Upset after my appointment at the dentists yesterday. I have a bit of bone loss.

[anonfemale]

@Gordon Thank you. That's reassuring. I will use the disclosing tablets every now and then. I have been using the interdental brushes once a day in the morning so far. Do I need to use them on the back parts of my teeth and gums?. I have only been using them on the front parts. I find it quite difficult reaching the back gums. I have some small wireless brushes that I have been using and the arched ones that I will try using.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon @letsconnect Do dentists and hygienists do deep cleanings when people have gingivitis?. I know they do for periodontitis. I'm not sure whether I just have gingivitis or any periodontitis but should I check whether I should be having the deep cleaning?. I also would like to see another dentist at the same surgery as I'm not comfortable with the last dentist I saw and not sure if he has diagnosed the right things because the other dentists didn't say that I had any bone loss.

 

[Gordon]

Do I need to use them on the back parts of my teeth and gums?. I have only been using them on the front parts. I find it quite difficult reaching the back gums. I have some small wireless brushes that I have been using and the arched ones that I will try using.

You push them between the teeth at gum level, gently and from the front is usually easier.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon Thank you. I will keep using the interdental brushes gently from the front at gum level. Do you think I should get a second opinion from another dentist at the surgery about the bone loss and the deep cleaning and are deep cleanings only for people who have periodontitis and not gingivitis?. As you said, it takes decades to get bone loss and periodontitis so the dentist I saw might not have made the right diagnosis.

 

[Gordon]

Do you think I should get a second opinion from another dentist at the surgery about the bone loss and the deep cleaning and are deep cleanings only for people who have periodontitis and not gingivitis?.

The "deep cleaning" thing seems to be some sort of financial code, you either clean all the calculus and plaque off or you don't do it at all! The old NHS codes used to have a simple "one off" cleaning fee for the dentist or a multiple visit fee, which was used for periodontal disease so that you could check how things were healing up after the first visit.

If I were you I'd be asking 2 things:
1) Where is the bone loss
2) How many mm have I lost

Once you know that you can move forward.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon Thank you. Would the deep cleaning just be in the area that has the bone loss or would it be in the whole mouth?. The dentist x rayed my back gums near the back teeth last time so I think the bone loss is there. I will ask if it's there and how many mm I have lost. How much bone loss and how much mm would there need to be for anyone to have a deep cleaning?

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon @letsconnect Can gingivitis and periodontitis be genetic and how long does it take for gums to improve when using interdental brushes?. I'm worried that they might not improve even though I am using them. My brothers gums also bleed which is why I am wondering if its genetic. Can people get bone loss in just seven months?. That's how long it's been since I saw another dentist who didn't mention that I have bone loss. Another dentist said I have bone loss five years ago then two other dentists and two hygienists that I saw after that didn't mention bone loss then the last dentist I saw also said I have bone loss

 

[Gordon]

Would the deep cleaning just be in the area that has the bone loss or would it be in the whole mouth?

They should concentrate on the area of bone loss but they should also make sure the whole mouth is plaque free.

Can gingivitis and periodontitis be genetic and how long does it take for gums to improve when using interdental brushes?

Not exactly, we don't know why only some people get periodontitis and others don't, so there is likely to be some kind of genetic element to it. But for most people it's down to poor plaque control.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon I am confused because I am only 40 years old and I thought that it took decades to get bone loss ( periodontitis) so how can I have any bone loss?. I understand that the inflammation and gingivitis and periodontitis are down to poor plaque control and that it can be genetic. Does chewing sugar free gum with xytol ( not sure if I have spelled that right) help to control plaque?. I have heard that it does.

 

[Gordon]

It takes decades to get meaningful bone loss, which brings us back to not knowing how much bone loss you may have...1-2mm is not very important, 7-8mm is pretty vital!

Sure, chewing gum with Xylitol has been shown to lower plaque levels, but it's still a bit of a grey area as to how clinically relevant this is.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon Thank you. I will ask the dentist at the appointment next week how many mm I have lost. Can the dentist see that just from the x ray that he took at my last appointment or would he have to measure my gums with a probe?. I would be very anxious if he needed to measure them with a probe and I am very anxious about asking him how much bone loss there is and where it is and about how much inflammation there is. I will chew the chewing gum and see if it helps to reduce the plaque and I have just bought some disclosing tablets. It says they are for kids ( the pharmacy I went to weren't selling any adult ones). I am hoping that my gums are improving as I am using the interdental brushes, the water flosser and the electric toothbrush.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon @Anxiety Riddled I used the interdental brushes again this morning. I used the smaller one on most of my gums and the medium one on the back gums except I couldn't get any of the interdental brushes near one of my back gums and when I tried, it bled a lot. I'm not sure which are the right sizes to use so I will ask my dentist when I see him next week. I hope there will be enough time to show the dentists my questions and worries that I have written down and to discuss how much inflammation and bone loss there is and to have the cleaning and the demonstration of how to use the interdental brushes. I'm not sure whether to take my toothbrush with me and show him how I use it to see if I use it the right way. I feel very anxious when I am brushing and flossing wondering whether I am getting rid of the plaque and doing it the right way and I am anxious about my appointment with the dentist next week. If I use the disclosing tablets, would I need to use them once that day or twice that day?. I will be seeing another dentist at the same surgery if I can after my appointment next week because I'm not really comfortable with the dentist I am seeing next week but I just hope the next dentist won't diagnose something different to what this dentist has diagnosed because that would be confusing. Other dentists have diagnosed different things before when I have seen them. The amount of blood I saw near the back tooth that I couldn't get the floss near has made me panic and there was just a bit of blood near one of my front teeth. I hope my gums improve and that if there is any bone loss anywhere, I hope it can be controlled. There was no bleeding near the rest of my teeth this morning. My mum asked the dentist if he was concerned about the inflammation and bone loss at my last appointment and he said he wasn't concerned so maybe the bone loss is minimal. I was too anxious to ask him how much there was last time but I will ask next week.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon Sorry I couldn't edit my last post for some reason. Would I definitely lose my teeth near the gums where there is bone loss?.

 

[Gordon]

Can the dentist see that just from the x ray that he took at my last appointment or would he have to measure my gums with a probe?. I would be very anxious if he needed to measure them with a probe and I am very anxious about asking him how much bone loss there is and where it is and about how much inflammation there is.

Measuring the bone loss involves using the x-rays and a special probe. You don't need to be anxious about the probe, it doesn't hurt, it has a special ball on the end, not like the sharp one we use to check decay.
I'd think actually knowing what was going on has got to be less stressful in the long run than worrying constantly about it? I'm a bit like that though, I want to know everything about everything

 

[Gordon]

Sorry I couldn't edit my last post for some reason. Would I definitely lose my teeth near the gums where there is bone loss?.

No.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon Thank you. It's reassuring to know that the probe that dentists use to measure gums doesn't hurt and I hope the deep cleaning won't hurt and it's reassuring to know that I won't definitely lose my teeth. It will be less stressful knowing what is going on.

Should I ask the dentist to check whether my gums have improved at my appointment next week since I have been using the interdental brushes or should I wait until my next check up appointment?. My gums didn't bleed at all when I used the interdental brushes, the water flosser and the electric toothbrush this morning.

 

[Gordon]

Should I ask the dentist to check whether my gums have improved at my appointment next week since I have been using the interdental brushes or should I wait until my next check up appointment?. My gums didn't bleed at all when I used the interdental brushes, the water flosser and the electric toothbrush this morning.

TBH they'll be checking anyway, we just do it automatically. No bleeding is great news though, keep it up!

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon Thank you. It's reassuring to know that the dentist should be checking to see if my gums have improved during the appointment next week. I hope there will be enough time to discuss my questions, do the deep cleaning and demonstrate how to use my electric toothbrush and the interdental brushes the right way. Maybe I am already using them the right way as there was no bleeding at all yesterday when I brushed and this morning there was only some bleeding near one of my back teeth. I have been struggling getting the interdental brush through the outside space near that back tooth but I managed to get it through the inside space of that back tooth. Is that ok for now?. I get the brush through the spaces easily near my other teeth. I'm glad to hear that the gums not bleeding is a good sign.

 

[anonfemale]

@Gordon I have 20 to 30 percent bone loss in my back teeth and gums. Can my teeth still be saved?. The dentist showed me an x ray from 2018 and one from this year and said not much had changed with the bone loss in that time. The dentist said it's moderate. I am still very worried though. What do you think of this?.

There was also still plaque there, even though I have been using the interdental brushes. Could the plaque have just been from before I started using the interdental brushes?.

 

[Gordon]

Well if they've been stable for the past 6 years, then it's reasonable to think that they'll be fine, especially since you're now looking after them better.
Yes, the plaque could be from before you started cleaning properly, it can get quite hard and impossible to remove with just brushing if it's been there for a while.