You’re welcome. I wish I could help you out more.
Having a professional dental cleaning regularly is incredibly important if you have periodontal disease. I’m glad you switched dentists and had a better hygienist!
In our practice, if we had patients with severe periodontal disease, they were seen for a cleaning every 4 months, for at least the first year to make sure the disease was being kept under control and bone support was increasing.

You just mentioned something that made my eyebrows raise…the comment regarding awful rumors from the dental school! Yikes. Do you know if they were actually proven to be inferior or questionable? Since I’m not from your state, I have no knowledge of what the negativity is.

But, if that is the case and this is not a reputable dental college, perhaps it’s better to stick with your current dentist who can do the implant secured denture for you. You can work out a payment schedule fee with him. Our office always worked with our patients reach a level of payment where they were comfortable.

Check with your dentist to see if there are any other options.
Losing your teeth and having replacements is a big deal. We take our teeth for granted and having them restored when they’re gone is expensive.
https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/family-finance/articles/2018-07-26/7-options-for-affordable-dental-care
I don’t want you to fear for your future. If you’re on Medicare there are some supplemental policies that have dental insurance. Have you considered that option?