Emphatically YES. Your mouth is one of the fastest-healing areas on your bod. So don't worry about your mouth "never feeling the same". It will in a matter of weeks! I recall that the roof of my mouth had some slippery-smooth skin where the grafts were SCRAPED out, but nothing at all long-lasting.

Hm. I wonder if I were to take a pizza cutter to my FACE if I'd have that same baby-smooth skin? (I *scare* myself!)

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I Bug U

I had lunch with a friend the other day who had work done at the BU Dental clinic. She had an extraction and implant done by a student and estimates she saved about $3-4K by having it done there. It does take longer but she was happy with the work done.

Since I already made my appointment with Tufts, I will plan to go there. I'm just hopeful that I get a good student. Certainly I won't let them do anything until I feel comfortable.

Wow rm1961 - you are getting a bargain with that $48 exam! I pay $120 at my little dental shack up here in the forest. Granted, they seem professional and competent up here ...

That is excellent that you'll also have the periodontal consult. Looks like you'll be in good hands. And even if a gum graft IS recommended, know that you will survive.

In point of fact, my colonoscopy of last fall was FAR WORSE than the gum graft. No Valium for that one ... and the "twilight" sedation I was given must not have worked, as I yelled out, "STOP IT! STOP!" during the procedure.

But you won't have to worry about that little exam till you hit 50.

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I Bug U

Thanks Bugjune - you had good results with your gum grafts but I have heard stories of adverse results. We'll see after the consults...I am quite convinced that a graft will be recommended. This is not something I plan to rush into though, I will do a LOT of research first.

Oh, and I did have a colonoscopy at 45 (had some symptoms but it was negative) and it was an absolute breeze. Don't remember a thing (the Versed did the trick) and my doctor was VERY good looking.

I would say only if you want him to do it. Otherwise make another consult appointment, take notes, and ask exactly who would be present for the grafting.

I had grafting on lower teeth in front several years ago by a periodontist. I do not remember all the details but for the dentist to say you "won't be happy " during the post-op time brought some memories back. Tissue was taken from the roof of my mouth, and that is the area that hurt. To protect the area, aluminum foil was somehow placed there. it kept coming out and was annoying. But the overall discomfort did not last too long. Since then, I brought it up recently to the same dentist and he said they have better methods now for less pain.

I can speak to the issue of Dental School students though. My husband and I both had several implants done at a highly reputable dental school in CT. The care was superb and the students are closely supervised. If yours is a periodontal issue, as was ours, they are not newbies, but rather students who are now specializing. It takes longer though to even get the appointments.

As for calling the supervising dentist you like, that is perfectly acceptable. We did that when husband had an emergency and the school could not see him. Now that the expensive work is done, we see that supervisor all the time as our dentist, since it is easier than going through the dental school process, although not as inexpensive. However i would recommend dental schools to anyone if you have time to wait.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

The latest from last week: had an upsetting conversation with the student perio when I tried to find out why they were going to charge me for a "scaling and root planing" when I don't need the "root planing" part of the procedure since I don't have "pockets" in my gums. AND I just had had my teeth cleaned in January, so that would take care of the 'scaling'. Even though the price of $280 is WAY cheaper than what this would cost at a private periodontist, I know I did not need to be charged this much, especially at a school.

I also expressed some of my fears to the student, and that I wanted to have a second opinion. In the midst of this conversation she said she was offended by what I was saying and that when I go to the private perio, I should not approach it like he's a "salesman" but as a "medical professional". Hello? A student is bringing her EGO into talking about cutting the roof of my mouth open and stitching tissue onto my gums?

I told her I was scared and she said she did not understand why. I said it seemed like I had a serious problem and then she starts to freak out and says, "YES, this is a serious problem."

She then said "R, if you don't have this procedure this is GOING to get worse. This is the ONLY thing that will work. If you don't have it, you will LOSE your TEETH in 5 to 10 years!"

This, naturally, caused my fear and anxiety to escalate so I called a dentist that two friends have highly recommended and he agreed to see me that day. He examined my mouth and said I will not lose my teeth. This was without question, the most thorough dental exam I have had. He was GREAT. (My original loser dentist of 20 years also said I would not lose my teeth...was quite adamant about this...but he did admit the recession could get worse). He asked me to show him how I brush my teeth and apparently I've not been doing it correctly. He said that the surgery is "elective" and although I might get 3mm of tissue added to the gums, in time it would recede again. He said he did not know what else to tell me and he was not sure if it were him or a family member if he would go through with gum grafting. He said that the gingivitis I had on the left side of my upper teeth should clear up in a week with correct brushing and flossing. It has not completely cleared up.

Well, I have a private perio visit in early April. I postponed it as I wanted more time to research before I go in there so I have a lot of information. I am SUPER worried about this and my prior anxiety about the sun damage on my chest has been dwarfed by these dental issues.

I did not contact the faculty member who supervised the student perio. I will see what price tag the private perio offers and depending on that, could even try for a different student. This student kept calling herself a "periodontist" when she has not graduated yet. When she started getting emotional on the phone and then telling me she was "offended", all I could think was that she saw a lost opportunity to get another chance to cut into someone's palate and gums. Sorry but I can't be this chick's guinea pig.

I hate the scare tactics, which seem to go hand in hand with pushiness and fake offendedness (how dare you question them!). I think it would be good to have this stuff trigger a "get a second or third opinion!!", but unfortunately we seem to have to suffer first before learning this hard lesson.

The older I get, the more I loathe the hard sell. That student definitely wanted to practice on you.

You can ask for a new student. My husband and I did that when we went for implants at a dental school. The first did not make us feel comfortable. You might want to call the supervisor and explain the situation. The supervisor works with other students and can probably help arrange it for you. Plus, the supervisor can help this student grow in the area of communication skills. By the way, recently I got another implant and crown, this time at the private practice of our former supervisor from the dental school. It was about $5000 rather than about $2000 at the school. I could afford it, and didn't want all the waiting time, but the price difference was amazing.
Honestly it wasn't that bad when I had the grafting. I think the dentist has given you unneeded fears. Also regarding the scaling, the student is looking for procedures to learn, so you saying you do not want that procedure is costing her a chance to practice. You will get wonderful care at the school, but you need to find a student you are comfortable with. Feeling comfortable will aid in the healing process.
Good luck to you.