though you were so scared and facing that appt and also making an appt for the scaling. That is huge!! Sounds like you are extra brave willing to do whatever it takes to save your teeth!

How do you feel about your dental team you went to? have you met the hygenist? I hope they are kind and gentle with you!

I can say I had my first scaling a few years ago and was terrified from the time I made the appt to the time I sat in the chair for it. I even emailed my dental clinic telling them I wanted to cancel and how scared I was and they really reassured me. so I went.


Well they did give me local anesthetic, which I did not feel at all. and I didn't feel hardly anything, at one point I felt one slight poke and my hygenist gave me more local. I was afraid how it would be after, it might have been slightly sore but nothing what I was expecting and my teeth felt so clean. It wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. I did have a very kind and gentle hygenist that went slowly and was very personable keeping my mind off the procedure and onto talking about kids. She had 5 kids I believe and several grankids. so lots to chat about.

I think @letsconnect gave you so many great pages to look at for information on this I'd definately look through those!

We are here to support you along the way. I know when I first started dfc , the scaling was near the beginnning of my journey here and really glad I had people who could understand the deep fear and anxiety of dental.

 

[EndlessAutumnLeaves]

@letsconnect Thank you for all of the information! I will definitely be talking with my dentist about at-home care, and will be going through the links that you posted, asap. I think I will do some calling, as seeing a periodontist would be nice also, so, thank you for that.

If you feel I have a good chance to tackle this and get ahold of it now, that does help loads. I'll be taking notes from the link on preventing/stopping gum disease.

@krlovesherkids777 Thank you, that means a lot. I can't believe I'm lined up for something called a scaling, but Im not backing out now, lol.

I've only met the dentist who is working on me. And the one who takes xrays. I have not met the hygienist yet though. I hope that they are gentle.

Thank you both for replying!

Also, full disclosure: I used to smoke. I quit about 6 weeks ago on May 1st, 2020. So I'm assuming a lot of my problems have to do with that. But I havent smoked since and I'm determined to never touch nicotine again.

 

[DaphneM]

Hi @EndlessAutumnLeaves! So sorry to hear you had to go through so much. I fully understand a visit to the dentist makes you want to cry. I suffer from anxiety disorder and I find it really hard to go.

What helps me is to tell the dentist (when I feel comfortable enough) about my anxiety so they can understand You a little better. You can also ask them to explain to you what they are going to do each step, maybe it helps to keep your anxiety and panic down. It always helps me ? I hope it will be a kind dentist and hygienist.

I know nothing about periodontal disease and deep cleaning, but my dad used to suffer from periodontal disease. He had, like you, very sensitive teeth and aching gums. He always got numbed and never felt a thing. The appointments won’t be fun (going to the dentist will never be fun) but... His pain got away and he enjoys eating again. I hope yours will be gone soon and you will be able to enjoy your food again.

Good luck?