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HELP!--advice wanted regarding TEETH & GUMS

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
I went to the dentist Thursday and as usual I have 4 DEEP cavities, one that may need a root canal. I also have a lot of bone loss, due to receding gums, despite the fact that I am MEGA diligent about brushing, flossing and cleaning my teeth with a dental instrument each night.

I have just gotten over a real bad reaction to a plastic dental material, that made me ill for 3 months. SO I asked my dentist if he could use porcelain, which is pretty safe for all with MCS. He said the location of the cavities on the sides of the teeth makes that pretty much impossible, so he wants to try another plastic material (Filtek 250), which tests as acceptable on my Clifford compatability test... but then so did the one that made me very ill. AND I MEAN VERY ILL--I was so hyper and agitated for 3 months that I barely slept. I have just almost gotten over that episode, and DREAD having that kind of reaction again.

MY questions:

Does anyone here know of, or have any personal experience with, plastic dental materials that those of us with MCS do well with?

And... any advice on what to do to stop the gums from receding so badly? I don't want to lose all my teeth. They are still savable, so I would like to put the brakes on that recession process ASAP.

Thanks in advance. ~DB
 

leaves

Senior Member
Messages
1,193
I notice that gum health is very much related to my overall health. Some foods i am allergic to cause my gums to recede and bleed. There are some toothpastes that are better for your gums, worth to check that out. also, flossing with wooden toothpicks is the best way to keep gums healthy. There are also some vitamins that may help, I know that vit c defficiency can cause poor gum health, there must be others too when you do a goodgle search. I have had 2 rootcanals, one is now an implant. I prefer an implant over a root canal I think, but is very invasive. I think it uses titanium and in my case also bovine bone.
Hopes this helps a bit.

ETA I found this http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthconditionsdisease/a/gum_disease.htm how is your vitamin D?
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Hi leaves--

My gums never bleed and I don't have deep pockets... they are just receding.

I take CQ10, which is supposed to help, and also take Vit C & D.

I'm hoping other people will have some ideas as well.
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
Dreambirdie,

What about all porcelain crowns for those teeth? They have much stronger porcelains now. I'm slowly transitioning from gold/porcelain to all porcelain crowns, or should I say crown$.

I don't know if there's much that can be done for receding gums which I believe is a process of aging isn't it? (Hence the term 'long in the tooth'.) I know mine have receded which has left the margins on my crowns exposed. That's why I'm having to replace them. (I have a crown on every damn tooth in my head because enamel loss due to this disease.)

I've had some luck with two natural products to fight cavities. One is Tooth and Gum Tonic from the Dental Herb Company but you must either get it directly from your dentist or have your dentist send them the okay for you to be able to order it on your own. It's really strong stuff and leaves you mouth very clean -- even knocked out some thrush I was struggling with.

The other product is MI Paste which you can order yourself. It comes with or without fluoride. I haven't had any difficulty handling the nonfluoride variety. It's supposed to help rebuild your enamel, and I've had fewer problems since using it.

I hope any of this is of some help. I know what a downer dental problems can be.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Thanks camas--

I'm going to check out those products.

Maybe I can talk the dentist into the crown$... :rolleyes: because I really DREAD the plastics...
He didn't think they would work in the spots they're in... but maybe he is going to HAVE TO make them work.
 

dannybex

Senior Member
Messages
3,561
Location
Seattle
I so wish I had some good advice to give you DB.

My only two cents is regarding the bone loss, which you may already be aware of: The Weston Price folks suggest that bone loss can be reversed, but requires (according to the work of Weston Price) calcium and various other co-factor minerals, but mainly vitamin K.

???
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
I so wish I had some good advice to give you DB.

My only two cents is regarding the bone loss, which you may already be aware of: The Weston Price folks suggest that bone loss can be reversed, but requires (according to the work of Weston Price) calcium and various other co-factor minerals, but mainly vitamin K.???

I've never taken Vit K... Does anyone else know anything about this?
 

leaves

Senior Member
Messages
1,193
I have taken vitamin k2 drops from thorne, that is the best absorbable brand. I took it for my osteoporosis it helps to transfer the calcium from the blood back into the bones. It is an official treatment in Japan for osteoporosis. vitamin k defficient people tend to bruise easily.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Thanks Snez-- I have NEVER heard of tooth mousse... :confused: Didn't know there was such a thing.

As for the xylitol... what form do you use it in? ... is there a toothpaste with it?
 

Snez

Senior Member
Messages
160
Location
Tasmania, Australia
Tooth Mousse saved my teeth from enamel erosion some years back. Here is a link http://www.dentalxpress.com.au/Products/ToothMousse/tabid/55/Default.aspx. I personally like the vanilla flavour :) Check out the ingredients to ensure that you aren't allergic/sensitive to them.

As for xylitol I use this brand- http://www.xlear.com/spry.aspx. I use the Spry toothpaste and also the children's tooth gel. Use the gel or spray generously throughout the day and they should help strengthen and protect your teeth. My naturopath has used xylitol to help partially heal a cavity she had. It meant that the dentist didn't have to do as much work on her tooth and also less pain for her.

I sincerely hope that this will help you. :)

hugs
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Tooth Mousse saved my teeth from enamel erosion some years back. Here is a link http://www.dentalxpress.com.au/Products/ToothMousse/tabid/55/Default.aspx. I personally like the vanilla flavour :) Check out the ingredients to ensure that you aren't allergic/sensitive to them.

As for xylitol I use this brand- http://www.xlear.com/spry.aspx. I use the Spry toothpaste and also the children's tooth gel. Use the gel or spray generously throughout the day and they should help strengthen and protect your teeth. My naturopath has used xylitol to help partially heal a cavity she had. It meant that the dentist didn't have to do as much work on her tooth and also less pain for her.

I sincerely hope that this will help you. :) hugs

This is so helpful! Thank you so much. I am going to check out the xylitol. I think I used that spray years ago for sinus infection, but never for teeth.

HUGS back to you... all the way to Tasmania!
 

Chris

Senior Member
Messages
845
Location
Victoria, BC
Hi, Dreambirdie--just another note on Vit K2--AOR put out a good capsule, and there is also available a combined Vit K2 and Vit D from Natural Factors; the two have different forms of the vitamin, and I think it may be good to take both. You will find a good deal of info on the www.aor.ca website on K2--there has been a good deal of research on it in recent years, some of it stemming from the Rotterdam study from around 2004 (I think) that showed that the more K2 you had in your diet, the better your heart and bone health. K2 is involved in the process by which calcium is directed into your bones and kept from getting into your arteries. But you do have to be careful and work with a good doc if you are on serious blood thinners like Coumadin--it would interfere with the working of that. Large doses have been shown to reverse valvular calcification in mice (or were they rats?) in Japan, where few get osteoporosis if they eat Natto, which contains lots of Vit K2. Best, Chris
 

3CFIDS@ourhouse

still me
Messages
126
Location
Southeast US
Dreambirdie, I was just going to ask about receding gums and saw your post. I have badly receding gums and always get accused of brushing too hard even though I use a super-soft brush and don't brush hard. If you find anything helpful for that, I'd sure like to know.
 
Messages
47
Location
Colorado
With regard to gum disease, bleeding gums, and receeding gums, I used to have those problems. However, I have been taking Valtrex and Valcyte for several months for EBV, CMV and HHV6, and a huge, totally unexpected effect of the medications has been a significant improvement in my Ear, Nose and Throat health, including chronic gum disease, chronic tonsillitis, chronic ear infections, chronic sinus infections, chronic eye infections and chronic bad taste in my mouth. I had been brushing my teeth several times a day, using antiseptic mouthwash twice daily and flossing daily for oral health, but wasn't able to improve my oral health. I had been taking similar care of all my other ENT issues, but things were getting steadily worse. Now, all of my ENT symptoms are basically gone, even though it's the middle of the winter here, usually my worst time of the year for these problems. Some of these issues had been chronic for 40 years. I don't know if other people have had such a huge improvement in ENT symptoms when taking antivirals for their CFS, but it's been amazing for me.
 
Messages
4
Location
Texas
Hi Dreambirdie,

I've got to have some dental work done soon, and although I have never had a bad reaction to dental products, it is my worst fear that I will. I have MCS and I've had many reactions like you're describing to other things. My sensitivities have gotten much worse in the last few months, and I've put off the dental work for about as long as I can. I was curious how long it took before you knew you were having a reaction to the plastic material and also how long you had it in your mouth before your dentist removed it. So sorry you had to go through that awful experience -- I can relate. Any info or advice would be appreciated! Thanks
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Hi Brennan--

I had an allergic/MCS type of reaction to the filling material within a few hours. I thought it would go away in a few days, as it usually did in the past when I was stronger. But I was absolutely wrong. The reaction lasted for over 2 months, made me VERY ILL and confused me horribly... I had developed an abscess in the tooth that had been drilled, so the bacterial infection to the overall reaction. PLUS I was having mold remediation done at my house during the same time. So there you have it... it was an ordeal, which I have just barely recovered from. Right now I have been dealing with a month long cold.. due to all the exhaustion from the tooth ordeal... Arrrggghhh it's always something.

At this point I have 3 very deep cavities which I want to drill ASAP, but can't find a material I can tolerate. The dentist doesn't want to use porcelain which is the safest material, because the cavities are on the sides of the teeth... So he does not want to hack away the whole tooth which porcelain crowns would require.

If anyone has any more advice ON FILLING MATERIALS... please let me know.

Good luck to all of us who need dental work! It is truly a bitch!