• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Please help to reassure me - root planing.

J

JellyBaby

Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2021
Messages
37
Location
Christchurch
Hi - I'm new here.

I've had trouble with my gums for several years - usually kept under control with visits to the hygienist every 3 months. However, last week one of my teeth started twinging intermittently, and my bite felt a bit different when I closed my teeth together. I am a terrible worrier with anxiety and I spent at least a week worrying about it, clenching my teeth to see if it still hurt, etc. I got an assessment appointment with my dentist on Tuesday, who tapped the teeth, blew cold on them and tried to take a full length xray of my left jaw. I say 'tried' as my mouth just couldn't cope with the huge bit of metal and I gagged terribly. The result was not a full length picture. My dentist said she really couldn't see anything wrong with the very deeply filled teeth, but the gum problem has got worse and to cut a long story short, she has referred me to a gum specialist. I have an appointment next week and suspect they will want to do root planing. I am terrified! The tooth/gum is hurting a bit more today (I suspect after all the poking and prodding) - it comes and goes really. I can put up with my gum hurting if I know it IS the gum and not something horrid wrong with my tooth. Should I just relax until next week? Please say something to reassure me.
 
I just had a root canal and half of my mouth deep cleaned and root planed I believe. I hadn't seen a dentist in 7 years prior and I was scared, to the point of puking from just calling the dentist. Sitting in the chair that first time again had me shaking sweating and crying and going into a panic attack, I'm a 25 year old man mind you. I finally went through with some procedures this week, and I have never felt better in terms of mouth health! I still have my other side of my mouth to do, but rest assured dentists today are GREAT and pain free. Make sure you see a good dentist. If you're that anxious, ask for some valium and nitrous during procedure. I felt absolutely nothing, not even the numbing shots. You're a bit sore and swollen afterwards, but nothing compared to the pain you feel! I was bad with hygiene and didn't get a cleaning for almost 8 years! It was virtually painless and the confidence of knowing you're getting help and restoring your gums and teeth should make you happy!
 
Don’t worry! I had a deep cleaning with scaling and root planing a few months ago. The hygienist used a topical numbing gel and I barely felt her working. Please don’t be scared. You will do just fine. If you have any sensitivity or pain, immediately tell the hygienist. Modern dentistry is amazing and they will keep you comfortable.
 
Well, I went to see the periodontist yesterday - she was really lovely! She promises she can get my gums back to a healthy state although they are pretty bad at the moment. Spent half the day at the clinic as after my consultation I had to have full x-rays which scared me terribly as I gag so badly, but the lady doing them was so kind and supportive I actually managed to have them all taken properly (even though it did mean I had to snort like a horse to get through it!). She then spent ages with me showing me how to clean my teeth and gums properly so I have a whole new regime to follow. I will do it because I so want to be better again. My appointments for the deep clean are not until February but apparently if I follow this regime they will improve significantly anyway. I do hope so.

I am also worried about the tooth which I had re-filled on Monday. It was a very large job and the dentist told me (and showed me) that there is a crack in the tooth. It still feels very sensitive 2 days after the filling and I don't like biting down on it as it feels spongy, but apparently this could be because of my gum condition. Does anyone know about this?

Anyway, I feel really awful today - so shaky and faint - and I don't know why. Is it reaction to all the things I had done yesterday? To cap it all, I also have a check-up and hygienist visit today which I booked ages ago. It will be the last straw if she tells me I need any other work done!
 
Jellybelly can I ask why you have poor gums? My gums get inflamed easily too. Although my problem is my crowns.
 
Hi AlwaysAnxious - I think it is genetic in my case. Both my parents had very bad gums and teeth. I have always kept up my dentist visits and actually go to the hygienist every 3 months in a bid to keep it under control. I have used floss for years (although now been advised to replace that with the interdental brushes which took a few days to get used to) and followed every instruction I have been given. Never ate many sweets or fizzy drinks as a child and avoid anything remotely 'dangerous' even now, e.g. granary bread, nuts, wild rice, toffee, etc. but still have managed to acquire periodontal disease. It really isn't fair! I have an appointment with the specialist tomorrow to review my xrays and the deep cleaning booked for February! It's such a long time to wait, not knowing exactly how I will react but they are obviously very busy, so many, many people must have the same problem!
 
Hi AlwaysAnxious - I think it is genetic in my case. Both my parents had very bad gums and teeth. I have always kept up my dentist visits and actually go to the hygienist every 3 months in a bid to keep it under control. I have used floss for years (although now been advised to replace that with the interdental brushes which took a few days to get used to) and followed every instruction I have been given. Never ate many sweets or fizzy drinks as a child and avoid anything remotely 'dangerous' even now, e.g. granary bread, nuts, wild rice, toffee, etc. but still have managed to acquire periodontal disease. It really isn't fair! I have an appointment with the specialist tomorrow to review my xrays and the deep cleaning booked for February! It's such a long time to wait, not knowing exactly how I will react but they are obviously very busy, so many, many people must have the same problem!
You poor thing. I’ve always had weaker teeth. I could look at a sweet and get a cavity. I just wish mouths weren’t front & centre of your whole face! You are doing the right things and I hope your visit goes smoothly. Do you use salt water on your gums? Does it help? Can you recommend any toothpastes? I was thinking even a kids toothpaste with fluoride might be less harsh for my current inflamed gum.
 
When I had my initial appointment with the specialist, I also had to go for a dental health lesson!! The very nice lady suggested any toothpaste with fluoride, but not Corsodyl toothpaste or mouthwash - I use Colgate Total Original. She also suggested rubbing toothpaste such as Sensodyne on any part of the gum which was inflamed and leaving it there (doesn't matter if you swallow some of it). My regular hygienist is a great fan of the salt water solution and I have been using that for quite a while but the specialist has advised against it! It is so difficult when you get conflicting advice.
 
I'm fed up! I have been following the new cleaning regime rigorously and my gums had almost stopped bleeding apart from two lower molars. I was brushing my teeth without any bleeding at all. This morning I do the full cleaning regime with interdentals and Oral B toothbrush and I have a mouth full of blood again. Anyone else had this happen? I am really worried now that all of a sudden the gums are getting worse again and I don't know why. Treatment not scheduled until February!
 
This happens to me! It looks like im
Making progress but then gum is all back to puffy and red ? Maybe a dentist can reply!
 
I’ve moved this into the “Ask a Dentist” section - hopefully a dentist will reply ?
 
Most obvious question is are you ladies by any chance? There's quite a strong relationship between periodontal flares and hormonal fluctuations. It's also stress related if that's relevant to you?

It's quite a poorly understood disease, we know what happens but we don't know why, it seems to be some kind of almost auto-immune disorder, some people have terrible plaque control, massive amounts of plaque everywhere and yet no periodontal disease, others are the complete opposite.

We know that there's a genetic element, that hormones are involved and that stress makes it worse. We know that smoking makes it worse (probably because it lowers the oxygen levels in the plaque and the bugs which cause the disease prefer low oxygen environments) but that's about it.
 
Thank you Gordon for your quick reply. Yes, I am female, but post-menopause so not sure the hormonal fluctuations would apply to me. However, I am stressed at the moment - I am sleeping badly because I am worrying about my teeth and gums, so I guess it is a vicious circle! It is just such a pity as I have been so diligent with cleaning between my teeth for a month now and was so pleased with the results. Hopefully, this phase will pass and they will improve again. I have to say that the gums at the front of my mouth and also back as far as lower 6s are looking so much paler pink than the angry red which they were before, so fingers crossed!
 
Back
Top