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Following, also curious. Naturally the dentist says I’m brushing too hard when I’ve been using a soft brush.
I assume you’re referring to periodontal disease? Or is this simply cosmetic? Ultimately, it depends on the severity of the case and what the doctor feels is best to do. If I recall correctly, periodontal disease is caused by having plaque below the gum line, in a place in which your toothbrush can’t reach. In surgery, the doctor can cut open your gums, remove as much plaque as possible and sew you back up. This isn’t something your local dentist can do. You’ll need to go to a hospital in a major city.
However, you should try scaling and root planting first. Everything should be covered by NHI, so don’t worry about cost.
Curious with the others.
Had a root canal with a tooth that had already dead nerves so it was painless, but always get told to watch my brushing. Now I have unexplained pain or sensitivity in the gums above my top left molar. Dentist wasn’t sure so we tackled the root canal first. Just hoping it’s something like seasonal inflammation from allergies.
I don’t remember how much it cost but it was not prohibitive. But the treatment is an ordeal. My problem was relatively minor. The gum was really low beneath just one of the lower front teeth. It was a bit alarming. I thought the treatment would be pretty easy.
What he did, and he’s a good dentist by Japanese standards, was cut open a flap in the roof of my mouth and dig out a bunch of the pink flesh behind the flap. He used this to rebuild the gum missing from under that tooth.
It’s as horrible and painful as you can imagine. They tell you the roof of your mouth will heal in a reasonable period of time. But three years or so later, mine is only just becoming something resembling normal. I can still feel the place that was opened up, but it is pretty much fine now.
Sorry, not what you want to hear, but this was my experience.
The other problem that was much more serious was a pain under a rear molar. I went to my local dentist and had it seen to. He had no idea what was going on, and his treatment just covered up the underlying issue. A few years later, I found out that my roots were infected and the bacteria had gradually eaten away at the bone by the tooth, so the tooth became loose (which was the symptom that got me to see my regular, not the local guy, dentist). By that time it was too late and it had to be extracted.
I couldn’t afford the cost of an implant, and have no idea if there is even enough bone left for one now.
So, find a really good dentist and go for check-ups and cleanings every six months, no matter what!
Haven’t had surgery, but gum disease has led to my gums receding. My dentist, who IMO is very good basically gave me a clean last time and booked me in for a 6 month check up. It’s up to me to do the proper work..keeping your teeth clean will basically slow the process down. Brushing, using gap brushes/ flossing and mouth wash are a daily requirement. In my case I also need to cut down on cigarettes and coffee. Managed to stop smoking this week but coffee is the only thing stopping me going on Rampage sometimes. Also I take a regular multivitamin and I. A couple of weeks when my lungs are a little cleaner I’ll try that new craze yogging (I think the j is silent).
Anyway, it’s much more a case of preventing and retention in my case, and I’m sure that will be the advice of most decent dentists up front. Surgery will be costly in time as much as money, as you are limited to appointment length on public health insurance.
Are you in Tokyo? And have you been going to a gum specialist? There is a basic level of knowledge that all dentists should have, but typical private dentists may give incomplete advice and overcharge for procedures like a full scaling, if they offer them at all.
You should first try to go somewhere with a clear specialisation in gum issues and if in Tokyo, I’d suggest going straight to the Nihon University Dental Hospital just south of Ochanomizu station. There’s an extra cost, like all hospitals I think, for going without a referral, but otherwise they will probably give the best advice and prognosis.
State of the art is apparently PDGF, and a quick search shows that some clinics offer this method, e.g.: [https://www.ginza-dental.co.jp/sys/words/post102/](https://www.ginza-dental.co.jp/sys/words/post102/)
Better be careful, sometimes surgery like molar removal can trigger the receding gums throughout the the row of teeth of that molar.
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Following, also curious. Naturally the dentist says I’m brushing too hard when I’ve been using a soft brush.
I assume you’re referring to periodontal disease? Or is this simply cosmetic? Ultimately, it depends on the severity of the case and what the doctor feels is best to do. If I recall correctly, periodontal disease is caused by having plaque below the gum line, in a place in which your toothbrush can’t reach. In surgery, the doctor can cut open your gums, remove as much plaque as possible and sew you back up. This isn’t something your local dentist can do. You’ll need to go to a hospital in a major city.
However, you should try scaling and root planting first. Everything should be covered by NHI, so don’t worry about cost.
Curious with the others.
Had a root canal with a tooth that had already dead nerves so it was painless, but always get told to watch my brushing. Now I have unexplained pain or sensitivity in the gums above my top left molar. Dentist wasn’t sure so we tackled the root canal first. Just hoping it’s something like seasonal inflammation from allergies.
I don’t remember how much it cost but it was not prohibitive. But the treatment is an ordeal. My problem was relatively minor. The gum was really low beneath just one of the lower front teeth. It was a bit alarming. I thought the treatment would be pretty easy.
What he did, and he’s a good dentist by Japanese standards, was cut open a flap in the roof of my mouth and dig out a bunch of the pink flesh behind the flap. He used this to rebuild the gum missing from under that tooth.
It’s as horrible and painful as you can imagine. They tell you the roof of your mouth will heal in a reasonable period of time. But three years or so later, mine is only just becoming something resembling normal. I can still feel the place that was opened up, but it is pretty much fine now.
Sorry, not what you want to hear, but this was my experience.
The other problem that was much more serious was a pain under a rear molar. I went to my local dentist and had it seen to. He had no idea what was going on, and his treatment just covered up the underlying issue. A few years later, I found out that my roots were infected and the bacteria had gradually eaten away at the bone by the tooth, so the tooth became loose (which was the symptom that got me to see my regular, not the local guy, dentist). By that time it was too late and it had to be extracted.
I couldn’t afford the cost of an implant, and have no idea if there is even enough bone left for one now.
So, find a really good dentist and go for check-ups and cleanings every six months, no matter what!
Haven’t had surgery, but gum disease has led to my gums receding. My dentist, who IMO is very good basically gave me a clean last time and booked me in for a 6 month check up. It’s up to me to do the proper work..keeping your teeth clean will basically slow the process down. Brushing, using gap brushes/ flossing and mouth wash are a daily requirement. In my case I also need to cut down on cigarettes and coffee. Managed to stop smoking this week but coffee is the only thing stopping me going on Rampage sometimes. Also I take a regular multivitamin and I. A couple of weeks when my lungs are a little cleaner I’ll try that new craze yogging (I think the j is silent).
Anyway, it’s much more a case of preventing and retention in my case, and I’m sure that will be the advice of most decent dentists up front. Surgery will be costly in time as much as money, as you are limited to appointment length on public health insurance.
Are you in Tokyo? And have you been going to a gum specialist? There is a basic level of knowledge that all dentists should have, but typical private dentists may give incomplete advice and overcharge for procedures like a full scaling, if they offer them at all.
You should first try to go somewhere with a clear specialisation in gum issues and if in Tokyo, I’d suggest going straight to the Nihon University Dental Hospital just south of Ochanomizu station. There’s an extra cost, like all hospitals I think, for going without a referral, but otherwise they will probably give the best advice and prognosis.
State of the art is apparently PDGF, and a quick search shows that some clinics offer this method, e.g.: [https://www.ginza-dental.co.jp/sys/words/post102/](https://www.ginza-dental.co.jp/sys/words/post102/)
Better be careful, sometimes surgery like molar removal can trigger the receding gums throughout the the row of teeth of that molar.