Dino Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 I have a problem with recurring cavities inspite of brushing and flossing properly. The dentist told me that it is because my mouth is so dry. I have low blood volume and I am orthostatic. Have any of you been more prone to having dental problems since getting dysautonomia? I have spent so much money and it looks like the problems are going to continue. I am thinking of getting my teeth pulled and getting false teeth to end this misery. Any comments on the problems with dental and your experieces with similiar would be greatly appreciated.Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrill Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Hi, Dino -- welcome to the Forum. You'll find lots of useful information here ... To answer your question, I'll direct you to a post I wrote a long time ago, since it's directly related to dry mouth and dental care.http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=363&hl=Here are a couple other threads you may find useful. (I think they include info on the kind of novacaine you should ask for when you get those cavities filled.)http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1317&hl=http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1892&hl=dentistI'll presume you're just kidding about wanting to have your teeth pulled ... that would be the start of your "misery," not an end to it! Best,merrill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Welcome Dino! I have a horrible time too. I use alcohol free mouthwash, Biotene is a good one and also the toothpaste. Your dentist can give you a script for rinses that help kill the bad bacteria too. I also have a flouride plate I use at night. You really have to be meticulous and still be ready to hear there's a problem. There are dentists that specialize in patients with dry mouth problems. You are not alone! I have felt the same way sometimes, but then your gums would shrink and your dentures fall out, so keep working at it and again welcome. morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4cem Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Hi Dino and welcome!Teeth pulling, not the way to go. Have thought about that myself as I have a front tooth that has a short root which is eroding. I've beent told that was due from having braces done at any early age and it somehow damaged the root..Yippe, now I still have some crooked teeth and have now to look forward to the day I have a mouth full of missing teeth like my children!!Biotene is good and keep doing the best you can with flossing. My dentist recommends me to use the colgate total, he says he finds that works the longest with keeping plaque to a minimum overnite.Stay well and keep smiling,,(I know, not funny) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Yes, yes, yes. I have beautiful teeth, and despite having a stepfather for the past 30 years who is a dentist, and being FASTIDIOUS about my tooth care, I have major problems. Mine are likely from EDS III, a collagen disorder. One tooth just was "resorbed"--my body just disolved it. No cavities. It finally broke into pieces and fell out 3 years ago. I just got the final stage of my dental implant on this past Saturday... a tooth! Meanwhile, I'm in need of more jaw bone grafting and gum grafting. I feel for you. Do your best to keep your mouth intact; despite the cost of the implant, every doctor I saw (several dentists as my stepdad is 3 hours away--so for routine care, I can't just run home for a cleaning--I'd pay more in gas & tolls than I would to the hygenist) told me that the implant was absolutely the best way to go if I wanted to keep my mouth intact and at it's most functional.Smiling widely, and for the first time in 3 years, PROUDLY, Ninadon't my pearly whites look nice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Sawicki Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Nina and I were just discussing this on the phone earlier. I can relate to the teeth problems....I've spent soooo much money on my teeth and I still need more work. I think my dentist must see dollar signs when I walk in the door. Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarthMother Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 I certainly believe there are many good dentists out there, and I don't want to doctor-bash but over the years I've learned that it's not really the "science" I thought dentistry was. I found I could go to two different dentists on two consectutive days and have one tell me I needed 4 fillings and another tell me my teeth were fine. I had a "specialist" tell me I needed a root canal and a crown for a broken tooth that was causing referred pain in my cheek, while another oral surgeon told me I had nothing wrong with the tooth at all and the pain was likely due to facial muscles. Turned out that was 2+ years ago and she was right -- my teeth are in good shape.Just this month ... I went to a new HMO dentist who told me I needed 3 fillings, one filling to be replaced and oh yes that expensive gum scaling because I had serious gum disease. I thanked him ... asked for a copy of my x-rays and opted to look up my old dentist whom I had known years before and just pay cash instead of my insurance. When I got to my new dentist he looked at the xrays and DID see serious gum disease on two of the films .... but you know what? those two were NOT of my teeth. He took another xray to prove it. The HMO doctor inserted two xrays that were not mine into my copies. OK, let's give him the benifit of the doubt and say it was a clerical error yes? The new dentist confirmed that insurance is a real tricky thing for the industry today, many offices require that patients sign a waiver if they won't have the gum scaling and then they won't even clean their teeth. And apparently this is legal. As for me ... I am 42 and I have three fillings total (two from when I was eight years old.) There's a lot I've learned that they don't tell you ... like did you know a cavity between the teeth can actually re-calcify if you floss really well. And if you take a very soft brissell tooth brush and massage your gums you can reverse some of the early signs of gingivitus.My moral of the story ... pay cash for a second opinion. Sorry for the rant.EM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 EM, yes, there are many dentists who don't have all that much integrity. I've been to a few for emergency treatment. The ONLY formal medical complaint I ever followed through with was with a dentist a few minutes from my office. He attempted to get me to pay the balance of what was left after insurcance paid him (called balance billing). I kept arguing with him and his staff that I knew he had a contract with my dental plan (BC/BS, one of the biggies), and I owed them nothing. They kept trying to tell me I was wrong and that I owed the the money and they wouldn't do further work until I paid it. I excused myself for a few minutes and call the insurance company directly. They gave me the exact wording of what I had to do next; I went inside, told them I'd contact my insurer, and they they were breaching contract. They immediately started saying things like "oh, well, I guess it was just a misunderstanding". I cancelled my appt and then filed a formal complaint with the insurance co, and they helped me get the papers I need to complain to the state. (oh, man, now I'm the one ranting).I only go to dental folks that I've gotten by way of personal referral, and I look for the MOST conservative, and most noninvasive. I found my periodontist after a few chats w/ my really great local dentist and found out he and his wife use this perio. So when I needed the jaw grafts and implant work, I went to him (my stepdad wont do that type of work--needs a real operating room, which my perio has). He offered a medical financing option so that I could afford the bills--it's called 'care credit' which is like a medical credit card. This single tooth has cost me over 2000$. However, it's now the strongest tooth in my whole mouth, and the post it sits on is screwed directly into my jaw bone, and the metal frame it sits in is now fused into my jaw.If dry mouth is a big issue for you, you might want to check out the following sites, and if it sounds interesting or useful to you, talk to your doctor.http://www.salivary-glands-disease.com/htm...-dry-mouth.php3http://www.dentist.net/drymouth.asp?source...eyword=drymouthand, from the Cleveland Clinichttp://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/heal...=10902&src=newsNina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dino Posted May 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Thank you for the replies. I will follow the suggestions. One thing I forgot to mention was that I have spent over $15,000 on my dental work since 2001. I broke my dental bridge chewing on something hard last week ( I know -- VERY stupid). Are the bridges that fragile? The dentist told me that it will cost about $2,000 for the repair and that I also have a cavity and in addition to this -- I filling in my upper right -- the filling has came about 1/2 of the way out and will have to be refilled. I was told by someone yesterday of a health center that does dental work based on your income. If yall were me, would you pursue this much cheaper method or would you stick to a good dentist. ----- I am not saying the health center dentist is not good -- I honestly don't know anything about them. Have any of you ever heard of a place like this that does it based on your income? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Sawicki Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Regarding dishonest dentists... There is a device my dentist uses called an intra-oral camera. It is a tiny camera that takes picures of your teeth and projects a large picture of each one onto a computer screen. The picture quality is fantastic, and when my dentist says I have a cracked tooth he can show me the crack in the picture. Now I can actually see the cavaties, ect., so I don't just have to take my dentist's word for it. For any of you that doubt what your dentist is saying, you might want to see a dentist that uses this type of camera...I know it gave me peace of mind.Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Yes, Dino, there a quite a number of dental clinics that offer various servious based on what you can afford. My gradfather (stepdads father) ran one until he passed away a few years ago--in a not-so-nice section of town. He grew up very, very poor, and felt is was important for everyone to have access to care. Also, my stepdad has volunteered free services on a dental bus that went to areas in need.I couldn't afford my implant either--but they offered a special medical spending credit account so I could pay the bills over time. I went for the implant, because, unlike a bridge, it's nearly indestructable. It'll last longer than my real teeth. I surely understand your predicament. Everyone has to to what's best for them, physically and financially. I'm certain I would not have been able to even consider the implant if I werent still working full time. Actually, the tooth broke a few months after I'd returned to work from a year long medical leave. For once, I had good timing.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarthMother Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Great suggestion Michelle! It was actually an intra-oral camera that showed me the first guy who said I had a cracked tooth was crazy.A salute to technology!EM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrill Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 I just saw this article and thought I might as well post ...http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100098756?GT1=6532 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli6596 Posted May 14, 2005 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 HiTo save money when I was growing up, my mother used to have her teeth taken care of at the local dental school. The students did the work, but were closely supervised by an experienced dentist. It took a lot longer for my mom to have her root canal but she saved a lot. I have not been brave enough to try that. I personally would stick with a dentist about whom I have heard from other satisfied patients.Last year I was told that I had gum disease/2 big cavities due to all the medicines I take. I bought a sonicare toothbrush (worth it!!), brush twice a day, floss daily, and rinse with ACT fluoride mouthwash. I do all that before I go to bed which is the most important time. I was able to reverse 7mm pockets (really bad) to 3 1/2 mm at worst. After 4 months I got a good review from my dentist this week! I credit most of the improvement to the sonicare. It is pricey, $100, but the consequences of bad gums/teeth are worse.Karyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLB Posted May 14, 2005 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 Regarding dishonest dentists... There is a device my dentist uses called an intra-oral camera. It is a tiny camera that takes picures of your teeth and projects a large picture of each one onto a computer screen. The picture quality is fantastic, and when my dentist says I have a cracked tooth he can show me the crack in the picture. Now I can actually see the cavaties, ect., so I don't just have to take my dentist's word for it. For any of you that doubt what your dentist is saying, you might want to see a dentist that uses this type of camera...I know it gave me peace of mind.Michelle<{POST_SNAPBACK}>My dentist does that, too - and she's up-to-speed on my dysautonomia, so she's very careful.(Sigh) WHY can't I find a neuro who's as well-educated and caring as my dentist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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