On Tuesday I am going to have 3 wisdom teeth removed as well as 1 molar. I am also having a full mouth scaling and root planing done. All while under anesthetic. (approx. 5-6 hours) I have been reading posts here and I am very nervous. Has anyone has this done recently? How much did it hurt afterwards? Did it leave gaps between your teeth? I am sorry for all the questions but I am an extremely anxious patient. I thought it was going to be okay until I started reading about some of people's experiences and now I am truly frightened. Anyone with info or help would be appreciated.

There will always be horror stories with any dental procedure, but the fact is that thousands of people have extractions and scaling/root planing done everyday with absolutely no problems. Yes, you will be somewhat sore after all of this, but if you follow your post-op instructions and take your pain meds if needed, I'm sure you will be fine.

Isn't that an awful lot of work to have done at once?

I strongly recommend that you avoid the scaling and root planing. This is normally a money maker for the dental practice, and can normally be avoided with three month cleanings unless you have a real mess in your mouth.

Good luck.

There are people who are borderline when it comes to scaling and root planing and yes, may be ok with just cleanings every 3 months. Then there are those who absolutely need this procedure because of years of neglect and tons of tartar buildup above and below the gumline. The same thing cannot be said for all people.

Yes....each person could be different, I have scaling after 15 years never went to the dentist. According to my dentist, I only had mild gingivitis, my pockets were not so deep and X-ray did not show any receding gum lines.

But after scaling my gum still easily bleeding although I am very strict to my mouth hygiene by using dental flosh and mouthwash. I had blood test and no abnormalities in my blood therefore the problem is my gum.

Although many websites said that after scaling the gum will be healthy again I think every medical treatment will have different results for each person.

i had a "deep cleaning" which i guess is a scaling and i had no plms with it. i didnt need any sedative or paing killer. but my teeth did bleed all day after they were done. i noticed a difference though. but i recently quit smoking, and i noticed an even bigger difference with that. so if ure a smoker quit that it ll help a lot.