V
v0latile
Junior member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2019
- Messages
- 6
- Location
- USA
I posted back in 2019 thinking I was mostly out of the woods but unfortunately somehow despite my best efforts, things took a turn for the worse
I have a spot between my back two teeth (top row) which has been bleeding on and off for several years. I've had a filling there and have an onlay on one of the teeth. I've mentioned this bleeding spot a lot and have always just been told to keep it clean, and floss. In 2019, my dentist had told me that the pocket depth in that area was between 3-4mm and that it wasn't deep enough to warrant a deep cleaning. At a later appointment (I think in 2020?) she mentioned that there's a chance I may need gum graft surgery (?) but didn't fully explain why. She wasn't pushy about it and the advice was to keep that spot clean, floss often, etc. She did not tell me that anything had worsened in that area at our usual checkup. I dismissed this initially because it sounded like she was prescribing surgery for something that wasn't a huge issue yet.
Fast forward to 2021. In April of this year, I saw a new dentist. I had xrays done as usual and once again pointed out the spot that bleeds on and off. My dentist took a look at the xrays and said that I have bone loss in that area, likely due to food impaction in that gum. I'm not sure what made her think it was food related...she didn't have a reason for it but told me I may want to see a specialist. I was shocked. Either the bone loss progressed quickly or no one had pointed it out on my previous x-rays!
I waited for months for a periodontist consult. Today I finally had the appointment and I was told that the pockets near that tooth were 4mm and 5 mm, that I would need gum flap surgery to prevent further bone loss from occurring. I was gutted. It really felt like my worst paranoia realized and it felt unfair because I've been so diligent about my oral health ?
He said that it's a tricky situation to resolve and the cause was that likely my filling was placed too low in my tooth close to the bone, normally more space is left for the gum. I think he also mentioned that they would shape my tooth after the gum surgery, but I am a little unclear as to what that entails and why. He mentioned if the idea of surgery freaks me out too much, I could technically try to go for a deep cleaning, but supposedly that won't resolve the issue fully (is this because bone loss has already occurred?) it would just be a temporary solution.
I would like to seek a 2nd opinion, but I also don't wait to wait many months while the situation worsens.
Needless to say, I'm devastated. I'm 32 years old and have had regular cleanings, gotten work I've needed done, brushed, flossed, etc. I know it's not the end of the world, but it feels sudden, unfair, life-altering.
I'm wondering if anyone has had similar experiences or could tell me:
-How likely is it that gum flap surgery will fix this? He said nothing is guaranteed 100%, but if the issue has to do with the placement of the filling, then won't the issue still be there unless something changes with the filling placement?
-How could bone loss progress so quickly? How could gum pockets deepen so quickly if I was cleaning them regularly? It seems really quick that I bypassed the deep-cleaning stage and now need surgery.
-Is the bone loss likely to spread to other teeth? There's a gum on the other side of my mouth which has started bleeding a bit more frequently regularly and I'm terrified that at my next cleaning I may get awful news that my Periodontal disease has spread
Thank you for reading & for the support.
I have a spot between my back two teeth (top row) which has been bleeding on and off for several years. I've had a filling there and have an onlay on one of the teeth. I've mentioned this bleeding spot a lot and have always just been told to keep it clean, and floss. In 2019, my dentist had told me that the pocket depth in that area was between 3-4mm and that it wasn't deep enough to warrant a deep cleaning. At a later appointment (I think in 2020?) she mentioned that there's a chance I may need gum graft surgery (?) but didn't fully explain why. She wasn't pushy about it and the advice was to keep that spot clean, floss often, etc. She did not tell me that anything had worsened in that area at our usual checkup. I dismissed this initially because it sounded like she was prescribing surgery for something that wasn't a huge issue yet.
Fast forward to 2021. In April of this year, I saw a new dentist. I had xrays done as usual and once again pointed out the spot that bleeds on and off. My dentist took a look at the xrays and said that I have bone loss in that area, likely due to food impaction in that gum. I'm not sure what made her think it was food related...she didn't have a reason for it but told me I may want to see a specialist. I was shocked. Either the bone loss progressed quickly or no one had pointed it out on my previous x-rays!
I waited for months for a periodontist consult. Today I finally had the appointment and I was told that the pockets near that tooth were 4mm and 5 mm, that I would need gum flap surgery to prevent further bone loss from occurring. I was gutted. It really felt like my worst paranoia realized and it felt unfair because I've been so diligent about my oral health ?
He said that it's a tricky situation to resolve and the cause was that likely my filling was placed too low in my tooth close to the bone, normally more space is left for the gum. I think he also mentioned that they would shape my tooth after the gum surgery, but I am a little unclear as to what that entails and why. He mentioned if the idea of surgery freaks me out too much, I could technically try to go for a deep cleaning, but supposedly that won't resolve the issue fully (is this because bone loss has already occurred?) it would just be a temporary solution.
I would like to seek a 2nd opinion, but I also don't wait to wait many months while the situation worsens.
Needless to say, I'm devastated. I'm 32 years old and have had regular cleanings, gotten work I've needed done, brushed, flossed, etc. I know it's not the end of the world, but it feels sudden, unfair, life-altering.
I'm wondering if anyone has had similar experiences or could tell me:
-How likely is it that gum flap surgery will fix this? He said nothing is guaranteed 100%, but if the issue has to do with the placement of the filling, then won't the issue still be there unless something changes with the filling placement?
-How could bone loss progress so quickly? How could gum pockets deepen so quickly if I was cleaning them regularly? It seems really quick that I bypassed the deep-cleaning stage and now need surgery.
-Is the bone loss likely to spread to other teeth? There's a gum on the other side of my mouth which has started bleeding a bit more frequently regularly and I'm terrified that at my next cleaning I may get awful news that my Periodontal disease has spread
Thank you for reading & for the support.