*Recently told I have Gum Disease*

[Rob9H9]

Hello, I am a 44 year old man who for as long as I can remember was always told by my dentists and hygienists what "wonderful strong teeth" I had...until just a few years ago. I haven't always been a great brusher, but I wasn't terrible either...however, I was never much of a flosser...big hands, tough to reach in. My current situation started last January with some discomfort in a tooth which had an amalgam filling placed about 4-5 years ago. I should mention that prior to all this, for 42 years of my life, I had had only a few fillings...nothing major. During the height of the pandemic I missed regular dental cleanings for about 2 years. I also should mention that gum disease was never spoken of before...mention of some excessive bleeding during cleanings on occasion was it...a couple of times. Anyways, I went to have the discomfort looked into and I was told that that tooth, which had the filling placed 4-5 years ago now had a deep cavity almost to the bone and needed to be extracted (top left 2nd molar)...and also, that all my wisdom teeth needed to come out and that there were 7-10 cavities that needed filling. This was January of 2024. Long story short...They decided to try to save the upper left 2nd molar with a root canal (7 hours in the chair over 3 visits), I randomly got my first toothache ever in the upper right wisdom tooth and had it extracted, 3 other wisdom teeth were filled, chipped filling was refilled, and 6-7 more fillings need doing, supposedly. Now...after going for a second opinion I was told I do need the 6-7 fillings and I have GUM DISEASE. I don't know what to do. Im scared to death. I have been going through some pretty serious protracted withdrawal from discontinuing an ssri I was put on nearly 20 years ago for minor anxiety. After antibiotics and an anasthetic containing epinephrine last year my already destabilized nervous system went haywire...Im not going to go into detail about that but suffice it to say it has been horrible...could barely sleep or eat for 8 months....absolutely horrific. The antibiotics and epinephrine from the dental work just pushed everything over the edge. I dont understand how this gum disease popped up out of nowhere...and my new dentist said that it didnt...it was just never brought to my attention apparently. They want me to have scaling and root planing done...at the price of $848 per side. Its insane, but that appears to be pretty standard pricing. I am scared to death of losing my teeth...Ive been scared to eat. I can get carbocaine for dental work but I cannot risk an antibiotic again at this point. Since going through this protracted ssri withdrawal I have also been clenching my teeth more than ever...at times while awake...uncontrollably. My dentist said I wont lose teeth...but she didnt say exactly how bad this is. She actually didn't look concerned. Im just looking for some support and an idea of what degree of issue I have here. Ill post the periapical radiographs which were taken. Thanks so much in advance. -Rob

 

[Gordon]

This might help. https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/faq/gum-disease/

From your x-rays it doesn't look too bad. Certainly no immediate danger of losing teeth because of it.

 

[Rob9H9]

This might help. https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/faq/gum-disease/

From your x-rays it doesn't look too bad. Certainly no immediate danger of losing teeth because of it.

Thank you so much...I am scared to death. I have done alot of research and have been comparing my xrays to others in medical journals etc. My dentist said that "this is pretty normal" for smokers in there mid forties in her experience. Is this true...generally? She didn't seem that concerned at all. My brain immediately sees moderate to severe bone loss when viewing the radiographs...out of fear. Compared to other radiographs and measurements from them it appears to be more in the mild range...is this accurate? I am very worried, due to my other situation, about having this SRP. In your opinion, is this necessary for my entire four quadrants? Never had a hard time at the dentist...now I shake like a leaf going in for appointments...absolute dread. I appreciate your time and knowledge. Thanks in advance. -Rob

 

[Rob9H9]

I forgot to mention...most of my pocketing is in the 2-4mm range...there were some fives, 2 sevens and a six. Also, could this be more from years of clenching than poor hygiene? I know it sounds rediculous but I've been scared to eat...afraid of making everything worse. My dentist said my hygiene is excellent...very little visible plaque now. I brush twice a day, thoroughly...gently massage my gums in the evening, floss in the evening, use mouthwashes, xylitol, eat very little sugar, waterpik after most meals. Ive actually been doing most of that for over the past year. Been brushing and flossing religiously for almost two. Like I said, my brushing was never that bad at all...flossing was definitely lacking. Again, thanks for your time. -Rob

 

[Gordon]

It's not too bad, as your dentist says, pretty normal for a middle aged smoker.

No, clenching has no effect, it doesn't make any difference at all. Eat away Sensibly of course!

If you're working hard on controlling plaque, then things should remain stable. If you really want to make a big difference then cutting out the smoking is the next best thing to do...