Showing posts with label gum disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gum disease. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Teeth Report

Yesterday, I saw Dr. Ronnie Jones, the Periodontist who was treating my case of periodontal (gum) disease. The visit was to check on how my gums were recovering. Once I had my teeth descaled, I had to use Listerine regularly, brush and especially floss. Listerine is important because it kills the germs that can cause gum infection. Flossing is very important because there are a lot of areas around the teeth a tooth brush doesn't hit. If you doubt, take one of those tablets sometime that shows you all the areas that has build-up on them. You'll be shocked.
Anyway, the visit went well. Dr. Jones measured how much space there was between my gums and teeth. The more space there is, the greater the chance of the teeth shifting or eventually coming out. Thanks to the descaling and my consistent efforts, my gums had improved enormously. The spaces between the teeth and gums and decreased markedly. This is good because you want the gums to be snug around your teeth. If they're snug, your teeth won't move. Also, it means that there isn't any infection below the gums which could cause teeth loss or cavities. I was pleased about the news though I kick myself for letting it get as bad as it did. It was an expensive mistake. It ended costing me over $400 though it would've cost over $1,300 if it weren't for the Delta Dental of California plan I received from the Air Force. Many thanks to the Air Force for helping taking care of me after I retired.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Dentist

I finally got my lazy procrastinating butt to the dentist today. I've been needing a cleaning since January but I kept putting it off. Now, I wish I'd seen the dentist back in January. I received good and bad news. The good news was no cavities which was also a surprise considering how bad I've been about brushing and flossing my teeth. The bad news was that I have a moderate case of gum disease. I'll have to see a Periodontist three times to get all the crud cleaned off my teeth and then we'll see how my teeth and gums recover. This is the price for not brushing and flossing like I should've. Thankfully, I have a dental plan thanks to the Air Force. The bill for my teeth is going to run to almost $1,300! Because of the dental plan, I'll have to pay $390 which is better than paying $1,300. Hopefully, I'll get my lazy butt in gear and start brushing AND flossing more regularly. We'll see how the treatments with the Periodontist go.