Today was a very emotional day for both my patients today. I learned today how the news of telling a patient they have periodontal disease can affect your patients. It's not easy to hear that you are loosing your bone and could eventually loose all of your teeth. Teeth are one of the first things anyone notices on a person. And if you don't have any teeth it can really have an impact on your self appearance.
My first patient was a class three and she had a lot of calculus. I was so surprised at how much she had! I hadn't seen calculus on the buccal, lingual and occlusal surfaces! While doing her health history I learned that she had lost her husband a year ago and that is when she stopped keeping up on her dental visits. She said her oral care really decrease as well. She was very emotional because when she lost her husband she lost her income and insurance. She is finally back on her feet, but it was a long journey. She was so nice and I was grateful to have the opportunity to clean her teeth. She really wanted to get healthy again. She said she could come at anytime and with any amount of notice!
My second patient was a class two and she was really worried that her teeth were going to fall out at any moment. She was told that she had periodontal disease and would need a deep cleaning or else she would loose all of her teeth. She was very emotional about it and wanted to be cleaned as soon as she could because she loves her teeth. She said she always gets compliments on them and she couldn't imagine being without them.
Today I learned that we need to be careful how we deliver the news to our patients that they have periodontal disease. It is not an easy thing to hear, and we need to make sure we explain everything about the procedure and the outcomes if they get treatment or decide not to.
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