i was under the assumption/expectation that i had plaque build-up on my teeth and that spraying it down a little was all i really needed. i thought that the cementing the guy did a few years ago had broken apart, either leaving spaces for plaque to build up or exposing the consequence of improperly cleaned spaces with cemented over bacteria. the reason i wanted the cleaning was to determine what was plaque, what was stains and what was cavitation before any drilling started - so i know up front and fully understand what is being done.
what i was told today was that i had no plaque on my teeth at all, any minimal cavitation had been arrested some time ago and every single dark spot in my mouth is an unremovable stain. further, the stains are almost entirely the consequence of the previous cementing. so, if i want to get rid of the stains, i'd essentially have to get them to undo the cementing (which was purely cosmetic) and redo it. further, the only reason to do this is cosmetic - there were no cavities to remove, and it wouldn't extend the life of the teeth.
so, this dentist seemed very conservative regarding what he would do, where the others all wanted to do the most amount possible - he insisted that that was a bad idea, where everybody else wanted to go all in on it. his perspective was that, because i don't have any cavities, and because the stains are so close to the gumline, scraping off the old cement and replacing it could actually seriously damage the teeth, resulting in the need for more serious work. the stains may be unsightly, but i'm better off with stained, healthy teeth than white dentures or bridges - especially given how healthy my teeth actually are.
so, the sum of his argument is that i had shoddy work done and it doesn't look nice but i'm better off dealing with it than making it worse.
do i think this is the guy that got it right and is concerned about my health, and everybody else was just trying to maximize profit? the pendulum may have swung, a little - i think he may be a little too risk adverse. i wonder if i could get some additional planing done, and if what i'm seeing is more than just staining of composites, as he claims.
but, i'm accepting his analysis as fundamentally correct, and forcing myself to adjust.
the hygienist actually demonstrated surprise at how clean my teeth were, given that they hadn't been cleaned in 7.5 years.
so, what next?
i need to look into the planing as well as the potentiality of gum grafts. if i don't have plaque build up after all, if it's just stained composite from coffee & marijuana, and if the teeth don't have any cavitation to remove, then maybe i can just stitch some tissue over it.