What would you do about this nightmare dental experience?
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The pro-1000 is fine. You don't need bluetooth connections to a toothbrushing app or the myriad of settings that I have (and never use). I've been using an OralB electric for many years. Current is a pro-5000 that's a few years old, and I keep my first one, the $20 special from Costco/Sam's/BJ's in my suitcase for travel. Honestly, the only downside to these things is the cost of the replacement heads. If you have an Amazon account get them there. But get the "legit" OralB heads. The fake ones pop off while you're using the brush. It can get messy.
Very smart about not using a waterpik until you get the crown properly replaced and seated. Your dentist would approve. Don't be afraid to use the toothbrush right away. Very important with electric toothbrushes: you need a LIGHT touch with them. Don't push down, don't "brush" with the brush. Let the brush head do all the work. There should be no more pressure than how it would feel to rest a quarter on the back of your hand. Use the brush on the surface of the teeth. With an even more gentle touch, use the brush on your gums as well. Super-light touch. Just tickle them. It'll help with the circulation.
Use just a pea-sized drop of fluoride toothpaste, and brush for around 30 seconds on each quadrant, for a total of 2 full minutes of brushing.
Thank you for this fantastic additional information. I'm so very grateful for your insight. I actually was shocked when I saw the cost of the replacement heads for these things, but it's obvious that they're worth it based on all the positive comments about them.
Root planing and scaling is one of several things they do during periodontal maintenance. It's part of a treatment plan called periodontal maintenance. They don't have to do a root planing and scaling every three months. They should only need to do that once, and the other three month checkups are the REST of the treatment plan. Think of periodontal maintenance as a series of four visits in a single year. One visit is root planing and scaling. Another is a followup for that, to make sure everything is healing well and the pockets are tightening up again. The third is bitewings and cleaning, and checking for cavities and recession. The last is usually just a checkup and polish, if the rest of the year went according to plan.
All of that, combined, is the treatment plan known as periodontal maintenance.
Wow! You're a wealth of information. Thank you again for everything. I really don't think that I'm going to do this based on some other comments and Dentist #1 said I have some gingivitis that a regular cleaning will clear up (and I'm sure would have if he had a competent hygienist). My brain goes crazy when I receive conflicting information like this from doctors! I think I'm going to just get another cleaning and start using a Waterpik. However, you're obviously very knowledgeable about this so I'm curious if you've had this done and if you'd do it again.
Even though I'm probably not going back to Dentist #2 , you have me wondering if the $655 he lists (below) is for the year so I'll clarify when I call to ask some other things. The "Hygiene Total" he shows is $655 for:
Prophy all teeth (1 HR)
Scaling and root planing teeth 2,3,14,15 (1 HR)
Periomed and Clinpro Prescriptions
Periodontal maintenance (175) every 3 months.
Wow! You're a wealth of information. Thank you again for everything. I really don't think that I'm going to do this based on some other comments and Dentist #1 said I have some gingivitis that a regular cleaning will clear up (and I'm sure would have if he had a competent hygienist). My brain goes crazy when I receive conflicting information like this from doctors! I think I'm going to just get another cleaning and start using a Waterpik. However, you're obviously very knowledgeable about this so I'm curious if you've had this done and if you'd do it again.
Even though I'm probably not going back to Dentist #2 , you have me wondering if the $655 he lists (below) is for the year so I'll clarify when I call to ask some other things. The "Hygiene Total" he shows is $655 for:
Prophy all teeth (1 HR)
Scaling and root planing teeth 2,3,14,15 (1 HR)
Periomed and Clinpro Prescriptions
Periodontal maintenance (175) every 3 months.
4 X 175 is 700 so I doubt its included in the 655 quote. I paid almost 800 for scaling and root planing in Florida. I used to have it done during a routine cleaning when I lived up north and down here its a mega expensive option. Up north I had 3 cleanings a year for around 125 per and it included the planing and scaling.
4 X 175 is 700 so I doubt its included in the 655 quote. I paid almost 800 for scaling and root planing in Florida. I used to have it done during a routine cleaning when I lived up north and down here its a mega expensive option. Up north I had 3 cleanings a year for around 125 per and it included the planing and scaling.
What you're saying about the $655 makes total sense to me now, and it made zero sense before so thank you for clarifying. I can't believe the difference in what you paid up north versus here, but I'm not surprised.
I had scaling and planing. It was definitely necessary, I had several "4" and "5" pockets, one "8" pocket next to an implant, and a "7" pocket next to another implant. I felt the sensitivity above the gumline, and you could see the redness. I also needed bone grafting, which is very common with periodontitis.
Unfortunately, the damage to my gums was more extensive than originally thought and I ended up needing osseous surgery. What they do is, they cut the gum flaps and pull them up, pick and "power-wash" the hardened plaque off that's built up VERY deep near the tooth root, then sew you back up again. You're on non-acidic liquid food after the first day, no gargling, no brushing, no swishing of mouthwash for at least the first few days. You can use a moist cottonball and rub the outer surface of the tooth itself, but you can't touch the gums and have to avoid the stitches.
You have to place a couple teaspoons of a special antibacterial mouth rinse in your mouth, tilt your head side to side so that the liquid can touch all your teeth /without/ you swishing it, and then let it dribble out again. No spitting.
A couple weeks later they take out whatever stitches are still there and if you're lucky, it'll heal right. Mine didn't on one quad, and I ended up with some recession that wasn't there before the surgery. It doesn't hurt and there's no sensitivity there though, and the tooth itself is well-rooted and in excellent condition so there's nothing I need to "do" about it.
I had all 4 quads done. The surgeon insisted on not sedating me, so I had to take a Xanax before going in because I was a nervous wreck about it. The whole procedure took less than an hour, though MOST surgeons need a couple of hours total for all 4 quads, and usually split it up into two visits.
I was very unhappy with this surgeon, and that dentist's office. I returned to my previous dentist (I had to switch because the dental insurance companies changed and the old one wasn't covered - and finally it was again). She saw some "4" pockets even after the surgery but says they're mostly 1s and 2s now, a few 3s, my implant pocket is still a 6. But that's really just a huge gap because of the nature of that particular implant, so I'm not worried about that one at all.
The planing and scaling set me back around $1200 for all 4 quads, x-rays, cleaning and polishing, and 2 follow-up appointments in that year. They threw in the waterpik because I turned Super-Karen on them when they quoted the fees.
The surgery was around $1100, but only after I had to fight with the surgeon's office because they weren't honoring the schedule of fees my insurance company required them to honor.
I was hopeful that the brush head might be small enough to work for me, but it's currently out of stock around here. From what I can tell online, the unit itself might also be too big for my temporary living situation. I unfortunately sold my house and would have had plenty of room for it, but not so much now until I find my new house. I like the idea of the sanitizer, especially since I'm living right now in an older building that I've been concerned about moisture issues anyway.
I'm also going to look into and want to get a waterpik. WP-100W White Ultra seems to be recommended a lot. My problem right now is space, and I hate to buy anything when I know that I'm going to move away from this area, hopefully sooner rather than later, although the housing market couldn't be worse right now!
WaterPik makes a travel-sized unit. It's great, I used it while I was wearing my braces. It fit right in my work bag to take along for use during the day. But I do have a biggish work bag that I carry my laptop, Ipad, work folders and such in along with my wallet and other crap.
I had scaling and planing. It was definitely necessary, I had several "4" and "5" pockets, one "8" pocket next to an implant, and a "7" pocket next to another implant. I felt the sensitivity above the gumline, and you could see the redness. I also needed bone grafting, which is very common with periodontitis.
Unfortunately, the damage to my gums was more extensive than originally thought and I ended up needing osseous surgery. What they do is, they cut the gum flaps and pull them up, pick and "power-wash" the hardened plaque off that's built up VERY deep near the tooth root, then sew you back up again. You're on non-acidic liquid food after the first day, no gargling, no brushing, no swishing of mouthwash for at least the first few days. You can use a moist cottonball and rub the outer surface of the tooth itself, but you can't touch the gums and have to avoid the stitches.
You have to place a couple teaspoons of a special antibacterial mouth rinse in your mouth, tilt your head side to side so that the liquid can touch all your teeth /without/ you swishing it, and then let it dribble out again. No spitting.
A couple weeks later they take out whatever stitches are still there and if you're lucky, it'll heal right. Mine didn't on one quad, and I ended up with some recession that wasn't there before the surgery. It doesn't hurt and there's no sensitivity there though, and the tooth itself is well-rooted and in excellent condition so there's nothing I need to "do" about it.
I had all 4 quads done. The surgeon insisted on not sedating me, so I had to take a Xanax before going in because I was a nervous wreck about it. The whole procedure took less than an hour, though MOST surgeons need a couple of hours total for all 4 quads, and usually split it up into two visits.
I was very unhappy with this surgeon, and that dentist's office. I returned to my previous dentist (I had to switch because the dental insurance companies changed and the old one wasn't covered - and finally it was again). She saw some "4" pockets even after the surgery but says they're mostly 1s and 2s now, a few 3s, my implant pocket is still a 6. But that's really just a huge gap because of the nature of that particular implant, so I'm not worried about that one at all.
The planing and scaling set me back around $1200 for all 4 quads, x-rays, cleaning and polishing, and 2 follow-up appointments in that year. They threw in the waterpik because I turned Super-Karen on them when they quoted the fees.
The surgery was around $1100, but only after I had to fight with the surgeon's office because they weren't honoring the schedule of fees my insurance company required them to honor.
You have certainly been through quite an ordeal. I've never even heard of things that you've had done, and I can't imagine why the surgeon insisted on not sedating you. I would have been very unhappy, too. Thanks for educating us on so many different aspects of dentistry.
WaterPik makes a travel-sized unit. It's great, I used it while I was wearing my braces. It fit right in my work bag to take along for use during the day. But I do have a biggish work bag that I carry my laptop, Ipad, work folders and such in along with my wallet and other crap.
This is good to know. Thank you.
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