Worried! Need Extensive Dental Work!!!

[brownie123]

Hello

This is my first time posting but I have been lurking for about a month now. My story is I have had very limited dental care since I was a kid and I'm now 41. After not going for quite some time I decided to go because my gums have receded to the point where my bottom front 4 teeth are real lose. I'm very ashamed that I did not take good care of my teeth when I had the chance but it was something that I just wasn't taught to do when I was young and when I did get older I would only visit the dentist when I had to have a teeth looked at because of pain or to have it removed. The last time I had one removed, i had to turn around and have another removed about a week later because the infection and pain spread to that tooth. I was in severe pain following the original extraction which led to the other one. Most of my life I have been a housewife with my husband only working so we had limited health insurance.

I have since went to work as my children became older and have my own dental insurance. Well I visited the dentist about a month ago and I've been told what I figured out before hand. I have severe gum disease (its hereditary as my dad only informed me when it was way too late that this runs in his family). Anyways I'm going to have to have the 4 front teeth removed at the bottom along with 4 front teeth at the top, along with deep cleaning, surgery, and some other things. I can't even remember all the dentist told me I have to have done because I was simply overwhelmed by the procedures needed along with how much it costs. I have dental insurance but as most of you know it only covers so much yearly. I don't know what I'm going to do but I know I need to get this taken care of. I will need dentures as well. I know that I can't afford implants. I just don't have that type of money. What I'm also bummed about is that I don't want to be without teeth. I have to work in a office and talk on the phone and to people daily. I don't get much PTO, so I can't take an extended vacation to wait for dentures to come back. The first dentist I went to wants me to wait for the partial to come back which is 2-3 weeks. When I told the lady that works in his office I couldn't do that, they acted like I had said something wrong and when I mentioned immediate dentures, they said that they had never heard of that. I can't be without teeth for that long. So I'm worried about that along with all the other things I have to get done to get this turned around which include deep cleaning and scaling and another procedure which I can't remember at this time but I can't even start that one until I get the teeth extracted and dentures. All of these things are very expensive even with my insurance. I think the deep cleaning alone may eat up the little the dental plan will help with. I'm just really feeling sad right now and looking for some encouragement. I will be visiting a 3rd dentist this Monday. I'm going there because they offer same day dentures. I hope I didn't confuse anyone by my post. I know its kinda all over the place but I'm writing this right before bed after a very long day at work.

So my questions are has anyone here had the deep cleaning and scaling for severe gum disease. Did you have to have teeth removed? How long did it take for your journey to be completed from finding out you had gum disease to the cleaning, extractions, the surgery for the gum disease to where you are now? Please forgive me if I wondered off from topic to topic. Again, its been a long day and a long month since I found this out and I'm still processing it all. If you have questions to ask me because I wasn't clear or left something out, please feel free to ask.

Thanks In Advance

 

[Angeldove]

I have severe gum disease (its hereditary as my dad only informed me when it was way too late that this runs in his family).

Welcome brownie! I'm in a similar boat - just turned 30, have severe gum disease, need some fillings and 4 or 5 root canals done. I don't have any loose teeth, but after a tooth with a 10-year-old filling broke off (a corner of the tooth did), I knew it was time to suck it up and go back to the dentist. If you read my blog, I started it around the time that I went back to the dentist. I have about 2-3 years until everything that I need done will be taken care of.

But gum disease is something that I will have to fight every day for the rest of my life.

I just don't have that type of money.

This is one of my biggest fears about dental work - the cost. I would hide my teeth problems from my parents as a child since I knew they didn't have a lot of money. (While in elementary school, I kept a purse filled with pain meds so my parents wouldn't see me taking them when I had a tooth ache.)

I will be putting in at least $11k at my dentist when all is said and done (plus anything else that pops up along the way and needing home care supplies). (Mine typed up a care plan - of what to do in order and how much it will cost me. Perhaps yours could come up with a treatment plan so you have a record of it?) My dentist recommended that I sign up for Care Credit - it is a credit card that you can use for health care stuff and the payments are interest free for either 18 months or 24 months for each treatment (so it's not just after 18 months of having the credit card you have to always pay interest). The downside is that if you do not pay for the treatment completely by the time is up, you have to pay all the back interest too - which is a lot. For me though, I'm currently paying a $50 a month payment for a $1000 procedure and will have it paid off in time. You might want to check that out and see if your dentist takes it to help with financing your dental work. (It has saved me a lot of stress)

What I'm also bummed about is that I don't want to be without teeth.

If you need teeth for your job (and it sounds like you do), then your dentist should work for YOU and get you dentures in place without you having to wait. I have read about why it is better to wait for dentures, however, that won't fit your situation, so get what you need taken care of.

So my questions are has anyone here had the deep cleaning and scaling for severe gum disease.

I've had the deep cleaning/scaling done. It's not a big deal. Some dentists even do it without numbing you, however, I told them I needed to be numbed in order to be comfortable. They will use a metal hook to scrape off the built up tartar. Your teeth will look a lot better after this procedure and your gums will be happier. You will need 1 or 2 more check-ups every 3 months or so to see how the treatment is helping your gums. BUT- your gums will not get better without properly treating them every day, at least twice a day.

Did you have to have teeth removed?

No teeth have had to be removed - the fillings and root canals are all because of the teeth being damaged, not because of my gums are damaged.

How long did it take for your journey to be completed from finding out you had gum disease to the cleaning, extractions, the surgery for the gum disease to where you are now?

I should be done with my "gum journey" within the year. In a few weeks, I'm having flap surgery (which is probably what you need to have). I have to have my upper left and lower left teeth taken care of. I read up on it and it sounded horrible - I watched a video of the whole procedure start to finish and it's a bit much still, but it is not as bad as it first sounded. Plus for the first day I get to eat all the ice cream I could dream of! (And I'm able to take 2 days off from work- 4 days off total with the weekend to rest) After the flap surgery, I will need to return 2 more times for regular cleanings and to check my gums - and I'm sure my dentist will be involved with my gums for the rest of my life.

The homecare is what is so important: you MUST brush twice a day (or 3 times) and floss daily. If you stop, even for a day, the bacteria that causes gum disease will come back. (I read that the bacteria came come after 3 hours - let alone a day without care) I would definitely talk to your dentist about everything that you can do at home to care for your teeth. Most will recommend that you brush a few times a day (gently) and floss once or twice a day.

My routine-
M-F, Sunday: Brush and mouth wash in the morning and Water pik, floss, brush, and mouth wash in the evening.
Saturday: Water pik, floss, and use a gum disease tooth paste in teeth trays for 25 minutes in the morning and Water pik, floss, brush, and mouth wash in the evening.

I have nearly zero gum bleeding at this point. I can't tell you about my teeth pockets though, so I have to wait until my dentist remeasures them and I'm praying to God they are getting better (I think I might honestly cry if they haven't shown any improvement after all of this hard work and care).

Please forgive me if I wondered off from topic to topic. Again, its been a long day and a long month since I found this out and I'm still processing it all. If you have questions to ask me because I wasn't clear or left something out, please feel free to ask.

It is a lot to think about and take in - about 3 months into starting it, it's less daunting and more like a regular routine. You just start doing it because you know you have to. A lot of people people pop a pill for their disease every day - I have to do this mouth treatment every day in order to deal with my disease.

You might also be surprised with how many people deal with this too. I was so embarrassed when I first found out I needed all of this work done- I wouldn't even tell my Mom (only my husband knew because he went with me to see what I needed done). Eventually I opened up to my best friends at work and turns out a friend of mine needs that same procedure done too! She's so nervous that she told me she wants me to go through it first so I can tell her how it is. It's silly but I felt so much better after that - I'm not some freak and I'm sure my dentist has seen teeth like mine (which honestly aren't so bad- the back ones mostly are the bad ones). Now I'm taking care of myself, as I should, and getting the help that I need.

Let me know if you have any other questions- I'm happy to share with someone else going through this

 

[brownie123]

Thank you so much Angeldove for replying and for the information. Yeah I'm going to have to go about this in steps because financially there is just no way I can do it back to back to back in a short period of time like the dentist was making me feel like I have to. I'm also afraid though that once they get in there and start cleaning and scraping that my bottom teeth are so loose they might just fall out right then and there. I'm thinking I need to wait to save a little bit just in case that happens. If it does, I can go get a denture ASAP. If I'm lucky and they don't fall out, I was thinking after the scaling getting the bottom pulled, getting the partial for the bottom and then going back a little later and get the top pulled and then getting that partial denture. Then from there getting the surgery one quadrant at a time as finances allow.

 

[Angeldove]

Thank you so much Angeldove for replying and for the information. Yeah I'm going to have to go about this in steps because financially there is just no way I can do it back to back to back in a short period of time like the dentist was making me feel like I have to. I'm also afraid though that once they get in there and start cleaning and scraping that my bottom teeth are so loose they might just fall out right then and there. I'm thinking I need to wait to save a little bit just in case that happens.

They should measure your teeth pockets/gum depths and teeth looseness BEFORE they do the deep cleaning. That way if there's an issues they will know how to treat each teeth gently. From what I've read, I haven't heard of a tooth falling out during the procedure.

You should get it done as soon as possible to start saving your teeth. A person has a risk of having the gums recede further, more infections, and loss of bone in your mouth, which can affect how well your gums can hold on to dentures too. (Not to scare you - just sharing to help you make an informed decision)

Once my dentist made a care plan for me, I was literally in the next day to start the deep cleaning and I had my whole mouth done within a week. I begged the dentist to get me in though that week since I was on Spring Break, so he told them to fit me in. Besides my gums aching a bit/some "itchiness" I didn't have any other discomfort from the procedure. Some dentists recommend taking some pain meds an hour before the procedure and then 6 hours after the procedure to deal with the pain - mine gave me Tylenol with codeine in it (just in case) and I never needed it.

If it does, I can go get a denture ASAP. If I'm lucky and they don't fall out, I was thinking after the scaling getting the bottom pulled, getting the partial for the bottom and then going back a little later and get the top pulled and then getting that partial denture. Then from there getting the surgery one quadrant at a time as finances allow.

The way my dentist is doing the procedures is - deep cleaning, surgery, fixing all of my teeth. Yours might do it by quadrant, but for myself I'm happy to get the surgery done all at once since that requires some healing time (you can't really talk much for a day or two to keep from bleeding - so I'll have 4 days worth of rest to provide enough time).

Can you ask your dentist for a price list of the procedures ahead of time so you can figure out what you can afford? My dentist gave me one and the person who does the scheduling always calls me a few days before a procedure to let me know what I will have to pay that day to help too. But I'm paying mine through Care Credit right now, so it's easier to budget too.

 

[brownie123]

Yes they told me how much it cost that's why I'm stressing. They talked about payment plans, etc but even those are a bear right now. My husband just started back working the week I found this out. He had been unemployed for almost 3 months due to health and we've been living off of what I make which is why I couldn't get it done ASAP. I'm planning to get it done, well the deep cleaning part done as soon as I can save up the money. They worked out a payment plan for the cleaning but right then and there I just didn't have it because we were in the red from my husband's situation. He has a good contract job right now but hasn't gotten paid yet. That will be happening this week. From that point I will be able to start putting back to pay for the cleaning. But then there is pulling of the teeth and the dentures. That's expensive and I think immediate dentures are more expensive than the regular ones. I know that I will be able to pay for that eventually but it probably won't be until July or last of June the earliest. Care Credit unfortunately is not a option for me. Our credit has been bad since he was laid off from his full time job years ago and we are still trying to get back on track. Maybe there is someone who will do it for a better price. I haven't looked into that but the appointment I have coming up this Monday, I think that dentist does some of the same things that the periodontist does so he will be able to give me a second opinion and perhaps tell me what he can and cannot do at his office and maybe make a referral to someone who has better prices. Where I live the dentist prices are outrageous but it is what it is. I'm going to do my best to get it started and finish it but our finances are just not too good right now. It sucks. My parents can't help me because they are older and living on a strict budget so it's up to me and my hubby.