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I’m a 41-year-old female with periodontitis and severe bone loss. I went years without dental insurance and checkups. I recently started seeing a dentist who performed two scaling and root planing appointments. The hygienist saw improvement, with pink gums and my deepest pocket was 9mm. She recommended I see a periodontist for follow-up and maintenance cleanings, which I did three weeks later.<\/p>\n
However, the periodontist made me feel terrible about myself. She measured pocket depths up to 12mm and noted blood and pus between my gums and teeth<\/a> on nearly all my teeth. How could the pocket depths change so drastically in just three weeks? She said my teeth wouldn’t withstand laser treatment and recommended extracting all of them, stating that even with implants, I could still get gum disease.<\/p>\n I feel that as a dentist, her role is to help save as many teeth as possible. Shouldn’t I have been prescribed antibiotics for the pus and blood? Shouldn’t she have offered treatments like perio trays to address the pockets? I feel defeated and devastated at the thought of losing my smile, which has always been my best attribute.<\/p>\n I’m desperate for advice and would appreciate any guidance. Thank you.<\/p>\n – Jessica from Colorado Springs<\/p>\n (See Dr. Hall’s answer below.)<\/p>\n\n\n