It is my understanding that gum surgery will not stop the progression of gum disease or reverse it. My question is this: if you have had gum surgery, what is your prognosis in terms of losing your teeth in the future (10 years, 20 years, etc..). I still have pockets even though I had gum surgery a number of years ago. It also seems like my gums are still receding. Is there any way to stop/halt the progession of gum disease.

As it stands, I brush (Sonic-care), Floss, take Co-Q10, but still have occasional bleeding every now and then.

Thanks.

Gum disease can be successfully halted. But, you need help from a periodontist. They will do a deep cleaning below the gum line to get the stuff out. You can't do that for yourself.

With proper cleaning, your teeth can still last you most of your life.

Robert2, I see my dentist every 3 months. I just wanted to know if I could keep the teeth or would they continue to get loose even if I brushed, flossed, went to the dentist, etc..

bethany,

no you shouldn't be loosing your teeth if you are still properly taking care of them. When you see the hygienst, does she tell you where you are still missing plaque, or give you ideas as to where you could work on a little better. Sometimes, especially with dental maintence organizations, it may be best to alternate between different offices. Basically what I am saying is that if you have to see a dentist that is on a specific list from your insurance company, you are probably not getting the best care. Sorry but I don't trust HMO's or DMO's.

Also I do want to point out that there are some people that get so much tarter build up in just 1 month that having your teeth cleaned every three months just isn't enough. In these situations, yes I do feel that they are fighting a loosing battle, because the tarter keeps pushing the gums away.

Notice I highlighted a tarter. Tarter is not what causes the disease, it is the bacteria that lives withing the plaque. You need to keep your mouth as plaque and bacteria free as possible. And if you smoke, STOP. If you have periodontal disease and you smoke, the disease progresses at a much faster rate.

Good Luck!

I read that gum surgery where they slit the gums open and scrape then sew them back usually has to be repeated! My girlfriend's dentist never told her this; she was quite upset when she had to go back less than a year later to have it re-done. Her teeth were loose; they looked ok to me but she said when she had them cleaned the hygienist had to hold onto some of them while she cleaned them. I don't know if this is genetic or what; I've read that 100mg of CoQ10 is the minimum of what's needed to be at all effective. I bought a tooth scraper instrument at the drugstore since I KNOW where I need to be gentle! And I scrape as hard as I can. Sorry this is happening to you, binkie

[This message has been edited by bethany (edited 11-25-2001).]

I read that gum surgery where they slit the gums open and scrape then sew them back usually has to be repeated! My girlfriend's dentist never told her this; she was quite upset when she had to go back less than a year later to have it re-done. Her teeth were loose; they looked ok to me but she said when she had them cleaned the hygienist had to hold onto some of them while she cleaned them. I don't know if this is genetic or what; I've read that 100mg of CoQ10 is the minimum of what's needed to be at all effective. I bought a tooth scraper instrument at the drugstore since I KNOW where I need to be gentle! And I scrape as hard as I can. Sorry this is happening to you, binkie
____
Thanks Binkie. I have been taking 100mg of CoQ10 since last year. The CoQ10 has tighten the gums tremendously. I also take a Calcium, Magnesium Supplment which seems to me to be replacing some of the lost bone, but I have been told repeatedly that this is only my imagination so I don't mention it to anyone. I also use a SonicCare toothbrush twice a day, I floss twice a day, I use antiseptic mouthwashes, and I take Ester C.

In my case, I do think my body produces plaque and tartar at a quicker rate. I know people that do a lot less with their dental care and don't have the problems I seem to keep having.

I too bought a scraper that I use at home occasionally.

I hope things go well for your girlfriend.

bethany,

Find another dentist, or periodontist.

I don't care how fast I go, I cannot do a complete cleaning in 5 minutes. It takes longer than that to record your periodontal pockets, which is legal evidince, it has to be done. Even if I tried, I still couldn't use an ultrasonic scaler around all your teeth in 5 minutes without missing almost everything! Imagine coloring a picture with a ball point pen, this is what using an ultrasonic scaler is like, little tiny strokes to cover the whole area. I can take my time with an ultrasonic scaler and then go back with my hand instruments and still find stuff. And the plaque is the stuff that is carrying the disease. So what I am getting at is who ever is cleaning your teeth needs to spend at least 20-30 minutes on your teeth to thoroughly clean them, especially if you have periodontal disease. Also find a dentist with a hygienist. Alot of dentists find that hygiene is a non profitable area. The Dentist can make $700.00 in less than an hour, whereas a cleaning that should take 45-60 minutes, only gives him maybe +/- $100.00. So to make up for it he'll "clean" your teeth in 5-10 minutes and get on to something more profitable. So if you see a dentist who has a hygienist, then s/he cleans your teeth, and this doesn't really affect the Dentists valuable time. In either case you need to find a good dentist with a good hygienist that will let you know how you are doing on your homecare efforts. You can use all the devices you want, but if you are not doing it correctly, it does you no good. There is no reason you should have plaque build up on your teeth if you are doing your home care properly. The Chlorehexidine rinse that you were given was for a reason, use it, the stain varies from person to person, and stain is better than unhealthy gums. Who knows maybe you are a canidate for the periostat, or other forms of antibiotic therapy, because there are many ways to deliver this antibiotic than just through an oral pill such as periostat. BTW, what state do you live in?

Hi Shaelle,

I apparently gave the wrong impression. My cleaning takes about an hour. The hygenist does the cleaning. The dentist comes in for 5 minutes, probes teeth that have been a problem in the past and then leaves.

Although I work, my dentist understands that I have had to have a lot of work in the past and just do not have the money for future work. At first, I thought he was being helpful, but then things changed. He got a partner and changed hygenists. The new hygenist cleans my teeth and has no discussion with with me whatsover. The old hygenist did point out problem areas to the dentist. The new hygenist has no conversation with him about my teeth either.

Once he got this partner, I all of a sudden needed a whole bunch of things but the odd thing is that he would never mention those things on the next visit. Instead, he would come up with a new set of things.

I really started to get concerned when my GENERAL dentist (who I saw only for 1 hour 1 time for the filling) gave me the mouthwash and the injector yet I had been seeing my periodontist for 5 years and he hadn't even mentioned it to me. Most of his patients are elderly and I really think he is not used to trying to save teeth but understand that I need my teeth since I am still pretty young.

The suggestion that I needed surgery came out of the blue since he has been telling me for the last 5 years that everything was fine. Again, this seems related to his entering into this partnership. There are other areas that are inflamed but he doesn't even look at those. He only looks at the areas that have had problems in the past.

I know I need to switch dentists. I am just one of those people that assume they picked the best in the beggining. I guess looking in the phone book and calling the first dentist (my periodontist last name starts with "a") really wasn't the wisest thing to do.

I'd rather not mention my state since I don't like bad mouthing people and don't want it figured out who I am talking about. My email address is emeraldruby1999@yahoo.com. I could tell it to you privately if you think you may know of good dentists in my area.

[This message has been edited by bethany (edited 11-25-2001).]

Originally posted by bethany:
Although I work, my dentist understands that I have had to have a lot of work in the past and just do not have the money for future work. At first, I thought he was being helpful, but then things changed. He got a partner and changed hygenists. The new hygenist cleans my teeth and has no discussion with with me whatsover. The old hygenist did point out problem areas to the dentist. The new hygenist has no conversation with him about my teeth either.


I emailed you with more, but I wanted to touch on this topic...

Sometimes it's hard to break the ice if you are a new hygienist. She may be feeling that you are not in the mood to talk. But when you get your teeth cleaned, ask the hygienist what areas you could work better at cleaning, ask what areas have the most plaque and what devices will work the best to clean these areas. She may be surprised and more than willing to show you new techniques. You shouldn't have to ask for this information, but when you see in a chart that time after time a patient doesn't improve in homecare efforts...we get tired of telling you. It sometimes gets to be "What else could I possibly tell this person that they haven't already heard. They obviously don't care, so why should I care." When you ask, you are showing that you do care and we are always glad to see someone that is interested in "how they are doing on their brushing and flossing".

It also sounds like your general dentist may be seeing some lack of care. But they won't tell you this personally. Ask your general dentist for a refferal to another periodontist. You don't really have to tell him why. If he asks, just say he got a new hygienist and you really don't care for her, or it's too far out of the way, or what ever comes to mind. It's really no big deal. You could also alternate your cleanings with your general dentist office. See the periodontist every 6 months and the hygienist at your general dentist office every 6 months = a 3 month recall.

I wish I could help you more, but if you have anymore questions, just ask.

Let me know what happens.
Good Luck!