Question:
help! my teeth are breaking and falling out
Was wondering if there are any other long term post-ops (I am 4+yrs out) who are also having SEVERE dental problems since the wls.4 months after my first wls, I had massive cavities. (never had one in my life before wls) then I turned up with 22 of them! Now I have 6 broken teeth, coating on the teeth are falling apart. the pain at times is unbearable. (real fun when your unemployed with no insurance. has anyone else had this problem, or heard of it? if so what had to be done (other than extractions to the point of zero teeth left.) Daniel — dhuberty (posted on March 8, 2003)
March 7, 2003
I asked my debntist about this, she has some other post ops. Said our
cavity rate was about the same as regular folks and in any case cavities
form slowly so your first bout probably wasnt related to surgery. Will be
interested in other responses. She feels are better eatring less sugar with
the RNY should make for fewer cavities, We you last suppering a lot before
surgery> Maybe that accounts for the first group of cavities?
— bob-haller
March 7, 2003
Hi Daniel, I'm so sorry to hear about your teeth! Sure does sound painful.
I want to recommend that you increase your calcium supplement, or maybe
switch to a liquid form. When your body is low on calcium, it then takes
it from your bones. The teeth are the first place it draws from. I have
been taking calcium supplements for YEARS, a lot longer than since my WLS
(open rny 1/31/02). I've noticed that if for some reason I forget to take
my calcium for a week (or more) then my teeth start to really ache. Also,
before I started taking calcium, I had a lot of problems with my teeth,
root canals, breakage, etc, and now I'm glad to say I haven't had any of
those problems in 4+ years. Make sure also that the calcium you take is
calcium CITRATE, not carbonate. I wish you the BEST of luck!
— [Deactivated Member]
March 7, 2003
This sounds so much like my husband who finally had his upper teeth pulled
and aplate put in at 34 yrs. He is NOT a WLS patient. They think its just
poor genegtics on his part as many of his neices and nephews have terrible
breaking/crumbling teeth. They all are heavey coffee drinkers since teenage
yra too and I oftern wondered if that could be related. Who knows. Hope you
find a solution (added calium may help). Jamie
— Jamie M.
March 7, 2003
Yes, what Elayna said! A calcium deficiency was my first thought, too.
Actually, I'm 3 1/2 years out, and my teeth are the healthiest they've ever
been in 20 years, and that was after having to get some teeth pulled, a few
root canals, etc., all pre-WLS. Have you had a Dexascan (bone density
scan)? Osteoporosis is not just a woman's disease.
— Leslie F.
March 7, 2003
I have heard that some wls people who had or have a lot of vomiting have
this problem with their teeth due to the acid in the vomit. Sorry to be
gross!
— Delores S.
March 7, 2003
Hi Daniel: I am 18 mos post op and am having problems with my teeth
breaking and disentigrating. I have broken 4 teeth in the last 5 months
and now have found out that my fillings are working loose(3 of them at the
same time are loose)...I am currently in the process of going back to my
health insurance to see a specialist(not a regular dentist)but have my
health insurance refer me to a DR within their medical group...not sure yet
what type of dr that I will be referred to but I have made my health
insurance aware that I want this FIXED !!!!! Keep in touch and I will put
you in my address book when we find out what is wrong....AND YES, I have
increased my calcium over 20 times more, been on a pik-line for extra
calcium in an I.V. for 10 days...you name it I have tried it.....
— Joi G.
March 7, 2003
One of the main causes of cavities is DRY MOUTH, according to my dentist.
I use a flouride rinse now every day, and also BIOTENE toothpaste for dry
mouth. Saliva has some really good properties apparently...it reduces
bacteria in the mouth and is a self-cleaning agent. If you're not drinking
enough water, or if you're taking medications that cause dry mouth, this
must be dealt with early on, or you will have problems with cavities, at
least. As far as the teeth fracturing....not sure if that also may be the
result of dry mouth. If your gums are not at their best, then teeth could
be loosening causing your bite to be off, and perhaps contributing to teeth
falling out/fracturing. Just some thoughts of my own there. I'll ask my
dentist next time about the teeth falling out part.
— [Deactivated Member]
March 8, 2003
It's me again. I forgot to say that if there is a university that trains
doctors and dentist near you, they would have a clinic and that is based
only on what you can afford to pay. Here in Kentucky, the University of Ky
has agreat dental clinic and they do all kinds of work. They are slow but
they do good work and the instructors are right there to see that they do
not make a mistake.
— Delores S.
March 8, 2003
Thirty years ago the same thing happened to my Mom. She turned 40 and all
her teeth just started chipping away. She ended up with a full set of false
teeth by the time she was 50. She was told that it was from nutritional
deficiences dating back to childhood and even the womb! You need to get
expert opinions, but don't rule out that this may be a coincidence
unrelated to WLS.
— Julie S.
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