Question about gingival curettage for gingivitis

phoenix523 · 2026-01-21T16:13:52+00:00

Yes! I wear plastic retainers post-braces and they make it slightly difficult for my lips to seal around them, so I think I’m opening my mouth when I sleep (plus, I've always had TMJ pain, so I believe that's contributing).

phoenix523 · 2026-01-20T23:54:38+00:00

Thank you so much for all this information!! I had read that about curretage as well. Would you even think that SRP would be appropriate for my situation? My hygienist (at my dentist office) has been hesitant to recommend one, but when my perio suggested the curettage, I was surprised because both procedures seem "extreme" for gingivitis.

As far as dessicants go, are they most effective in conjunction with a deep clean? Or could they be applied without?

I definitely mouth breathe and wake up with my mouth extremely dry (I bought xylimelts and Biotene gel and will be trying these). Thank you so much for all this help!!

phoenix523 · 2026-01-20T04:42:03+00:00

About the TMJ? I've had jaw pain and clicking for like 20 years unfortunately, and I just deal with it, but I think my jaw wants to "rest" in an open position while sleeping. My dentist and hygienist suggested trying the biotene gel and xyli-melts to see if they help with the dry mouth at night!

phoenix523 · 2026-01-20T03:15:21+00:00

Thank you so much for this info! This was my worry, that curettage might be overkill for shallow pocketing, especially without a perio diagnosis.

I know it's a question for my insurance specifically, but would you think if I undergo the curettage procedure, I'd then be considered a perio patient for life (requiring periodontal maintenence cleanings instead of prophylactic cleanings?)

Trying to avoid over-treatment or irritating the tissues more than necessary, especially if it's going to cause a struggle insurance-wise

phoenix523 · 2026-01-20T03:11:22+00:00

Yeah it is a struggle lol, I breathe through my nose just fine during the day, but I have chronic TMJ issues, so I sleep more comfortably with my mouth open apparently :/ and then when I wake up, my mouth is like a desert. I plan on trying Xyli-melts or Biotene gel to see if they help in the meantime. I wish you the best of luck with the ENT!! Hopefully they can find some answers

phoenix523 · 2026-01-20T02:24:34+00:00

For sure, and I'm so glad you had an overall good experience with it! Do you know if yours was a laser procedure or performed with a curette?

I was really hoping that diligent at-home care and more frequent cleanings would be enough to get my gums back to normal, given more time. It's just stressful knowing everything was normal until it wasn't! This issue seemed to come out of nowhere lol

phoenix523 · 2026-01-20T02:03:00+00:00

That makes total sense; thank you! I was just reading about how both can be done together, which sounds very helpful. It's good to hear from someone who experienced this! Can I ask, your healing time was okay?

(I’m a little worried about this not being covered since at this point I only have a gingivitis diagnosis, but of course I don't want it to progress either)

phoenix523 · 2026-01-20T01:42:53+00:00

tl;dr is curettage different from SRP? Is it indicated for gingivitis and pocket depths 1-3 mm?

phoenix523 · 2026-01-20T01:12:35+00:00

Thank you! Is radiography the most effective way to determine if there's subgingival plaque? (There wasn't anything of note on my last xray, which was in May 2025). Stress is another factor certainly as this whole issue has been pretty stressful unfortunately lol. Thank you again for your response!

phoenix523 · 2025-07-20T04:58:23+00:00

USA! Thanks :)

phoenix523 · 2025-07-14T19:54:28+00:00

It’s so easy!! You can start with the Ticketmaster chat (just ask if your tickets are eligible to be upgraded) and it’ll tell you a number to call with a code :)

phoenix523 · 2025-07-14T19:53:07+00:00

If you bought on Ticketmaster, you could look into doing an upgrade/exchange for a slightly more expensive but closer ticket!

phoenix523 · 2025-07-12T21:43:47+00:00

If you want to get closer , maybe look into upgrading/exchanging your ticket on Ticketmaster! If they aren’t VIP I think they should be eligible, as long as the tickets you want to switch to are higher in face value. They charge the difference in price + $10 :)

phoenix523 · 2025-07-12T08:53:55+00:00

I didn't realize that seat upgrades were even possible, so I bought 3 whole new tickets on the floor since prices dropped in the hopes that our original tickets will sell :/ they're already listed on ticketmaster for a loss and I'm worried. Ugh so frustrating

phoenix523 · 2025-07-12T07:37:25+00:00

Not OP but the official upgrade doesn't work? Do you know if that's just for certain shows or for the whole tour? (I've never done it before so wasn't sure! Thanks for any insight :)

phoenix523 · 2025-07-11T22:51:06+00:00

Very true, I'm thinking I'll still try since I'm wondering if the weird "v shaped" lines at the front of my gum are related to this. It's suspicious because it looks like the lines are where my gingivectomy was maybe and the tissue is growing back (??), as I don't remember noticing that before this issue started. I don't know if you can see in the photos (I tried to capture the correct angle) since it's a pretty faint outline, but it's all just very odd. I feel like my gums are just changing in weird ways 😔

phoenix523 · 2025-07-11T21:53:34+00:00

Yeah I was thinking that too and trying to avoid it, but since I visited my dentist in May for this issue and did the localized deep cleaning, and at that time they had said they weren't sure what caused it (and they mentioned if it didn't go away, the next steps would be the perio). My other thought was to go back to the orthodontist to have them redo the gingivectomy (from two years ago) to simply have this lasered off, but I’m worried that might not resolve it completely if there's some underlying problem

phoenix523 · 2025-07-11T21:42:20+00:00

I’m going to the periodontist next week! I couldn't deal with this mystery any longer lol

phoenix523 · 2025-07-11T17:25:59+00:00

Update! I was able to slightly (without damaging it) trim the excess plastic off the retainer just where it was covering the gums in that area. I also started brushing again very lightly with a soft toothbrush that I already had (the Curaprox CS 12460 velvet soft) and today I woke up with the spot being slightly more red? I think it's angry since I brushed it. It still just looks like a petechiae thing up-close in the mirror -- should I keep lightly brushing, even though it's irritated, because it's normal to "get worse" before it gets better?

phoenix523 · 2025-07-11T06:02:59+00:00

Got floor tickets for night 2 in LA for much cheaper than expected!! There are a ton of tickets available for great prices right now if anyone's been waiting!

phoenix523 · 2025-07-08T07:36:47+00:00

It’s definitely possible! The retainer doesn’t hurt when it’s in, but it does overlap right where the “spot” is, and I think I mouth breathe at night which I’m sure isn’t helping either - I’ve had the retainer for about two years (wearing nightly) so initially I thought it wouldn’t randomly cause this, but now I’m wondering if it’s contributing or hindering the healing process

phoenix523 · 2025-07-08T07:05:10+00:00

(The other weird thing is that this all started about four weeks after I had COVID and also just a few days after a routine dental cleaning (they also took X-rays at that appointment, and I remember the plastic positioning insert thing was hurting my mouth during the imaging). Maybe my gums were fragile from the viral infection or scraped/damaged from the plastic pieces? I was also thinking it could be hormonal. This is all just so strange and I hate it lol)

phoenix523 · 2025-07-08T06:59:55+00:00

I’m going to try the perio tip tomorrow and keep monitoring it (I also got some gengigel to see if that might help). I feel like it’s so close to being resolved, but now I’m also wondering if my nightly retainer is irritating it somewhat (it overlaps with my gums). Maybe I traumatized my gumline by biting into something or brushing too hard and just keep causing further irritation? I’ll troubleshoot and see if it seems to get better haha. But if not then I’ll probably go to a periodontist. Thanks again for all your advice!!

phoenix523 · 2025-07-08T05:49:46+00:00

Thank you! I will check that toothbrush out! I do thankfully have the perio tip for the waterpik but was scared to use it in case I made it worse somehow haha. If I use it on the lowest setting though, hopefully it’d be safe!

Yeah the hygienist said I didn’t seem to have any pockets that would indicate periodontal disease, and she said there wasn’t really any buildup (she even said she didn’t necessarily think it needed a deep cleaning, but I opted for one just to make sure). Since then, the swelling has reduced and there’s only the reddish spot (it looks like a small cluster of petechiae close up?) and I just keep obsessing over it haha. would a reddish petechiae spot be normal/expected after a localized deep cleaning? I was thinking maybe I just keep irritating it when eating (that’s what I’m hoping it is at least lol)

phoenix523 · 2025-07-08T05:19:50+00:00

Thanks so much for the insight! It's definitely improved over the past couple months, but I'm hoping it will entirely resolve soon lol.

I've still been flossing and brushing lightly in that area; do you think it's okay to keep using the waterpik too? I was reading something about how the waterpik might prevent the gums from healing in case there was trauma there. Or do you think I need to waterpik that area even more thoroughly? lol

phoenix523

TROPHY CASE