Question:
I'm 51 years old and gone to many dentists during my lifetime. I've
always had my teeth cleaned every six months. I have never had a dentist
that took these measurements. Am I an unusual case?
I'm curious as to how many others reading this have dentists who do this
procedure during your regular check-ups and cleanings without your asking.
Answer:
It is very unlikely that this is done without someone's knowledge.
It is, however, likely that many patients, even those who see a dentist
regularly, have not had this done. The dental community has become
much more adept in it's diagnosis of gum disease in the past few years.
Detecting gum disease is something we do more vigilantly than has been
the case in the past. This is due to an overall better understanding of the
disease process and it's symptoms. However, many dentists still do not
do a 'periodontal probing' for all patients. This is unfortunate, but is
also
changing rapidly. Periodontal disease is the *number one* reason for
tooth loss in the U.S.. It is often completely painless until it is too
late.
Without a periodontal probing, which is a simple, painless procedure,
it is often possible for a dentist to overlook the disease. If your doctor
is not performing this probing, ask him/her to.
When I first got out of dental school I did not "probe" pockets on every
patient. I only did it on patients that I suspected might have them.
As I became more experienced, I found that "just looking" didn't catch
all of them, so I now probe every patient.
Now, if I don't find anything wrong, I don't make a big deal out of it.
I just mention that "your gums are healthy". Many patients may not be
aware of everything that I am doing at every second. On the other hand,
I doubt if *every* dentist probes every patient. The only way to know
is to ask if your dentist checked for abnormal perio pockets.
