I had my gums looked at by the dentist. Some teeth/gums measured a "6", which means I have bone loss?

Question:

Now they said I need 3 gum treatments (which cost 300 each). Is this common?

Answers:
Contrary to what germanknowitall said, you don't necessarily have to be sitting in a periodontists chair to have a periodontal screening. I work for a general prac. and we probe every patient at every visit over the age of sixteen. If your dentist is not probing then you need to find one that is. You def. need to have the scaling and root planing if you are measuring six millimeters in some areas. This is an indication of moderate periodontal disease and means that you have lost bone support. This is important to get this treated and under control as our bone, along with the ligaments is what holds our teeth in our head. Lose enough bone and you will lose your teeth. Insurance paying for a portion of your treatment is not the point. Even if they don't pay,it is to your benefit to have the procedures done as to save the teeth you have. Let this be a good wake-up call. You have to take care of your teeth not only brushing every day but flossing as well. It surprises me still that people are surprised when they have periodontal disease and are told about bone loss. Many say, well I brush everyday, yes but what about flossing? One goes hand in hand with the other. If you are not flossing then you are not getting the most susceptible area to periodontal disease clean. This area is in between the teeth and the tissue is non-keratinized, meaning it is not as tough as the other gum tissue in our mouth. This is where most periodontal disease starts (the col area) in between the teeth. Your toothbrush will not reach this very small area in between your teeth, hence floss is so important. Long story short, get the work done, and take care of those teeth and gums with proper homecare.

Other Answers:
Yes.

I have had the same issue. Before you agree to treatment of any kind, get a SECOND AND THIRD opinion. (What treatment are they talking about?) Also be sure to check with your insurance co to see how these procedures will be coded and be certain about what will be covered and at what percentage. Then, call back and ask a different person (record names and dates of these conversations). My gums are fine now, but I have been through hell, a bunch of joker "doctors", and a heck of a lot of money. Be absolutely certain that you are sitting in a periodontist's chair and not a dentist's. I'm guessing you did that since they were measuring with the probe and reading your numbers. You will have to get the problem corrected/stopped, but really inform yourself with lots of knowledge before you go into it. You have no idea how common it is. 6 out of ten people have gum issues including bone loss. after your treatment just one advice. FLOSS FLOSS FLOSS daily. once a day is plenty. your measurements should be 1-3 mm but if you have 6 you definitely need scaling or gum treatment.and dont be surprised if you are told you then need some periodontal surgery.

If you are asking this kind of question and are agreeing to treatment. Your dental team is not doing its job. You should know what a diagnosis of periodontal disease means when diagnosed and then you agree to treatment based on your knowledge of your diagnosis. There is a term we use its called informed consent. Two words. Informed means you know, not that you signed a bit of paper

Periodontal/gum disease is very common. It doesn't really sound like they explained the measurements to you at all, so if this is repeating anything, I apologize.

If you think of your gums as like a turtleneck around your tooth, the gums should be tight up against the tooth, without much of a space between. The instrument they used basically measures this distance between your tooth and your gum. 3 mm and under is considered healthy. When tartar and plaque build up on your teeth, it causes your gums to detach themselves from your teeth. When your gums detach, the jaw bone around your teeth is lost, and that can never be re-grown.

I am assuming that the gum treatments that they said you needed were quadrants of deep cleanings to remove any tartar and plaque, called scaling and root planing. This is usually the first step in treating periodontal disease. After the cleaning, your gums are more able to reattach to your teeth closer to where they should. Your mouth is divided into four quadrants, and the deep cleaings are charged per quadrant. So it sounds like you only need scaling and root planing in three of the four quadrants in your mouth. $300.00 is a pretty standard fee for this, and it's a bit steep, I know.

If for any reason you don't completely trust the opinion your dentist gave you, then you should get a second opinion. Seeing a periodontist is also a good option, because they specialize in this type of treatment.

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I had my gums looked at by the dentist. Some teeth/gums measured a "6", which means I have bone loss?

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