Periodontal disease

[hisjen84]

Hi,
I’m hoping someone can help. I have been diagnosed with periodontal disease this has already caused problem with my teeth.
I have to have scaling and root planing done which terrifies me as I am so scared of the dentist. Apart from being scared this will alter the look of my teeth, I have high blood sugar at the minute I’m worried i will have problems with my gums healing, has anyone else been through this that can help.

 

[lindijanice]

Hey hisjen84! I routinely get my teeth worked on for all of that and it is well worth it. In the beginning it was uncomfortable because there were some deep pockets, especially in the back molar area. Now, 5 years later, I still have the scaling done but the pockets have healed and so much more shallow. Soooooo important to get the best oral health you can - can adversely affect our overall health, especially cardiac. Perhaps you can get something from your Doc that you could take prior to your appoinment that would "calm" you down a bit! Do get your teeth looked after! (I go every 4 months - covered by OHIP here in Ontario Canada for diabetics)

 

[Starburst02]

Hi Hisjen84. My dentist had signs in his office and stickers on the surgical lights : "We cater to cowards". Many people (including me at one time) are terrified of dentists. I have had root planing and scaling done a few times in my lifetime. It can be unpleasant. To my knowledge it has no affect on the appearance of your teeth. At least not in my case or others I have known to have the procedure. I am in the USA. Here, if it is too uncomfortable for the patient, the dentist can give local anesthesia to numb the gums. You should not hesitate to ask for it it you feel you need it. If you have deep pockets, you will likely need the numbing. I had the procedure without anesthesia, but I know that may be for everyone. You can expect your gums to be tender for a few days afterward. It is a very good thing you are looking after your oral health. Unless your blood sugar numbers are extremely out of range, you should heal OK.

 

[phdiabetic]

Literally just went to the dentist a couple of hours ago (routine cleaning and checkup). Chronically high blood sugar can cause wounds to heal more slowly, and also increases the risk of infection. A couple of mild highs here and there that come down fairly quickly shouldn't do any damage though.

 

[hisjen84]

Thank you for your replies! I know it needs doing and I will be better for it, I will have to face my fear! Luckily my blood sugar has been a bit better this week so fingers crossed all will be ok!

 

[Deleted Account]

Not sure what you mean by "high blood sugars at the minute".
When I first told my dentist about my diabetes, he explained that high BG causes dental decay - if the bg is high for a long period of time, the body tries every way possible to get rid of the excess sugar. One way is through saliva which will lead to extra tooth decay.
So, I guess from this, if you have high BG it could delay your recovery because it could be causing more decay.

I hope this is not the case for you and you are able to bring your BG under control.

 

[TheBigNewt]

I had a lower back tooth yanked and then an implant done about a year ago. Everything went fine no problems. Blood sugar was fine, the bone healed up fine. No problema.