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PMR and dentistry

Posted , 6 users are following.

constance.de
constance.de

My dentist has recommended I have periodontitis treatment.  As far as I can tell there is no acute inflamation of the gums and I'm a bit concerned that other inflamation may occur.  I read on the forum somewhere that some of you have had trouble after having teeth removed.  Help!  What shall I do?!!!

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • angelcake61
    angelcake61 constance.de

    Posted

    Hello I am new to this forum, I'm interested in the dentistry thread as I had a tooth removed just before Christmas.

    My dentist didn't inform me until after its removal that I could encounter problems, I was upset that he hadn't pre warned me as I would have asked for expert advise and most certainly wouldn't have chosen to have the extraction so close to Christmas.

  • tina-uk_cwall
    tina-uk_cwall constance.de

    Posted

    Hello constance, as far as I'm aware, prednisone is not a problem re fillings, etc, or even teeth removal. So says my rheumatologist. The only problems that may arise is if you are on alendronic acid. The drug is given to combat bone wastage caused by the prednisone, this drug in turn has its own problems in that it can cause the jaw, upper and lower bones to crumble, therefore it a patient has teeth removal procedures, problems can arise. I think you are fine.

    that's why some of us on this site are anti Alendronic acid and believe that our clinicians should monitor our bone density yearly and respond to the those results as opposed to simply putting us on that drug. Good luck. 

    Again angelcake, if all you're taking is prednisone you should not have a problem re extraction. If you have any problems it could be because prednisone lowers our immune system so any procedure may take longer to heal than if we were not on the medication.

    remember I am not medically qualified. Good luck to you both, christina

  • angelcake61
    angelcake61 constance.de

    Posted

    Thank you Christina, it was because of the Alendronic Acid the dentist said I may have problems, he put me on 500mg antibiotics and said if I get any infection after that I would need to go to hospital. I really do feel he should have told me this prior to extraction as it was not necessarily the only choice I had. I do appreciate your answers and any other advice you may have.
    • tina-uk_cwall
      tina-uk_cwall angelcake61

      Posted

      Hi angelcake, firstly, every time you visit a dentist they should always ask you what medication you are on, (good clinical procedures) and then respond accordingly. I was on alendronic acid for a year, and infact no clinician told me the problems associated with this drug, it was through this forum that I heard about the problems, so as you can imagine I ditched the drug and will insist on monitoring of my bone density.

      i don't know how long you were on the drug for but the intravenous method is apparantly the method of absorbsion that is the one that causes the most problems. But that aside as soon as I found out the problems associated with it I told my rheumatologist I wanted to come off it, and he agreed. Hopefully I will not require any extractions in the near future however the whole episode has frightened me abit, but my rheumatologist did say that taking it in tablet form poses a lessor risk. Please don't worry yourself needlessly, remember PMR loves stress!! Take one step at a time. Christina 

  • pauline36422
    pauline36422 constance.de

    Posted

    yes me  too pred no problem. it is alundronic that causes the  prob so i came  off it  after  6 months,   because my dentist scared me  to death.  and  said all doctors know what a danger it is  and  should   give   something else in stead
  • EileenH
    EileenH constance.de

    Posted

    There are a lot of dentists who will refuse to do extractions on any patient taking alendronic acid because there can be risks with the bone healing - and it isn't a case of stopping taking it for a while becasue it remains in the body for a very long time. 

    However, other treatments should be no problem and if you are on AA then you need to have VERY high standards of dental hygiene.That's something else in the small print that they tend not to point out to you! If you have gum problems then it should be taken care of - it is something you often don't notice until the gums are bleeding when it is fairly advanced. And periodontitis is a primary reason for losing teeth - because it affects the bone underneath. It doesn't mean having teeth removed - but not doing it could lead to that.

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