Second LANAP

Second LANAP

If you are squeamish, medical procedure-phobic or otherwise like to keep away from the icky details of life, please do not read this post.
This post is to be read if you are considering LANAP and have periodontal disease or comprimised periodontial spaces.

How will I know? you might ask.
Answer: You will probably not know, and yet the bacteria will still set up a tiny castle colony in your mouth, next to your teeth. This creates a pocket of icky stuff under the gum line which cannot be reached with floss. The icky stuff sometimes goes into your bloodstream and helps form plaque in places like those little cardiac vessels or brain vessels.

Why and when should I have surgery?
Answer: When a good periodontist looks in there and says, it is time.
How can I afford it?
Answer: I cannot help you with finances, nor with the fact that dental insurance is helpful but not much. You have to prioritize your health costs. I do think a heart attack, from untreated silent periodontal disease costs more in a "real cost" kind of way.  An ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure kind of thing.

What is it like?
Mary's Answer: Not bad, like a long cleaning on one tooth. novacaine, chit chat, suction, grinding, clicks of the laser.Gross taste from the burned dead bacterial castles and the chemicals/rinse, etc. Overall...not a bad day in the chair. I liked them doing one side and then another side later. Now the liquid and soft diet which is mostly inconvenient and not like the other people are eating. Nobody really notices or cares. Trying to type one handed so I can keep the ice pack on my jaw.

I have heard what you said, but why do I really care?
Answer: You will care, when your teeth are too far gone, or one falls out and when you have a heart attack. You may not care but the people who care about you will cry and wonder what happened to cut you down in your prime. If you think this is harsh, just imagine bacteria, tiny little animals, breeding and building castles in your jaw, one day traveling to your heart or brain.

What can I do now?
Answer: Take care of your teeth, get info, go to a dentist you like, that is clean, gentle and talks to you.

Someone who loves you may never know that you cared enough to stick around.

Let us use the technology that space travel gave us. Laser those bacterial castles and start a new world with less heart attacks, and ? can it reduce alzheimer's disease too? Stay tuned.

this is a public service announcement brought to you by travelogue for the universe, mary gerdt, monkton, vermont

Periodontal What?

Periodontal disease....
is a silent killer???

Was that what got Grandpa? Cut down by a heart attack at about my age?
Was that what caused Mom's heart attack, and my tooth loss?

So when I was told I would need Gum surgery,
I started my internet searches....
It all sounded weird.

Now, in 2010, they hit the deep pockets of infection, below the gums with a laser tuned to kill the specific bad bacteria. Then they make a sterile blood clot which self dissolves over time and healing. Keep your fingers crossed. I had it done this morning.
Now I wait, take it easy and drink cool fluids, milkshakes, antibiotics, ice packs.
Oh yes, and the visa bill will come and I will say to myself, European vacation? Not this year.
This year I am preventing a heart attack!

We all want to think nothing catches up with us, that we are invincible.
We all do.
I know this having spent so many years working at the bedside of dead and dying people.
A common theme, Why Me? Why Now? What next?

So although I should have seen it coming, my periodontal disease (Ok I own it now), is my disease. Add it to my portfolio.

Now as long as I have to have surgery, why not go to a competent, clean and concerned doctor?
My criteria:

1. One who listens

2. They give you time to talk

3. They don't mess around (this is hard to define)

4. They are recommended by someone you really trust

Now just sit back and relax. Go with the flow.
If you have to have perio surgery,
Try these guys:

http://www.champlainperio.com/

And don't go have a heart attack over a little periodontal disease....
public service announcement brought to you by the travelogue for the universe
i'm mary gerdt and i approve this message...