July 8, 2009

Over the last few years, I've received quite a few emails asking me how things have turned out for me. The news is variable.

The good news is that I still have most of my teeth. The bad news is that I have continued to have problems and issues with them, I grew very little bone back from the emdogain, and I am currently in the process of having two implants put in my lower back jaw. Those teeth couldn't be saved, and had to be removed.

My current periodontist believes that, even though I do have extensive bone loss in my upper jaw, that a conservative approach will continue to work for the time being. This means continued cleanings every 3 months, and continued use of a low-dose antibiotic. While the bone loss is extensive, the teeth are currently stable. I won't ever have beautiful teeth, and that's kind of hard to come to terms with. The best I can hope for is to keep the ones I've got, and/or slowly replace them with implants over time.

However, I firmly believe that the perioscopy was the right choice for me. I believe the perioscopy was a factor in slowing the bone loss, and while I am not a dentist, doctor or hygienist, I would definitely suggest that if you're considering it, you gather all the facts and determine if it's right for you.

Tomorrow I'll talk about the implants I'm getting. That's a whole new story unto itself.