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Diseases & Conditions Diabetes
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I am T2 for about 6 years.  Have not always been compliant.  I have been having a lot of dental issues lately including have 2 teeth pulled and many, many abscesses.  Went to the dentist yesterday and they gave me a $2700 estimate of work to be done.  Periodontal gum disease and also they said my bones are deteriorating making my teeth loose.  They said it was in direct corelation to my diabetes.   Has any one ever heard of this?  I think that if they are that bad, i need to just have them pulled and get dentures at the ripe old age of 46.....
 
Any response or knowledge would be appreciated.
 
thanks!
Sherry Ann
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Sherry Ann ... I too am TYPE 2 DIABETIC & so I think if I were you I would get a 2nd OPPION from another dentist. It is sad to hear that you will have to go through all of that pain & expense 3,000 is a lot of money. So, that is how & what I would do. If your wanting a friend ... I am here for you just drop me a note here and I will do my best to write you sometime soon !!

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Hi Sherry Ann,

Unfortunately you've learned what one of the major silent side effects of runaway sugar is.  And $2,700 is not bad considering you could spend that on one or two root canals.  YES..peridontal problems and infections in the tooth canal are absolutely one of the nasty side effects of runaway diabetes.  Your dentist is not feeding you a line.

NOW, what can you do about it. 

1) get your sugar UNDER CONTROL!!!  thats first and formost.  How you do it is up to you, but TEST your sugar and make sure its doing what its supposed to be doing.

2) Get the dental work done.  No sense losing teeth that can be saved because you put off needed work.  A filling can turn into a root canal IF you don't fix it in a timely fashion.

Now, I would also suggest that you have a really thorough eye exam and have someone check your legs for PAD (Peripheral Artery Disease) If you've done this type of damage to your teeth from neglecting your diabetes, there may be some other very serious things lurking that you don't know about!  Better to find them sooner than later. Remember, Diabetes doesn't kill us; but the complications from it will.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.  The good news is its all fixable!!

scool Warren
 
PS - talk to anyone that has dentures.  You don't want to go that route while you can save your teeth!

Post Edited (Warren) : 1/6/2006 2:36:06 PM (GMT-7)

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Sherry Ann,

One of the problems with diabetes is that we secrete glucose in our saliva so our teeth are constantly being bathed in sugar. The next problem is the gum disease that is so prevalent in diabetics. Plaque builds up under the gum line and irritates the gums. The gums recede to avoid the irritation and then food gets caught in the little pockets and make a playground for the bacteria. Bacteria=infection=abscess=bone loss=dentures! Add to this the fact that the bacteria that form plaque on our teeth have been identified as possibly causing plaque build up in our arteries and leading to heart attacks and stroke and you have an excellent reason to get your teeth fixed and then have them cleaned every six months.

At our diabetes class we were given Colgate Total because it has anti cavity properties, anti tartar agents as well as a mild anti microbial agent that helps keep the bacteria population down a bit. My dentist also made me get an electric tooth brush because I'm a 'lazy brusher'. My fibromyalgia makes it painful for me to brush my teeth for the required two minutes. The electric brush does the same job but much faster before my arm gets tired. I also have to do the floss and mouthwash thing. Already did the root canals... (Jeannie shivers) and crowns. My mouth is worth more than my car!

~ Jeannie

"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn

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Please have exact change."