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I am 34 years old male and suffering from Periodontal disease (gum disease). About my disease I came to know in 2010 when I went for teeth cleaning in one of the dental schools.
I used to get my teeth cleaned every 2-3 years and my regular dentist never told me about this problem I was getting...
My front lower teeth already lost 1/3 of their bone and I clearly see gum recession there. These both teeth are mostly effected. But now I see some other teeth are also started loosing their gum...
Now I consulted with periodontist in my area and he suggested me to get Periodontal Laser Surgery which will cost nearly $6500.
Please advise, if anyone has gone through this surgery.
1. How effective it is?
2. Will I be able to keep my original teeth for few more years?
3. Is it common to get this disease in this young age of 34 years?
4. Will my teeth bone grow back? Or will my gum recession stops there?
5. Or is there any other better treatment or cure for periodontal disease?
6. Is this surgery enough for only once in life time?
Periodontal scaling without laser is an alternative to doing it with laser. Not sure about the costs.
There's no "cure" for periodontal disease, but there are effective treatments, it can be halted or significantly slowed, and it can be prevented in many cases.
The reason you're showing so much bone loss, is because periodontal disease starts before you can see the symptoms in the mirror. And now, you're saying you were given the diagnoses in 2010, and two years later you're JUST asking now, what you should do about it.
That means you already had symptoms enough that a dental school tech 2 years ago was able to tell you about it. And you've done nothing in the last 2 years to stop it, so it's just gotten worse.
At this point, you might end up losing the teeth. The replacement could end up costing you several thousand dollars in addition to the cost of the perio treatment.
You've visited the dentist once every 2-3 years. The average person with no problems at all, should be going once a year. Someone with sensitive teeth, redness, any pattern of inflammation, bone loss, swelling, gum pain, change in gum or tongue coloring, should be going every 6 months.
So you have really significantly neglected your dental health, and now you are unfortunately reaping the results. You can continue to neglect it and potentially lose all your teeth and compromise your jaw structure, or you can accept your neglect, get whatever treatment is appropriate, and prevent it from getting worse in the future.
I'd ask the dentist about hand scaling. Lasers as a routine treatment are relatively new - they're tested, they're effective, they do what they're supposed to do. But they are still just a replacement for an equally effective metal dental tool that has been used successfully for decades. I imagine using a hand scaler will be far more uncomfortable and take more time, and you'd be more sore for a longer recovery period than with a laser, but it should be a lot less expensive as well.
In the future, get a yearly dental checkup, go a second time halfway through the year for a cleaning and secondary checkup (no x-rays unless there's a trouble area, and then only on that trouble area).
A full set of x-rays once every 2 years
Brush your teeth every morning -after- breakfast, rinse with antisceptic mouthwash at least once daily (after lunch is a good time if you work), brush your teeth again and floss just before bedtime.
Keep coffee consumption to a minimum - 1-3 cups daily, no more. Cola consumption should be minimal, if at all - 1-2 glasses per *week*.
Periodontal planing shouldn't be necessary at all, most people don't need it. But if you have visible evidence of gum disease, then planing can reduce the recession by cleaning out all the crap that's lodged between the gum and the bone down beneath the surface of your mouth. If you take care to prevent another episode, you won't need another planing. If you neglect your dental health again, you might need it again. Just be aware that if you need it again, it could involve the removal of a couple of teeth too.
I am 34 years old male and suffering from Periodontal disease (gum disease). About my disease I came to know in 2010 when I went for teeth cleaning in one of the dental schools.
I used to get my teeth cleaned every 2-3 years and my regular dentist never told me about this problem I was getting...
My front lower teeth already lost 1/3 of their bone and I clearly see gum recession there. These both teeth are mostly effected. But now I see some other teeth are also started loosing their gum...
Now I consulted with periodontist in my area and he suggested me to get Periodontal Laser Surgery which will cost nearly $6500.
Please advise, if anyone has gone through this surgery.
1. How effective it is?
2. Will I be able to keep my original teeth for few more years?
3. Is it common to get this disease in this young age of 34 years?
4. Will my teeth bone grow back? Or will my gum recession stops there?
5. Or is there any other better treatment or cure for periodontal disease?
6. Is this surgery enough for only once in life time?
With regards,
Paul
Paul, true story:
I had really bad periodontal disease, due to other health issues. A holistic dentist was recommended. He had me irrigate my teeth twice/day with a combo of tincture of myrrh (it's an anti-bacterial) and tincture of Goldenseal (an herb). You put a few drops each into the water in your waterpic, or into a syringe, and work slowly along the gum line, front and back, up and down. Then you swish with more of the same, and gargle. I did this for 3 months. After that, my gums were completely healed, no pocketing at all. it cost me nothing, except for the tinctures.
I can't speak to your bone situation. What did your dentist say? Get another opinion on that. But your gums can heal right up, no laser surgery. I did have a friend who got the laser surgery, he said everything's fine. His disease was much worse than mine, he'd neglected his teeth for years, for some reason, and was at risk of losing some.
What you're describing can -only- be effective in promoting healthy gums. It won't get the calcalus off the surface of the teeth under the gum, because neither goldenseal, myrrh, nor water can dissolve hardened calcium deposits. None of those things can restore bone loss.
What you had, was a bad case of gingevitis. That would be - swollen, inflamed gums. That is one aspect of periodontal disease. What the OP is talking about is that, *plus* calcalus deposits *plus* significant bone loss. What he had, was the result of what happens when you don't take care of gingevitis: periodontitis.
It requires manual manipulation via either a metal hook or laser to destroy the tartar deposits covering the base of the tooth (where you can't see and where a waterpik can't penetrate) and destroying the supportive bone.
If it's bad enough, he'd end up losing the teeth and needing bone grafts.
What you're describing can -only- be effective in promoting healthy gums. It won't get the calcalus off the surface of the teeth under the gum, because neither goldenseal, myrrh, nor water can dissolve hardened calcium deposits. None of those things can restore bone loss.
What you had, was a bad case of gingevitis. That would be - swollen, inflamed gums. That is one aspect of periodontal disease. What the OP is talking about is that, *plus* calcalus deposits *plus* significant bone loss. What he had, was the result of what happens when you don't take care of gingevitis: periodontitis.
It requires manual manipulation via either a metal hook or laser to destroy the tartar deposits covering the base of the tooth (where you can't see and where a waterpik can't penetrate) and destroying the supportive bone.
If it's bad enough, he'd end up losing the teeth and needing bone grafts.
A dental assistant took care of the calculus. But you're right, my case wasn't as bad as the OP's. That's why I included the caveat that I'm not able to speak to the bone loss part of the issue.
Paul, I had it done. It wasn't bad at all and I never would have allowed someone to hack up & sew up my gums when I had no symptoms whatsoever (no bleeding or pain or ANYthing, just pockets that measured 6-9 when I got my teeth cleaned). It's been more than a year & I'm doing great. I actually got mine done for free because I went to the place that sells the lasers to other dentists, & they used me to teach the procedure (no worries; very closely supervised). The whole thing was pretty awesome, actually. PM me if you need more info.
Oh yes... they also say using the laser procedure can help promote bone growth (forget that graft stuff---yikes!) Haven't had x-rays to confirm that yet but it makes sense to me: if lasers can promote new collagen growth in skin, why not bone growth? Besides, old school periodontal surgery usually has to be repeated in a couple of years. NO WAY! Laser!!!!!
Oh yes... they also say using the laser procedure can help promote bone growth (forget that graft stuff---yikes!) Haven't had x-rays to confirm that yet but it makes sense to me: if lasers can promote new collagen growth in skin, why not bone growth? Besides, old school periodontal surgery usually has to be repeated in a couple of years. NO WAY! Laser!!!!!
Bone isn't collagen. It's calcium. That's like asking, if dog food helps keep dogs healthy, why can't people eat it to be healthy too?
You went to a place that is in business of selling the equipment they're using on you. So it's in their best interest to spin it however they can, to convince you that it's worth paying for (or volunteering for as a human guinea pig).
"Old school periodontal surgery" doesn't usually, or even often, have to be repeated in a couple of years. If it's done right, and the patient follows directions and has good dental hygeine and no obvious genetic mutations, he will never need it again in those areas. It's possible other areas of his mouth might degenerate and need surgery, but repeat surgeries on the same spot are rare, and -usually- caused by the patient negletcing his dental health.
Paul, I had it done. It wasn't bad at all and I never would have allowed someone to hack up & sew up my gums when I had no symptoms whatsoever (no bleeding or pain or ANYthing, just pockets that measured 6-9 when I got my teeth cleaned). It's been more than a year & I'm doing great. I actually got mine done for free because I went to the place that sells the lasers to other dentists, & they used me to teach the procedure (no worries; very closely supervised). The whole thing was pretty awesome, actually. PM me if you need more info.
Hi ScooterMama.
I just came from the periodontist and have a HUGE price quote for laser surgery and bone grafting. Can you share the company name where you had your procedure done?
Much appreciate your thoughtful and helpful response.
Had the laser gum surgery last Friday. I went in at 8 a.m. & was finished & home by noon. I had all four quadrants done. Swelling accounted for most of my pain on just lower back left side where I had most infection. Prior to surgery, I had no real pain but just pocket issues. Laser was not cheap: $4,500. Insurance picked up 1,500 and I paid the remainder. Have all my teeth & want to keep it that way!
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Laser surgery for gums
