ANOTHER deep cleaning?

[Shelby825]

I visited a new dentist today and was recommended to have a deep cleaning. I just had a deep cleaning 10 months ago, and cannot understand why I was told to have yet another one. The new dentist was not aware of my dental history. I feel that deep cleaning is just another revenue making machine. I floss and brush every day, and get my teeth cleaned every 4-6 months. Can it be that deep cleaning doesn't help some people? I was also advised to have 2 new crowns in the upper right quadrant where I have a big gap and bone loss. The dentist said that this will help stop the bone loss. I just don't understand the connection. This entire thing just makes me want to cry in frustration. Please help!

[scottma]

Seeing a non-commercial oriented periodontist is advised.

[mammo]

I agree.  It sounds like they've found a new way to make some extra cash.  For someone who takes good care of their teeth, and see their dentist regularly, this all seems a bit extreme to me.  Unless you have gum disease (and you would know) where there is bone loss,  nothing will stop bone loss.  I have severe bone loss on my front 2 lower teeth, caused by gingivitis.  Thirty-two years ago I was told by a dentist to have these teeth removed, and get a bridge because I was going to lose them any day!  I still have them and all my healthy white teeth, and I am 60.  Just get your regular cleanings, and if you want a second opinion see a periodontist, this is what I did.  He agreed with me, that there was no reason to have these 2 teeth removed, and one has always been a bit loose, but has never gotten worse.

[foofoo99]

Several reasons why  gums don't heal after deep cleaning.  First of all did they take measurements of your pockets around the teeth?  They have to, before saying  you need deep cleaning.  And maybe in particular areas, not the whole mouth.  Are your gums still bleeding when you floss?

You have to have a dentist that can think outside the box, ( Commercial or non commercial,  don't know what commercial means)

Reasons why gums cannot heal:

1) Your dentist was right and it's a big one, space between teeth,  usually need to adjust the bite, teeth will come together  close down within days!  Crowns or fillings not always necessary. Need to be very highly skilled in adjusting teeth.

2) A very bad bug, immune problem, stress.

3) possible unrecognized  diabetes by physician that looks inside the box  only.

4) Very deficient in vitamin C, D  which they are finding now. Tissue cannot regenerate

5) Another big one, clenching, bruxing ,  missing anterior guidance or canine guidance, opposing teeth touching  incorrectly. Any one of these can be catastrophic in the long run! If you have them all together,  big big problem for the teeth bone and gums.  You will be at the dentist,  might as well take your bed there!

6)  Osteoporosis that is non Vit D /Calcium  related,  will need to take medication,  after taking meds, you will see bleeding reduced, teeth  mobility going way down,  even if you have lost 1/2 of Your bones around roots.  That's if you don't have any of the above problem. (1-5)

Nothing else comes to my mind  at the moment.
You can also have combination of 1 to 6 problems.
Shelby,  is that enough info for you ? Not all dentist and physicians have bad intentions,  they don't venture out the box,  and  yes, most only think  about money,  what's new, you see that in all strata of society.  Very difficult to judge,  hope this helped,
Regards, Fo.

[foofoo99]

"nothing will stop bone loss"


Mammo your knowledgeable,  but I must disagree with this one.  Most probably the reason you stopped loosing bone around the lower front  teeth, was most probably because the periodontist  might have trimmed them down when you went to see him or her.  And that was the reason you were loosing bone around them in the first  place .  Think hard, you just don't loose bone for no reason.  Did they give you a mouth guard?  Something they did, you might have forgotten or  just did not notice they did.  Fo.

[foofoo99]

' I feel that deep cleaning is just another revenue making machine.'

This is one of those  things, " dam if you do, dam if you don't." If the  dentist doesn't  take care of the gum problem,  the patient can  come back  and sue them.  

" IF " there is a gum problem,   the dentist is obligated to let you know.  You don't have to accept the treatment.

If the first dentist has gotten all the tartar out,  10 months ago, then you don't need to have deep cleaning.  This is what happens often,  we think we have gotten all the tartar out,  so  then  the gums start healing and  deflating, suddenly  more undetected  tartar becomes visible. What is usually done,  just get them out.  If that's the case, then your new dentist has to charge  you again for sectional areas.  But if the problem is not from tartar, then they  should not be doing  deep cleaning , and address the other problems ,  which I wrote earlier. Make sense .

[mammo]

I had what I thought was gingivitis because the gums in front of these 2 teeth were  receded so badly.  When I went to see the  periodontist, he actually asked my permission to take a photo, because he had never seen such gum recession without plaque.  He explained that the little piece of skin between my lower lip and gums was much too high, resulting in too much pull on the gums and pulling them down. He recommended a graft from the roof of my mouth to be placed in front of my 2 lower teeth, to stabilize them.  I chose not to do this at that time. Several years later, I did have the graft done, but it was placed to low, and needed to be redone.  I didn't want to go thru this again and declined having it re-done.  I have continued to have more bone loss, I never said it stopped.  I haven't forgotten anything, and the fact that I still have all my own, very white teeth at 60 should tell you how "up" I am on anything to do with oral health.  People have thought my teeth are false, nurses have asked me this before a procedure, etc.  My 2 bottom teeth are no more loose now than 32 years ago, and my dentist always mentions my severe bone loss.  He sees the failed graft, and has also suggested I have this re-done,  but I just haven't.  I do use common sense and don't try to bite into an apple or anything like that.  But do eat corn on the cob.  I have no bone loss of any consequence anywhere else, just the 2 bottom front teeth.  I have caught myself grinding my teeth at night, which does concern me, but I also refuse to wear a mouth guard, plus my dentist has never recommended one, I just know I should do this.  I do have a gap bewteen my bottom teeth, and I can see how narrow the teeth are going into what bone is left.  I haven't needed any fillings since I was a teen, and my hygienist tells me that I am her easiest patient when it comes to cleaning my teeth, because there is very little plaque.  This is always found at the very bottom and back of these 2 teeth.  I get them cleaned every six months and I'm anal about keeping them clean.  I have used a SoniCare toothbrush since they first came out, my dentist says this has helped a lot.  So, I guess I'm not sure exactly what caused my bone loss, but it has been slow, and no where else.  Maybe I just have good genes.  Thanks for your interest and keep smiling!

[foofoo99]

You are so  lucky for having good genes, I don't like patients like you, cannot make much money off of you. I am kidding. Mammo, your lower two front teeth, must be on the same hight  as the one next to them. That means # 23,24,25,26 must be at the same edge. Your upper front 2 teeth have to be touching edge to edge, with all 4 lower teeth, if the two that you lost bone around them, are longer than the 23 and 26, and are the only ones touching the upper two, that might be the problem. Place your teeth edge to edge, what do you see. Also mammo some individuals, are missing hard gums around teeth from when their permanent teeth come in, it's genetical. In some individuals the hard tissue is there but not much of it, usualy on the lower front teeth all the way to the bicuspids,  and that can cause bone loss. Could have been the high muscle attachment as the periodontist said.