1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Polymyalgia Rheumatica and GCA

Wisdom tooth root canal & temporarily upping Pred

Posted , 6 users are following.

jean05221
jean05221

As a long term, recurrent GCA sufferer I'm trying to reduce yet again, very, slowly 1mg every 2 weeks/when the "signs" are right) & have reached44 mgs (from 60) with no problems so far.

A few days ago, one of my wisdom teeth broke into my mouth whilst eating. Dentist advised a root canal as he thought extraction (albeit easy) would present problems with healing & possible infections afterwardsdue to high doseage Pred.

 repair duly carried out painlessly, I'm not in too much pain from the dentistry, but have new pain - face/sinuses/ears/headache/eyes - possibly from the dentistry, but maybe a GCA reaction to the "trauma". I'm taking Co-codamol for a couple of days on Dentist's a\dvice.

From this fab site I've picked up that 

 I also should be "treating" any additional GCA inflammation caused by the trauma of the dentistry by upping my pred to the last dose which controlled the inflammation - that was 46mg.

have I got this right? and has anyone experience of this?

 

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • tina-uk_cwall
    tina-uk_cwall jean05221

    Posted

    Hello Jean, these new pains that have developed following your dentist visit, are they like GCA symptoms or are they simply twinges and twangs. I ask because you only really need to up your preds if you are having a flare. Whereas, if the pains you are having are from the injection, plus bruising then that will go within the next week.

    however, please hang on in there for other members to reply, hopefully they'll have more experience and so can offer much better advise. All the best, christina 

    • jean05221
      jean05221 tina-uk_cwall

      Posted

       Hi Christina = new pains - sore eyes/headache/sinus pain - maybe I'm in for a cold or it's just my body's resaction to a very sudden "onslaught"!

      I find it so difficult to sort out what's causing what as I've reacted badly to the Pred since day 1 last JULY. 

      Your comments are very useful for me as I'm trying to sort my problems into "flares"," side effects" and "symptoms" so that I can make more sense of where I am.

      Best wishes. Jean

  • pat38625
    pat38625 jean05221

    Posted

    Hi Jean,  I am at present getting teeth implants and the first stage of this work was 9th March.  I had to double up pred the day before the work, the day during and the day after.  I had to get my gums sliced and bone drilled and metal things put in.  My dentist was concerned (he didn't say, but I knew) about bleeding and healing.  I txted him the following day to let him know, no bleedings and I can say so far he and I are delighted with the healing process.  Second stage is 20th July.  

    I have PMR and then I was on 15mg of pred.  Oh and I have to double from 10mg to 20mg for the second stage.  My dentist and myself are delighted so far.  Hope this helps.  Regards Pat

    • jean05221
      jean05221 pat38625

      Posted

      Great information Pat - I was caught off guard with the speed at which things moved for me and had no time to consider upping before the treatment. It makes sense of course to prepare for what's to come!

      Your dentistry sounds like major work & healing was one of my dentist's worries if extraction was my preferred choice. Then he said he would have to refer me to hospital & they would be concerned about the high dose of Pred  I was on & the possible lengthy healing time & infections afterwards.

      Anyway, so far , so good.

      Best wishes for your continued treatment.I hope stage 2 goes as well as the first.

      It just shows that there are good dentists as well as good rheumies around!

       

    • pat38625
      pat38625 jean05221

      Posted

      Hi Jean, thank you so much.  Yes stage 2 not that far off.  We learn something new every day, stick around this site, you will get loads of information, advice and support.  All the very best.  Pat
  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey jean05221

    Posted

    Jean, I experienced quite severe neuralgia type pain following one of my fillings which took a few weeks to resolve.  By "neuralgia-type", I mean a sort of frequent but fleeting stabbing pain through the side of my head/face and eye.  When I returned for a second filling a week or so later, the dentist decided to postpone that to a later date, saying that  she had drilled very deeply close to the nerve for the first filling.

    I used to experience similar pain if I found myself caught out in winds, no matter how light, so learnt to always wear a coat with a hood attached for protection when necessary.

    I feel sure that the nerves around my head in particular became quite sensitive due to the inflammation of GCA, and, provided an infection has been ruled out, then possibly this is what has happened in your case.  

    At the high dose you are on at present, I doubt you would need to increase it further around the time of any invasive dentistry.  However, it is certainly possible that the trauma/stress of the dentistry has brought about a bit of a flare in the inflammation, and increasing the dose for a few days now may help.  

    Importantly, ensure that your pain isn't caused by an infection following the procedure as root canal treatment can be quite invasive - I assume you are already taking a course of antibiotics to protect you?

    • jean05221
      jean05221 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Thanks for all that info. I'm in less pain today and have only just had a couiple of paracetamol  (2.45pm) to see off mild aching.

      I'm extrememly tired and sniffly/headachey - that may be a reaction to the dentistry or I'm in for a cold/virus!! My Jaws are sore, but I suppose as they were open for  1 & a half hours, they're complaining now!

      Good tip about coat with a hood

      It was a big "ask", when I considered upping my dose of pred as it has taken so long to get to 44 from 60. However I'm pleased I did after what you've said & I'll remain on that increased dose (46) for another few days, then drop back down and see what happens..

      my dentist has rung me 2ce since root filling to check on me & at the moment there is no infection.

      Thank you for taking the time to reply to me. I'm still learning!

      Kind regards

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.