Question:

Hi Dave,

I just found your site; very informative. I hope you can help me. I am kind of freaked right now having just come from my dental hygienist who tells me I have periodontal disease.

She assessed this using the probe, getting a variety of 1′s 2′s 3′s, but some 4′s & 5′s too, and reportedly a lot of blood (this didn’t surprise me since she probed very deep). She wanted to do deep scaling of my teeth today, and told me I would need to follow-up by getting deep scaling done 4x/year for the rest of my life.

I was pretty shell shocked, I was not prepared for the charges as much of it is not covered by my insurance AND my own dentist was not there to consult. Instead, I scheduled an appt with my dentist for next week.

I might add that I have had this gal clean my teeth before, and she did a great job, but she is quite heavy handed; if you will, and I remember being quite tender for the rest of the day after that cleaning.

I was hesitant today for several reasons. First off, I have always had excellent dental hygiene; I floss daily & brush twice daily timed for 2 full mins. I have always gotten my teeth cleaned every 6 mos. I am a 54 y/o female, I eat an excellent diet, have never smoked, don’t have any diseases, am not on any medication, am not overweight. This disease does not run in my family of which I am aware.

Secondly, I feel odd having a hygienist tell me this. Shouldn’t this info come from the dentist, who did the probe thing a year ago, and I had nothing higher than 3′s? Wouldn’t the hygienist have noticed something this serious when she cleaned my teeth 6 mos. ago?

Would periodontal disease develop this fast? Wouldn’t I have at least been told I have gingivitis before this diagnosis? I have noticed some receding gums, but have no bleeding when I brush or floss, no swelling or pain, no other oral symptoms.

Your opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:

This scenario is more common that you might think. In fact, it is very similar to my own story.

If you do not agree with the treatment plan of your dental professional, you have every right to go out and seek a second, third and even fourth opinion.

I can not advise you to go against the advice of any practitioner. However, I can tell you a little bit about my own story which is detailed in the book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

You see, I was told by my dentist and hygienist that nothing else could help me except the deep cleaning or SRP (Scaling and Root Planing)

I declined the treatment. Again, I’m not suggesting that anyone else take this approach – I’m only saying this is what I did.

Instead, I went out and researched a bit. I found the Hydro Floss, bought one and used it every day for about 5 months and then it was time for my next dental visit.

Guess what? Both professionals, the hygienist and the dentist agreed that ‘whatever I was doing’ was working and I should keep it up. I was also told that I did NOT need that treatment any longer. That was the same treatment that they said was the ONLY thing that would help me.

I was a bit unhappy with the incongruencies that I detected. I did more research, found even more important information and wrote a book about my experiences, the experiences of others and the things I discovered.

Just the other day I received a phone call from a man who thanked me for the information. He also solved his gum disease problem and another related problem at the same time. (Lichen Planus). Lichen Planus is considered an autoimmune disease. Some speculate that the body’s defenses are overcome by gum disease and this allows the emergence of Lichen Planas – others are not so certain.

My book again is: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

It is available in print form at http://www.ToothyGrinsStore.com/book and many other online retail stores.

The digital version (e-book) is available at http://www.Gingivitiskiller.com

Sincerely,

David Snape

Disclaimer: This post is for information purposes only and does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you have any kind of health problem whatsoever, visit your doctor for advice diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not approved statements about any products in this post or on this site. I am NOT a doctor nor am I a dentist.