tooth extraction
Comments
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Anna, I found sweet potatoes and prunes to offer a nutritious source of fiber and are very soft and help with constipation.
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gailmary -
Sounds delicious! I might even find a way to create a recipe that uses them both.
- Anna
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My extraction site #6 is healing but the 'temporary' retainer with a fake tooth attached is annoying. I don't recall feeling this way about a similar prosthetic device that I had in 2015 prior to a double implant restoration.
This one was adjusted however I only wear it when going somewhere I can't be masked, in a water exercise class or eating out (not often, every few weeks).
At the follow-up appointment earlier this month, my oral surgeon said he won't need to see me again unless problems develop. I don't intend to go back on Zometa. Interesting about maximum 5 year treatment.
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Anna - how are you doing? yes totally yogurt when taking the augmentin. yogurt and i have been best friends for most of my life. always plain, and i mix anything & everything into it. "gurgles" in the middle of the night LOL. i have IBS and know that drill too well yikes! not so much for the last 5 years - after initial dx modified my diet to 80% plant based. there was a learning curve but man, the results. i feel for your limited diet - i do a lot of smoothies and throw stuff like spinach, flax, chia seeds in them perhaps similar preparations might help your constipation. gailmary, i love your suggestion for sweet potato. i had one for lunch today YUM! prunes too - soak them for 5 or 10 min in hot water and they soften up wonderfully. vlnrph, yes the 5 year max for bisphosphonates is a worrisome idea, right?
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I saw OS today. Nothing new except he said he didn't think ONJ was rare. Becoming more common. Last weekend he attended a lecture about "these inflammatory connditions." Latest thinking is to avoid surgery and treat with antibiotics as needed as bone works its way out.
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My mouth has been re-inflamed this week again. (Yes, I make up my own words) I'm back on Augmentin, and gauze to cover the bone sticking out of the gum, but the bone is a little loose (yay!).
GAILMARY -
Finally, you have a medical person that is on the right track!. Most med professionals do not/cannot make a connection with dental, bone and physical issues all at once. If you receive any more insights, please post. You've made my day.
EDGE -
It looks like we are on the same page! With my IBS and gum and tongue pain, I'm on scrambled eggs, cream of wheat and ice cream (don't judge me). I also put chopped frozen spinach and seeds in my cooking and baking. I enjoy sesame, sunflower, wheat berries, stone cut oats (small pellets), and others from my health food store. These can go in my meat loaf, sauces, red or white, chili with beans, even soup. I can add seeds to some of my baking like coffee cakes, zucchini bread, apple crisp, etc.
Edge, for your suggestion about soaking prunes: Take it up a notch! I soak my raisins in rum, or rum and warm water mixture for about 15 minutes. Yes, I'm a bad girl and they taste better.
We may have to start our own recipe thread!
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I just posted this on my osteo necrosis thread:
After being in constant pain for 6 weeks with my gums and tongue, one of the tiny sharp bones fell out this morning.
I still have a nearby gum with bone protruding and hope that will come out soon.
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Dear Edge of No Return: on the contrary, when SunshineDayDream posted earlier this month regarding her new oncologist saying bisphosphonates should not be taken for more than 5 years, I was happy to hear a reasonable opinion. Since the IV form stays in the body for decades, that limit makes sense.
Indeed, back when they were first given to metastatic patients, life expectancy was only around 3 years so not many took them for an extended period. Now that survival has increased, we need updated guidelines. Before I left the practice of pharmacy, one big question was how long to stay on Fosamax.
Also, issues about dental work probably did not occur very often for those undergoing chemotherapy in the 20th century. The advice to get invasive procedures done prior to starting bone strengthening agents was the only real concern (again, assuming most would be dead before other problems came up).
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vlnrph -
I'm glad you posted. I may have not mentioned, but when my ONJ became severe, I was on Zometa for 7 years. My oncologist told me that I wasn't supposed to live this long, so they had no idea how Zometa would affect after long term use.
I also checked my past appointment calendars and I was receiving Zometa beginning January 2009 (I was diagnosed 2008), and was infused every week for the next 5 years and then every 12 weeks.
Those of you who are just starting will probably not have the same reaction that I did.
Since you brought up the fact that I was diagnosed Stage 4 in the dinosaur age (LOL), I am still glad that I am able to tell my story so that all of you will dig for information about this and many other side effects.
Take care, and keep on posting!
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amontro, edge - I hope you are all doing ok.When I saw my MO in May, I asked what happens after 5 years on Xgeva. She said they then give you one infusion of Zometa to 'seal' the bones.
The conversation with her wasn't very reassuring. I didn't ask her, but I was thinking 'and then what? Will my bones be ok? What if there is progression?' I am still not convinced I want to start on Xgeva but I had my wisdom tooth extracted last month to get it out of the way.
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Sunshine -
Once you are off the bone strengtheners, your mouth will "settle". As I mentioned, your actual bones are being fortified by some extra bone, and when no longer needed, the outer bones fall out. This can happen slowly as time goes on. In my case, pain came from a sharp bone scraping my tongue.
Also, in the midst of my zometa crisis, I had a wisdom tooth pulled by dental surgeons, which had no effect on my jaw. This was after I stopped zometa after a year.
In another instance, when a side filling came out and the tooth partially broke, I was told to either get it refilled, or get a crown. When I asked about just removing the tooth, I was warned that it would have an effect on the rest of my jaw. Luckily, my dentist was able to refill and stabilize my tooth.
As I say, you are right to ask questions, and I'm sure there are more updates on the osteonecrosis situation. Take care of yourself (which you are), and you'll be ahead of things.
- Anna
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hello tooth-concerned friends! i will *forever* be grateful for the lightning fast & info-packed responses to my initial query. to say i was gobsmacked to learn what ONJ is - and that it is NOT uncommon - is an understatement. no biophosphates for me for a good long while.
Anna i think about you a lot. how is your mouth holding up these days?
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Edge -
As a matter of fact, I just realized that the last bone (so far) in my jaw is starting to slowly crumble. The bone is in my rear lower jaw and has been fast and firm, along with a gum ulcer, for a while.
When I say crumble, the bone which was not sharp like the others is starting to diminish, leaving a rough edge. So far this has not caused tongue irritation. I'm hoping it will all go away easily and painlessly. I don't put my fingers in my mouth often, so I discovered this only a few days ago.
If nothing else pops up in the future, I will be happy. I must note that the roof of my mouth has changed from years ago. It used to be smooth, and now it's like an upside down Grand Canyon. Hills and valleys which are all bony - only soft flesh in the rear.
I hope this doesn't scare anyone. It's all good.
Edge, you have been so brave reading my posts! I appreciate that.
- Anna
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I just want to say for the new people, although I am happy to be off of xgeva after being on it for just two years, I am not sorry I did the two years in the beginning. I had numerous bone mets at diagnosis so I think doing the bone stregtheners was helpful and necessary. But at this point, my mets appear “healed" according to radiology and my bone density is absolutely normal so I am glad to be off and glad that my current doctor supports it. Now I can get all the dental work I need, yipeeee, and boy do I need it.
I am also glad I had Xgeva instead of zometa, based on what I know now. Many MOs will give you bone strengtheners less often after one year, and let you stop after a time, but not all docs are on the same page. We really need more research on these drugs for MBC
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After having an upper front tooth extracted around this time last year (see my posts on this topic above), I now have a similar problem with decay under another crown. I'm a frequent flyer at my oral surgeon's office.
This one involves the molar where I had my very 1st root canal 3 decades ago, a bit unusual because it had 3 branches instead of 2. My 2022 episode went well & healed fine except for a tiny white spicule which emerged a few months later.
Conventional wisdom is that a little sliver of bone like that will work its way out of the gum by itself but I think mine is still there. Either that or a 2nd piece moved in to take its place.
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The most recent extraction has healed and my dentist is sending the 'flipper' appliance made a year ago holding a fake tooth to the lab so another one can be added in back. This device, not covered by insurance, cost several hundred $. (I'm not an implant candidate due to taking Zometa for 3 years).
Previously, it hooked around the upper molar which had to be pulled. Hopefully, filling that gap will help hold everything in place, mostly for cosmetic reasons.
My spicule seems to have shifted down toward the empty space in front and become mobile. I was able to remove a flake from the corner with my fingernail.
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I had full mouth extractions this past summer and fall. I had some experience with spicules. Everything is healed now and I am getting used to my dentures, it was a whole process learning to eat with these things. I held off on bone hardeners until now. I am very worried to start those. Are they miserable to cope with? It took every ounce of courage I had to get myself to the oral surgeon. We did the top, let it heal for two months,then did the bottom. I only regret not doing it years ago. I have always had a dental phobia, but I have to say the extraction experience went very smoothly. An oral surgeon is an absolute expert at keeping you pain free and getting you on the path to healing. It is such a huge relief
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My spine had many tumors when I started Zometa. The 1st infusion gave me a bit of the flu-like syndrome which is common but easily treated with acetaminophen. It wasn't too bad.
Apparently there's evidence that having zolendronic acid taken up by the bone can 'block' invasive cancer cells from gaining a toehold. So, it provides a degree of protection from metastasis.
However, if you're thinking about getting the regular dosing for osteoporosis, that's a somewhat different story. Perhaps an oral bisphosphonate is adequate, with calcium & vitamin D.
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An update while bumping this topic - both my extraction sites are doing well, not causing any problems.
However, the chemo regimen I started during the summer gave me a nasty case of stomatitis. Beginning with the 2nd cycle, I started keeping ice in my mouth during the infusions. No sores to plague me since. What a relief!
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