Anyone Having Problems with Their Teeth????

righteousdude2 said:

The last two years have been filled with losing one tooth after another. My front teeth are doing well, but, everything else is either breaking apart when I bite down on food (even pasta and bread), or, they're so full of cavities that the only option remaining for me is oral surgery.

My dentist and oral surgeon both tell me that's its caused by a combination of my prescriptions and the diabetes. Believe me when I tell you that I brush and floss 2 to 3 times a day.

It is so recurrent that when I call the oral surgeon to set up an appointment, the reception staff know my voice and call me by my first name.

I was wondering if anyone else is having the same problems. I've been told there is nothing that a good set of dentures won't cure. I guess that means my teeth are terminal, and that's a better prognosis than the doctor telling me that I'm terminal.

Pastor Paul

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Paul, I lost my lower teeth in 1977 from gum disease and my upper teeth were extracted in 1985. I had so much poison running through my body with the bad teeth setting in my mouth. I was just a teenager when I learned that my bottom teeth had to go. At that age, it was very embarrassing but it was out of my hands. It wasn't hard to say good bye to the teeth because of all the health problems that they were causing. I lost alot of weight and was downright unhealthy. I tipped the scales at 90 lbs. I am now at the point where I have lost so much of my bone ridge that I will need to have some type of implants put in within the next few years. Trying to keep teeth that are chipped and broken can be very expensive with no guarantees of how long they will last. You will feel much better overall and will be able to eat all the foods that you might be missing out on. Having dentures are no big deal, they do take a little while to get used to. Good luck.

righteousdude2 said:

The last two years have been filled with losing one tooth after another. My front teeth are doing well, but, everything else is either breaking apart when I bite down on food (even pasta and bread), or, they're so full of cavities that the only option remaining for me is oral surgery.

My dentist and oral surgeon both tell me that's its caused by a combination of my prescriptions and the diabetes. Believe me when I tell you that I brush and floss 2 to 3 times a day.

It is so recurrent that when I call the oral surgeon to set up an appointment, the reception staff know my voice and call me by my first name.

I was wondering if anyone else is having the same problems. I've been told there is nothing that a good set of dentures won't cure. I guess that means my teeth are terminal, and that's a better prognosis than the doctor telling me that I'm terminal.

Pastor Paul

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hehehe yes..better your teeth to be terminal than you

Diabetics are at a higher risk of oral infections and tooth loss. Diabetes can cause a loss of bone and connective tissue in the mouth, which results in tooth loss. I spent my whole life with not even a cavity. I even had room for all of my wisdom teeth. I have naturally straight teeth and never needed braces. (Please send all hate mail to my hotmail account ) But last year I suddenly had cavities in three wisdom teeth. Having never had a cavity before I had no idea what that pain was. I was actually being treated for TMJ. One night two of them just broke in half when I was eating. Completely freaked me out. Not to mention the horrible taste in my mouth that occurred afterward. My oral surgeon laughed when i told him I am sure thats what licking the cat box would taste like LOL. Anyhoo, he did tell me that it was likely my diabetes (which was out of control at that time) had a hand in it.

Drat this silly disease....seems there is no part of your body it will leave alone

You Are There Too!

I couldn't believe all the teeth I lost in the space of one year. It had become so bad, that the oral surgeon and I had developed a first-name-basis friendship. I was getting to know a lot about his, and he, me!

I just told my wife, that's it been nearly five months, since I've had a tooth pulled, and that is a fantastic string.

Like you, I would be eating something like spaghetti, and break off a piece of the tooth. I didn't know it until I felt something [while chewing] that had the hardness of a piece of rock, and it was not l the soft components of the spaghetti. Sure enough, it was a good size piece of the tooth.

As for the horrid taste, I've never had that, and don't hope to. However, you and I have the same similarities of the diabetic teeth syndrome.

You are so right, there seems to be nothing that diabetes doesn't have a hand in making a victim of its diabetic victim.

Good luck Kiddo, you have my prayers and sympathy in your struggle to keep the teeth God gave us in the beginning.

I just received my upper and lower partials, and I can tell you all, that it is nice to be able to chew food of substance again. I was tired of cooking things to the point that they were mush.

BTW, the dentist told me to floss and brush two or three times a day, but that didn't help to keep the teeth from breaking in half, chipping off pieces [here-and-there], and decays that went as deep as they could possibly go. Some fillings were larger than the original tooth.:brushteeth:

Shalom,

Pastor Paul :typing:

Hi Pastor Paul and Happy Holidays,

I am a dentist for diabetics and I see this everyday in my practice.

One of the biggest reasons that the teeth have problems is when there is high sugar levels in the blood the bacteria use that as food and cause decay especially around the roots of the teeth.

One occurance that happens as we age is that the gums receed and the root are more exposed to the attack of bacteria in your mouth.
There are aprox. 800 species of these which invade your teeth and also your gums. Of course some are worse than others but they cause havoc with our mouth.

Another reason for this occurance is that alot of the medications taken by a person with Diabetes cause dry mouth. We have been programmed to think that bottled water is better for us but do we really know were that water comes from?

Tap water contains fluoride. Bottled water does not. That also doesn't help with the decay issue.

Unfortunatly, many doctors don't tell a patient when they are diagnosed with Diabetes to visit their dentist. That way a complete oral health evaluation can be done.

I am working with the American Diabetes Assoc. NJ chapter to bring awareness of this important compplication that must be addressed and is critical for the overall care of the patient.

Slowly this is changing especially in New Jersey where I practice. I will be giving a seminar this Nov. 13 about Oral Health Maintenance for the Diabetic.

I offer a free screening to all patients with Diabetes because I feel that education is the key to a healthier life. Knowledge is important but implementation of the knowledge is the key. I show patients what to do and how. Its their job to decide if they want to proceed.

I have become a guide or consultant if you will. I have transformed so many fearful patients into happy to come to the office patients that it makes my work so worth while. I thank God everyday for giving me the opportunity to help so many people.

I am very passionate about this because I lost my father 11 years ago because of complications of Diabetes and I am also pre-diabetic.

God Bless All Diabetics and Pre-Diabetics!

Dr. Dominguez

Wow..... I'd never had it mentioned once by any Endo, dentist, orthodontist, or family doctor... that my teeth problems could be from my diabetes.
For the past couple years I have had three teeth chip, one molar split in half down to the gum (half is still fine, I don't want it removed or the gap would be visible) , and close to a dozen fillings.
Luckily I've tightened up my D control leaps and bounds lately, mostly thanks to encouragement from forum members (you know who you are ;-)) and finding the LCHF lifestyle (not diet...I am never going back!) .
I had one minor filling in the last 8 months now, due to a gap between two back teeth, not associated with the D.
So I am very confident that keeping BG in check is essential to oral health. I'm only 25 folks... and was dreading an set of teeth I couldn't show my confidence with. D and it's complications ...grr!