Re: tooth semi-survey

May 1, 2003

Well , having just left the dentists office having my third root

canal since weight loss surgery, I'll answer your questions.

I did the Flintstones chewable vitamins for about six weeks after my

wls. They were too sweet and I was gagging on them. Switched to One a

Day Essentials after that, but took them twice a day. : )

Did the Viactiv chews for about a month almost a year after surgery.

Then pretty much was on my own until I found you.

Dentist told me that the enamel is coming off of my teeth and has me on

a fluoride rinse twice a day. I've had a few teeth crack where he has

had to fill them in and getting cavities. I have had one cavity in my

life and since wls have had about 10. Thank God it's never been in the

front where people would notice. Spent approximately four months in the

dentist chair on a weekly basis last year and so far this year I've been

going since February and have been there bi-weekly having work done.

Next week he is putting the post in the tooth and them I'm done. Whether

he is or not, my insurance caps out at 1,500.00 a year and I'm probably

over that by now.

Don't know if the anemia has anything to do with the bad teeth, but have

been pretty anemic for well over a year now.

Hope this helps.

Regina

May 1, 2003

For my tidbit on the tooth survey, I have only to offer a mouthful of enamel

that used to be there. My dental history is really more of a dental

nightmare LOL!

I came from the coalfields of Eastern Ky, (Loretta Lynn lived just over the

ridge in the next holler) and although there were company doctors that one

could see you only saw them for things that granny could not cure or momma

from her bag of mountain remedies. To suggest going to a dentist for

anything other than lockjaw was sacrilige. I honestly do not remember

actually sitting in a dental chair until I was in the Navy at 17. I saw

some folks, including my father and some other relatives sit there but it

was for yankin purposes only. I remember a story about one neighbor sitting

on a front porch and haunting the night with his screams. When someone went

to investigate, he was there sitting in a rocker on the front porch in the

" head of the holler " with a mason " rang " normally pronounced as " ring " jar

of the local midnight special, a pair of plyers and bloody teeth line up on

the banister rail of the front porch. His teeth had just gotten to be way

too much interference so he was pulling them himself. As my bro-in-law who

witnessed this scene of carnage said " buddy,,,,,the blood was just

a'flyin. " Now nothing like that ever happened to me but I did have more

than one episode of sitting in a chair with a string tied to a wobbly tooth

just waiting for someone to unknowgling slam it and relieve me of the

painful appendage.

When the Navy yanked out a few over the years (had I been senior officer

grade they might have done some repair work) they always put me on a waiting

list for partials and then I was always transferred before my turn came up.

Consequently I ended up with good stretches of bare gums and additional

stress of surviving teeth. But with good diet, some dental preventative

work, (although a mental reluctance to see the drillers always prevailed) I

managed to hold my own until WLS. Since then it has been a matter of me

financing my local yanker's errant daughter's endless college social

affairs. Last time,,,,,seven cavities. That after years of stability.

More the worse, I cannot engage the man ina conversation about,,,,, " do we

have a plan here? What about posts,,,,,,no more partials,,,,,,etc. " All

that falls on deaf ears. Ya think those latter day Doc Holidays lose

hearing sensitivity for any specific reason?

But suffice to say, I am due for another visit to the yanker next week and

we are doing yet another root canal.

I started off with Flintstones once a day, then progressed to a " more mature

multi " which I lately abandoned after my dear Ceep's adventures with

investigations of " end " results. I was using some of the same she was but

have to admit I did not make the same adventurous discoveries she did. I

did go back to some sort of children's vits chewable from Sam's,,,,,,but

still only one per day. My intake of Calcium has been regular and vigorous

since Mother 's intervention in my slovenly nutritional habits about

four months post.

So in summary I have noticed a marked number of dental problems since WLS,

not sure whether that is a result of " poor oral health " (I do so hate

dentists and their judging) or lack of minerals, but I also note that I just

had a dexa that showed osteopenia in the hips. Hmmmmmmmmm,,,,,,well could

have been going on before surgery and I am just doing a great intervention

at this stage or maybe we pioneers truly are blazing unbeated tracks across

the WLS tundra. We shall see what the next Dexa reveals. Did I also say

that I am weary of going to doctors, and I a weary of going on about me on

these lists? LOL I think I deserve a break today, but not in the

hips,,,,,well not at least yet.

Dan Slone

Surgery 5/2/2000