Quote:
Originally Posted by coolcats
I just visited a new dentist today due to new insurance. He wants to do the following:
Periodontal maintenance due to bone loss every three months at a cost to me of $65 per visit. I have known for years that I have bone loss, with a few spots of 4 and 5mm loss. I had a deep cleaning done about a year ago. This visit they found a few spots of 4mm loss, but no 5mm's.
A mouth guard due to teeth grinding at a cost to me of $155. This is the first I've heard that I have that problem. I am not thrilled about wearing a mouth guard at night. Also is there an over-the-counter alternative that is less?
Fill a small and slow-growing cavity at a cost to me of $74.
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1. The cavity would be covered by your insurance, minus any deductible.
2. Ask the dentist to show you where in your mouth he sees evidence of surface degradation on your molars due to grinding. If your back teeth are very short (from the gum out), or tilted inward toward the tongue, he's probably right, and you probably do have a grinding problem. Those symptoms don't happen over night. They happen over a very long period of years.
Grinding is -often- (not always) caused by stress; if you have a lot of stress in your life you could possibly look into meditation, or rigorous physical exercise to release some of the stress from your body.
3. Periodontal maintenence won't restore you bone and will just irritate your gums if done every 3 months. It will also not prevent plaque. Nor will it prevent further bone loss. Regular dental maintenence (brushing your teeth with soft bristles twice a day, flossing once a day, daily rinse with mouth wash, and monthly fluoride rinse) are the most important ways to prevent bone loss. Also, eliminating any grinding problem will help, because you're putting a lot of pressure on your jaw when you grind (assuming you're grinding) and that compromises the bone.
Periodic scaling (that is, once every couple of years, at most) can't hurt, but for most people it's a waste of money and time away from work/home. Bone loss is common even in people who do everything right. It happens slowly over time, eventually, to most people. But it's slow enough that most people will keep most of their teeth for most, if not all, of their lives. If your bone loss is more significant than that, you need to look into finding out why, and address that directly. Scaling (periodontal maintenence) isn't the answer.
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