Rny and teeth problems...

I have heard of a lot of people who had major problems with their teeth post-op, but who knows if it's any more than the regular population. I would agree with Kelly that it could be connected to people not taking their calcium.

I know of a couple of post-ops that have had teeth problems POST RNY.  Is it related, IDK.  A friend of mine has had to have all her teeth pulled and gotten dentures.....she's 38 years old. 

I've asked about her labs:  Calcium, PTH, Vitamin D and she's "stated" all is "normal" but who knows IF that's the case.  Does she have copies and is she tracking?  OR, is she taking her docs word that all are "normal".

I do recommend that ALL "OF US track our labs, not depend on the infamous "normal range".  What's normal for the regular population isn't necessarily normal for us.  Tracking downward trends is SO important to catch BEFORE instead of AFTER the deficiency.

Saying this, NO I haven't had any problems with my teeth.

As a former practicing dentist, I haven't practiced in several years due to health problems, I have never had problems with wls patients and their teeth as long as they are maintaining their nutritional requirements and hydration. As with most things, I believe the responsibility for your dental health, and all your health matters, is primarily yours. Hold up your end of the bargain by maintaining good oral hygiene, taking your required vitamins and supplements, staying hydrated, and getting regular professional dental care and all should be well barring extraordinary cir****tances.

Hope this helps in some way.

Randy

Thanks Randy. It does help a lot. I know I will do the best I can do to keep my teeth- I am kinda fond of my pearly whites.  It is just good to get some feedback and not hearing we as WLS patients are doomed in having troubles...by getting healthier- weight wise.

All my dental issues were caused pretty much by neglect and not having the money to do proper maintenance on my teeth.  I lost most of the teeth I lost before WLS in 2002.  I think I had 12 pulled before and 2 afterwards and I just had the rest pulled because I couldn't afford the restorative work needed and I was tired of being in pain all the time.  If I had the money I could have gone to the dentist regularly and had cavities repaired before they got so bad that they needed root canals (which failed) and then extractions.  I could have had my teeth cleaned regularly and gotten the missing ones replaced before they shifted and changed my bite so bad that they caused more problems.  I do have osteoporosis but I don't think that had anything to do with my dental problems.

Dental care is so expensive and even with dental insurance it is hard for a lot of people to afford to take care of their teeth.  Some dental insurances only pay like $1,000.00 a year.  It cost me over $3,000.00 with insurance just to have my remaining teeth pulled and to get dentures.  It would have cost a hell of a lot more to get them fixed.  A root canal would have cost me about $1,000.00 and I needed several.  With insurance.  Unfortunately I know a lot of people in the same situation. 

Ladytazz,

I completely understand your situation. My practice was located in an extremely impoverished area of Appalachia and unfortunately I saw this situation a lot. I took a lot of write offs to try to help in these situations. Through my experience, although I have no studies to back me up, I believe a few individuals are genetically predisposed to dental disease. Proper oral hygiene, with or without professional care, can thwart some of these issues but there is still a lot to deal with.

As for the rising cost of dental care, I completely agree, it is very expensive! As with everything else, it is rising faster than the average wage earner can keep up. The average fee for such things as dentures and crowns has at least tripled since I stopped practicing. From the outside this seems unconscionable, but from having run a practice I realize the unreasonable costs of private practice. Lab fees, material prices, personnel all add up fast and the net becomes very small very quickly. Not that this is the patient's problem but if the doctor is to stay in business he/she must maintain a bottom line.

You are also correct in that dental insurance is not a lot of help. Most will only pay about $1000 per year and not a high percentage on the big stuff such as dentures, crowns and root canals. It basically leaves the patient and dentist with poor choices and a less than desirable outcome.

I wish there were better solutions but for now this is the system we live in. We can only try to make it better through our actions.

I wish you all the best.

Randy

Thank you and bless you for trying to help in a difficult situation.  I was able to get help last year from Donated Dental Services, which was a blessing but unfortunately the dentist's hands were tied because of the limited funding.  He tried to save my tooth but it wasn't possible and there wasn't the funding to pay for a lab for a denture for another year and I would have waited if I had to but since I was able to get a job with insurance I went ahead and paid for the dental work myself so that some other person in need could use the funds.