Dental Implants

[Pete]

I had two teeth pulled today. One was a wisdom tooth that was not firmly rooted and came out pretty easily. The other was a bicuspid that had split down the middle (front to back) and was being held together by the two old fillings in it. It took a little more work, but still came out OK.

My dentist recommends that I get an implant to replace the bicuspid. I spoke with the oral surgeon about it, and he gave me a bit more information about the future. If I get the implant, I'll be as good as new. If I don't, the teeth surrounding the removed one will likely get out of alignment over time making future corrective procedures a bit more difficult.

I asked about his thoughts regarding implants for immunosuppressed people. He didn't really know.

I see Dr Villa Forte on Wednesday and will ask her about this then. Does anyone have any experience with dental implants made following a wegs diagnosis?

I'm taking ten day course of 1500 mg/day of amoxicilin (started yesterday), so that should keep infection risk to a minimum.

I'm also having another impacted wisdom tooth pulled on Friday. This one promises to be a bit more difficult to get out and heal from, but should present no problems going forward once the socket heals.

Thanks. All is well with me otherwise.

[drz]

I asked my dentist about it after he had to pull one tooth and he said with my medical history implants was not an option for me and he would never consider it for me.

But I also have diabetes, took meds for osteoporosis which can cause problems in jaw bones, and have slow healing of my bones because of suppressed immune system from Wegs and diabetes. Also the risk of infection in the jaw bone was too high due to poor immune system. A bridge or false teeth were options he would consider but a bridge to replace my missing tooth would require removing the three next to it first since they are not strong enough to support a bridge.

[mishb]

I also have two broken bicuspid teeth split just like yours and my dentist has said that implants are not an option with my immune condition.
He advised that, since he doesn't want to remove them (both next to each other) because of future teeth movement, that the only option is to build them back up again, however this isn't guaranteed to last and will probably break or crack again within 12 months tp 2 years or so.

[Dirty Don]

Pete, I had that option as my teeth began to crumble. I chose false teeth because most of the WG damage was in my sinuses. That being said, there was no way I was going to have implants near my sinus area because of possible infection. Thought about them below, but dentist assured me the lower plate would hook to some remaining teeth. It hasn't worked well...wish I'd done a couple of 'poles' inserted into lower jawline to hold the plate more securely. But, it's all working well, certainly hasn't stopped me from eating!!! Take care!

[Gab122]

My rheumatology doc didn't even want me to get my teeth cleaned for fear of infection risk - but I had just had a ritux infusion. That's all I know about the dental end of things. Wishing you a good upcoming procedure!

[Debbie C]

Hi Pete....Ouch with the all the denistry work you are having to have. I know I am not too far off. I would like implants but rather on the costly side and I have no dental ins. and a good point made with the infection factor. I wish I could tell you something . In face let us know what you decide and how it goes. I need mine done but I HATE DENTIST !!!!!! Good Luck :)

[Pete]

I talked to Dr Villa Forte about getting a dental implant today. While she indicated that there was no reason not have it from an autoimmune perspective, she did indicate that GPA attacks teeth in some cases. I had a little bit of the "strawberry gums" at disease onset. As of Friday, I'll have had four teeth pulled since disease onset (3 wisdom teeth and a broken bicuspid). I don't think GPA caused these teeth to need extraction, but I'm leery of putting something into my body for primarily cosmetic purposes.

Ultimately, the decision about the implant is economic. I'm still trying to decide whether to invest about $5k into one tooth...

[drz]

Yesterday while in the waiting room of one of the several clinics I use I read some articles in a dermatology magazine. I was a bit surprise to note their advice about how the general inflammation that caused certain skin lesions to appear also affected the gums and mouth so they needed to be monitored carefully. I knew dental and gum problems and skin problems often were part of Wegs but never really thought about how it is the general level of inflammation in our body that does it. It is also the reason why Wegs can hit any part of our body although it tends to focus on the areas it seems to prefer.

[drz]

I also have two broken bicuspid teeth split just like yours and my dentist has said that implants are not an option with my immune condition.
He advised that, since he doesn't want to remove them (both next to each other) because of future teeth movement, that the only option is to build them back up again, however this isn't guaranteed to last and will probably break or crack again within 12 months tp 2 years or so.

I had this experience too. A couple teeth were filled and built up although there is no assurance they will last very long.