Bone grafting _ Peridonist

AMFitz

Hi

I went to the dentist for my regular check up and clean last week and he always carries out xrays as part of the checkup.

He told me I had lost a lost of bone about 50% above one tooth and he said it was hereditary in about 15% of the population. There was nothing you could do about it, that I risked tooth loss in 10 years but there is a new bone grafting treatment that will stop this happening.

I have good dental hygiene, I floss and I have no gum bleeding. I don't even have a filling, this came out of the blue after he took the normal xrays. He has referred me to a peridonist for treatment and my appointment came through for a couple of weeks.

Has anyone heard of this before? I have heard of tooth loss from bad oral hygiene etc but not hereditary issues? I am worried about this, I have never had an issue with my teeth before and I don't want treatment for no reason that is going to cause me issues with my teeth. I also can't understand why this is only showing up now if there is 50% tooth loss above one tooth and the other xrays are only 7 months old?

Fishorsealant

What age are you? What tooth is it?
Can you post the x rays?

You can get localised forms of aggressive periodontitis that you might find in a incisor or molar but not in 15% of population (probably much less than 1% in Ireland). Higher prevalence in certain population groups e.g Afro-Carribean. These tend to have earlier onset in life and are quite aggressive but are also uncommon. Definitely best managed by a periodontist.

Important thing is that you get the right diagnosis from the get go so you can get the right treatment. Because what you suggest is 50% bone loss in 7 months??

AMFitz

Thanks for the reply. I don't have a copy of the xray, he sent it straight across. Yes, I can't believe it, it doesn't make any sense to me. I thought if there was something seriously wrong I could be able to tell. I was very taken aback by his reaction.

I'm in my early 40s and it's above one of my incisors or so he told me. It's the one tooth I had to wear a brace for many years ago as it was not aligned with my other incisors.