Dental work

[circular]

Oh fudge, my MRI said something about maxillary sinuses More for the reading pile ... (Thanks slack!)

[circular]

Just in case others find this helpful, some thoughts on this page about whether to have a dentist or endodontist do a root canal. I woke with mild tooth pain so I think I can rule out tooth sensitivity and it's time to deal with it one way or another. I'm guessing only endodontists pull teeth (?), but if someone is only going with a root canal, this site suggests an endodontist - though more expensive than a dentist - will probably be more experienced and have better equipment etc specifically in the case of molars which are more complicated. Not sure what I'll do other than pay more for the endodontist.

[ru442]

I had one last July... worst pain I ever had. Went to regular DDS, who said I had an abscess and wouldn't touch it. Went to endodontist and boy do they have some fancy equipment! Watched live on a screen as he did the procedure, they know where all the roots are (DDS's can miss some, and if they crown it more pain!). It was expensive tho, $1200 bucks and that was not including the permanent crown which was another $1400. If I ever have to have another, I will go to the specialist, it was quick, efficient, and pain free immediately after (I did not have to use any painkillers).

[KatieS]

If the painful molar is upper, it's likely to have a root that extends almost into the sinus area, so upon extraction, bone might need to be used to plug the hole or a graft should you want a dental implant. Depending on the dentist, an endodonist would have the microscopic equipment available and would try the root canal to salvage the tooth.

Unfortunately all my root canals have failed due to fracturing months after the process and the crown, resulting in dental implants. Should there be a next time, I'm thinking extraction and implants, foregoing the root canal and crown, but I have long roots that have calcified with age.

Cir, ask your dentist for a specialist depending upon what you're inclined to do (extraction then bridge, root canal then crown or extraction then implant).

[SusanJ]

Thanks, ru442 and Katie for sharing your experiences. If I'm ever faced with this, I have some great info to go on for next steps. I, too, have long roots and would guess my dentist would say, no way, too.

[HeatherLst]

I don’t know how much this has to do with APOE4, but in case it helps...if you have recurring tooth cracking or decay issues, check your magnesium and mineral levels. This has been a game-changer in our home. We had so many gum and tooth issues that have stopped and even reversed because we improved our mineral levels. What I once believed was a genetic predisposition to weak teeth I now know was a multi-generational mineral deficiency.


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[circular]

HeatherLst, thanks for that. I had a lot of fillings into my early 40s and was told I had soft teeth. I vaguely remember a cracked tooth. I was also led to believe it was genetic, and my mother has had many cracked teeth, crowns etc. I finally stopped getting the cavities when I started using a tongue scrapper after reading a pubmed abstract suggesting that it really does reduce the plaque causing bacteria significantly. I've literally not have one cavity since doing this for the last eight years or so.

To follow up on my endodontist visit on Monday. While I woke up with a very mild achy tooth after the two month trial of anti-sensitivity toothpaste and continued cold sensitivity (and the achy tooth not happening after any cold contact), by the appointment in the afternoon the ache was gone. He went through the usual testing and said I could wait and see how it develops, but when asked he said he was sure it was going to get worse. So I treated it then. The tooth already had a crown that he could drill through and I opted for the root canal over tooth removal. He was already aware of my sinus history and factoring all that into our discussions. I asked him whether it might be better to take the tooth out to avoid future problems to my sinuses and brain. He was unequivocal that in my case that wasn't the way to go. He said on molars they have a 95% (give or take a percentage point ... I forget) success rate. I really liked this guy from the get-go at the first appointment and felt I could trust his judgement. With that success rate I'm happy with the decision, giving tooth extraction and remediation comes with it's own risks and costs a lot more.

I think my biggest lesson was to not delay the decision until greater pain levels. My first and only other root canal was years ago and came on quickly and was extremely painful. The pain I was having was very mild and coming and going, as long as cold didn't hit the tooth. I would have thought I had time to wait to do the procedure, but given our concerns I went ahead. He said the root was highly inflamed and if I had waiting I may well have been looking at an abscess. So no surprise: amount of pain doesn't equate with clinical status in the root.

[KatieS]

Cracked teeth can be a result of sleep apnea induced bruxism (grinding of teeth) occurring while struggling to breath. I cracked several teeth before being diagnosed. They still have not completely discovered why Apoe4 is associated with sleep apnea, i.e. the brain changes related to sleep apnea first or vice versa.

[circular]

Wow, interesting, that's counter intuitive to me Katie, since any time I've had an apnea or witnessed one in others the mouth was relaxed and open.

Heather I should add that just because using a tongue scraper apparently reduced if not eliminated my cavity issues, you may still be correct that I had mineral deficiencies. I may have just needed to be more aggressive in reducing the plaque forming bacteria because of it.

[Blissful1]

I am a 4/4 with HLA DR for sensitivity for mold and lyme, have MTHFR SNPs, etc.
when I learned about APOE status and MTHFR mutations I got bummed out. Took awhile to remind myself I have been a world class athlete !
I got most root canals pulled. I had one left which I was keeping as it was my last molar and I could chew food. I do not do well with the removable teeth. after a day or 2 my gums get so inflamed that I take out the partial 'for a day or 2' and never put it back. My gums do not want to toughen up so partials likely not going to work for me
I am headed out to American Bio-dental to get that tooth removed today as it has been painful for days so likely infected. I would like doing an implant is then I would be able to chew food. For today just go pull molar. Anymore people with auto-immune issues get an implant?