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Question:
Gum recession and collapse: I had periodontal scaling and planing and within a couple of days my gums over a part of my front 6 tooth upper bridge severely receded and left a gaping hole.
The periodontist could not explain the problem, said he had never seen this before or read about it before. He thought that perhaps I had a reaction to the antibiotic gel placed under the gums.
A hygienest performed the procedure and the doctor merely provided the local anastesia. I am searching for an answer as to why this happened. The Periodontist says I need to have it grafted. ...Visitor from NJ
Answer:
Since you had been referred to a Periodontist you do understand that you have underlying periodontal bone loss issues. When you have bone loss periodontal pockets develope which are very hard to reach and clean out. As the bone is lost around the tooth, the gum tissue around the neck of the tooth can become inflammed and irritated from the plaque and bacteria that is trapped in the pocket. The gum tissue does not recede as fast as the bone.
You had also mentioned you have a 6 unit upper front dental bridge. When teeth are splinted together as in a bridge, it's even more important to keep the area where the bridge is fitted around your teeth free of bacteria and plaque. Since you cannot floss like regular because the bridge units are connected together,you need to use special floss threaders or pipe cleaner like periodontal brushes called proxy-brushes.
I get the sense that you did not clean around your bridge very well which resulted in gum inflammation, periodontal bone loss and a referral to the gum specialist. When you saw the periodontist your gum tissue was probably very infammed and puffy. Once the periodontal hygienist performed the deep scaling and root planing to get rid of all the calculus (tarter) and bacteria off the roots around all your bridge units your gums started the healing process. The puffy infected gums started to heal and shrink back to a more normal level which is by the bone.
Since you may have had a lot of bone loss around your bridge units the healing gums pulled back to a more healthy level exposing the spaces at the necks of your bridge units. The antibiotic gel is placed in infected periodontal pockets to premote healing and did not cause the gapping hole you describe. Your dentist and periodontist are the best ones to review your cosmetic options to correct this problem for you.
I wish you the best in the future. Consistant, excellent daily home care can help you prevent or limit future bone loss. One thing to keep in mind for the future is that dental implants can permanently replace periodontally compromised teeth. It is also better to look into implant options before too much jaw bone is lost. Once implants are placed they act like tooth roots and help keep bone from being resorbed and worn away.
TotalConfidenceDentistry.com
Ron Briglia, DMD
Chester County Medical Building
600 East Marshall Street, Suite 201
West Chester PA 19380
(610) 692-4440
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