My dentist says I have an early periodontal disease but no need for a deep clean. Online info is contradictory.

[Jo!]

I went to the dentist on the 21st June. A few of my gums were swollen but nothing major. My dentist cleaned my teeth & said I have an early periodontal disease. My gums were pink, looking good after the clean. Suddenly after 11 day of having my teeth cleaned my gums got inflamed, red & shiny. I went to the hygienist on the 21st July to have another clean & while it helped with reducing the swelling, my gums were still red & inflamed. On the 1st August I went back to my dentist & he said that i don't need a deep clean as there was no plaque/tartar below the gumline (he said he could see that on the x-rays). It has been a whole month now & my gums are red, inflamed & shiny. All the info online says anyone with any stage of periodontal disease should get a deep teeth clean while my dentist says it's not necessary for me as he can see no plaque/tartar on teeth roots on my x-ray. Advice by a dentist please?

I am a non drinker, non smoker, no medication.

What confused me is that my dentist showed me his little dental booklet & said i have the next stage up from gingivitis which is an early periodontal disease with some bone loss (where I've had a couple of onlays done), after 1 month he said the bone has started to fill in.

He also said calculus/tartar if present can be seen on dental x-rays on tooth roots but he said there isn't any present on my x-rays and therefore he doesn't recommend a deep dental clean.

How is it possible that i have the next stage up from gingivitis but no calculus/tartar below gums?

(red inflamed gums still present after a month).

 

[Dr M]

Good day

How did your dentist determine that you have " early stage periodontitis" ? Did he do probing depths around all your teeth and do charting? Did he take x-rays to evaluate bone loss?
Inflammation around your gums, could be because of a lot of reasons. It could be due to systemic diseases, such as diabetes , or certain medications.
Did your dentist prescribe you anything to combat this inflammation?
If you are unsure, you can always get a second opinion from another dentist.

 

[Jo!]

Hi, thanks for your message!
He didn't do any probing depths around my teeth or any charting that i am aware of. He did prode my gums on the first appointment but i don't recall him calling out any numbers. I would have remembered if he did. Maybe it's best i ask him anyway.He took x-rays & said i have some bone loss at the top left jaw in the middle (where I have had a couple of onlays done) , he also said the bone had started to fill in within a month due to my diligent cleaning & some bone loss at the left bottom jaw on one tooth, (again where I've had some dental work done). I can ask him to email these to me if you don't mind having a look at them?
I have no diabetes & i'm on no medications at the moment.
I mentioned big stress could have contributed to this, but again no inflammation on the gums should last 5 weeks and ongoing.
I asked him about antibiotics, he didn't recommend I take any (my impression was he didn't think they would do anything).

What is puzzling to me is that if some bone loss means one has irreversible early periodontitis, wouldn't that mean someone would need a deep cleaning (scaling & root planning) to get rid of the infection? He said with the 2 regular cleanings I have had recently there is no need for a deep clean as he can see no tartar on my teeth roots on the x-rays. If this is the case why did the inflammation appear 11 days after i had my 1st teeth cleaning I had done with him as per my attached photos?
The swollen gums on my 3rd picture got better with the 2nd teeth cleaning with the hygienist, (result 4th picture) but the inflammation & redness persists after more than a month now.

I the asked him in my situation would he recommend more frequent in office dental cleaning, he replied that every 6 months should be ok.

I am just afraid that if I just wait for the gums to get better on their own, they may not & could start pulling away from my teeth. I have another appointment with him in about a month time.

Please let me know if you don't mind having a look at my x-rays, i could get them.

I will also look to get a 3rd opinion.