Thelma-Louise

Just wondering if you actually have periodontal disease caused by plaque buildup which traps bacteria beneath the gum surfaces and destroys the tissue and then attacks the underlying bone and so forth or are you just experiencing gum recession or a reduction in bone mass or bulk?

My periodontal disease was apparently misdiagnosed due to metal band braces resulting in some gingival (sp?) pockets that really were not due to any type of disease or bacteria or plaque but I did the flap surgery based on one drs recommendation. I was recently told by 2 other periodontists that I have no evidence of ever having peridontal disease - and that even when it is treated with flap surgery some evidence of it always remains and that its possible I instead had residual pockets caused by the braces and that instead of doing the more invasive flap surgery to treat such pockets a less invasive surgery should have been performed just to correct the pockets.

Also a poor bite can also cause gum recession - if that is really what you have going on - as can crowns and partials - so I would research further your suspicion of whether or not the fixed retainer is in some way causing this or even perhaps how your teeth now meet together. Its just a suggestion, but perhaps you should also get a 2nd and 3rd opinion regarding the diagnosis of "advanced periodontal disease".