Hello,

I am sorry this is so long but I really need advice.

I have recently went to the dentist had my mercury fillings replaced. I did not have dental insurance for some time and it had been 7 years since I had my teeth cleaned, so I had the hygienist at the office that did my mercury fillings clean my teeth. They told me before I had the work done that my gums were receding but that the bone was unaffected. I believe it is the early stages of gum disease. They recommended that I have a root scaling and planing done couple with a regular cleaning.

While I did all of this I was asleep (sedated). When I woke up one of my gums was bruised up really bad and two others were swollen. On some of the others it looked some of the gum tissue had been removed, making the teeth look longer. My gums were also sore. Do you know if this is normal?

I was told to keep gargling with salt water. So I did, and the swelling went down and the bruising went away after a few days. The gum that was really bruised has not looked as good as it did before the cleaning. Since having it done I have also had some pain in some of my gums that I never had trouble with before (there were only a few that gave me any trouble). On the other hand some of the ones that were receding and giving me have healed up.

They had me come back today (after 4 weeks) for a check up with hygienist. She scraped off some more plaque and checked my teeth. She said they had healed up and looked a lot better, but that there were three that were bleeding when she scraped them and that I need to come back in another 6 weeks to see if those stop bleeding. Is it normal to keep going back to them 6 weeks at a time? Is this too often to have them poking my gums (makes them sore).

She used a scraping device that moved (vibrated like a sonic toothbrush). She said she used it so she did not have to scrape manually. I have not seen any thing like that. Is anyone familiar with something similar to this? When she uses it my teeth do not feel smooth like after a regular cleaning (they felt like this after I was sedated too).

I am sorry that this has been such a long post, but I want to make sure that they are not making my gums worse.

I guess my questions are: Is it normal for my gums to be so beaten up after having the scaling/planing done? Or for it to look like some of the gum tissue was taken off? Some of them looked a lot more receded and some that were not receded looked receded now.

Is it normal for me to have to come every six weeks to them "until the bleeding stops" when they use the vibrating scraper and poke my gums? Is this too often and making it worse by not allowing enough time to heal? I would really like to just have to go every 6 months.

I am asking because my gums are just now in the early stages of receding and I do not want them to get worse. They are also an hour and a half from me one way and are not a preferred provider with my insurance so I am being charged significantly more even with my insurance. If they are doing harm I would rather try to find a provider in my area. If they are not I may still go to them. I need advice about what they are doing. Does this sound normal or should I get a new dentist?

I am sorry about this being so long and thank you in advance for any advice on this subject. I am so torn about this and scared about the news of my gums.

Blessings