Tag Archives: tooth loss

Emergency Dentist

Does She Need to Remove All Her Teeth?

I had not had dental care for most of my life. My parents didn’t have dental insurance or money. I was equally in poverty as an adult. I finally was able to improve my circumstances and was able to get to the dentist. As expected, my teeth and gums are a mess. I had two scaling and root planing appointments, where the hygienist saw improvement. Her suggestion was that I follow up that work with a periodontist, and they would focus on the crowns and fillings I need. I thought that was a good idea. It has not turned out that way. The periodontist was very condescending about my lack of dental care over the years. She also found that my deepest pocket was 3 mm deeper than the hygienist said. It had only been a couple of weeks, so that surprised me. The most distressing thing, is that she suggested I just extract all my teeth because I was fighting a losing battle. I don’t want to lose all my teeth. I’m willing to work hard to save them and I thought I was making great progress. Is it really hopeless?

Florence

Dear Florence,

Woman covering her mouth with her hand

I am glad you wrote. First, though, a huge congratulations on all the improvements you’ve been making in your life. That takes a lot of hard work and courage.

The discrepancy in the pockets is fairly easy to explain. While there wouldn’t have been that much of a difference in such a short period of time. It is more likely that either one dentist poked through and thought the pocket was deeper or the other dentist hit a piece of tartar and thought they’d reached the end of the pocket. Without another examination there is no way to know which it was.

The other issue, about removing your teeth, is much more clear cut. You have all your teeth, as far as I know based on my you’ve said. Your dental hygienist saw improvement and they were planning on working on your teeth. I don’t think they’d be willing to do that if the situation were hopeless.

If the teeth were that bad, they’d be falling out. You never mentioned that.

Your periodontist however, was insensitive and didn’t appear to give you any time for treatments to see what improvements could be done. Normally, they are experts at saving teeth. Maybe she was having a bad day. Maybe she’s grown tired of her field. What I will tell you is not to remove all your teeth without being absolutely sure there is nothing that can be done for them.

Look for a different periodontist in your area. Check their reviews. Then, go and see what they say. Do not tell them what the last periodontist said. Get their unbiased diagnosis first.

I get the feeling you are going to be able to save your teeth. On the off-chance that you cannot, look into dental implants for their replacement. They are the top tooth replacement option, and the closest thing to having natural teeth in your mouth.

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Invisalign

Is Orthly Equal to Invisalign?

I told a friend the other day that I wish I could afford Invisalign. I’ve spent a lifetime embarrassed about my teeth. She sent me this link to a company called Orthly. It looks like Invisalign, but it’s 70% cheaper. I just want to make sure it’s safe to do it and it’s similar to Invisalign.

Ellen

Dear Ellen,

Image top: A woman putting on her Invisalign aligners. Image bottom: a woman smiling with Invisalign on her teeth

It sounds like you have a friend who cares about you. It’s lovely to have friends like that. If you won’t hate me, I’m going to help you understand the differences taking you back to High School. Do you remember geometry class where you had similar triangles versus congruent triangles? As you recall, congruent triangles were completely equal to one another in both sides and angles. But, similar triangles were only that, similar but not equal. They had the same angles but not the same lengths.

That’s how I would describe Orthly to Invisalign. Similar but not equal. It will save you money. Unfortunately, it could also cost you some teeth.

The first thing you should know is it wasn’t founded by dentists or anyone with dental knowledge. The idea came to two students who wanted to get Invisalign but couldn’t afford it. Their company is very straightforward about that. They say, “Orthly does not practice dentistry nor do any employees in the company.” That alone wouldn’t make it dangerous. I’m sure they consulted with dentists and orthodontists as they followed through on their idea.

Where Does Orthly Fall Short of Invisalign?

The way Orthly saves money is by avoiding orthodontic appointments. You see a dentist a total of two times. They can request photos through the app, but that’s the extent of the “looking after” you get. You may think that’s no big deal, but here’s what worries me about that.

The reason dentists keep an eye on you throughout the treatment is to measure things like mobility, root absorption, periodontal disease, and oral hygiene. None of these can be tracked through a photo. If they don’t catch any one of these problems in time, it could lead to the patient losing their teeth.

Then you’re talking about a much greater expense then they’d have had if they’d done the best treatment to begin with. They’ll need to replace their teeth.

So, in your place, I’d weigh the benefits with the risks before you decide.

You could always talk to your dentist about your desire and ask if there’s a way he’d let you pay out “the real deal” in installments you can afford.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.