Question:
My dentist told me that I require deep cleaning. My readings were 3 or
below for half the teeth (i.e. don't need deep cleaning), I had around 25% 4
& some 5's & 2 6's.
I don't have any symptoms which suggest that I require any treatment i.e.
don't have tooth/gum ache or bleeding etc. So I was wondering how important
is it to get this deep cleaning done ? What happens if I don't do it now ?
Are there other ways to get these readings down - I don't floss at all - if
I start flossing will these get better without getting any deep cleaning done ?
If I do go in for the deep cleaning, how many days will it take to recover
from it - had a friend with 7's & 8's & swollen gums, who after deep cleaning
took him almost a month to recover - will it be so bad for me also ?
If I don't do the deep cleaning, will my readings worsen with time. How
rapid is the deterioration usually ?
Answer:
With or without, they WILL worsen over time. We hope with the deep
cleaning they will progress LESS. However, these are chronic
conditions and take 5-10 years for evidence to appear. i.e. yankable
teeth.
No way to tell without a physical exam in person. From your description, I
would guess that you have the opportunity to turn things around and keep
your teeth if you put enough effort into it.
the thing about gum disease is that you don't know you have it until someone
tells you. Like high blood pressure.
If you don't have it treated (the treatment outlined doesn't sound out of line
with the findings but I don't have you here in person), you risk more that
losing teeth.
The research is pretty conclusive that you're at higher risk for a host of
other problems as well. You have an infection in your mouth, the fact that you
have an untreated infection means that your body is working overtime to try to
fix it. The body makes chemicals to fight the infection that affect nearly all
body systems.
