Heart disease and teeth

[Beyanne57]

I lost half my tooth and found it in my bed. It broke from the root so I have half a tooth but I had fillings in it the horrible ones that have mercury in them! Feeling worried I am so scared of dentists I don’t even have one. Getting a bit of pain now too 😱😱

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Unfortunately as regards to dentists needs must. Your GP practice and pharmacist should have a list of local dentists. You may find one that specialises in nervous patients. I do not like dentists after some seriously unpleasant experience some years ago! However, you cannot leave it as besides the pain an infection may set in. Dental infections can spread to both the heart and brain. Good luck!

[Beyanne57 in reply to MichaelJH]

Thankyou Michael x

[shopman]

Good start for finding a dentist can be had via nhs.uk/Service-Search/Denti...

[Sunnie2day]

I know just how you feel - but you really do need to have that tooth (what's left of it) attended to, and I love Michael's advice re: find a dentist known to be good with the nervous patient.

My dentist retired last year (after several years with him and had built up a level of trust, sigh) but luckily his replacement is aware I'm the original Nervous Nellie and is extra patient with me. He's so good he stopped Round2 of root canal treatment in late April 2019 when he saw my heartbeat in my neck as he lowered the chair...put me upright and sent me straight to the GP instead of continuing on with that round2 treatment.

it is hard to force oneself into the dentist when 'a nervous patient' but not going is worse owing to the complications untreated dental problems can cause a heart patient. 'Soldier up' and call your GP surgery to see if they can suggest a local to you dentist, and please do it asap. I always struggle to force myself in there but knowing the consequences if I don't, I make it in there and get it over with - and oddly, most of the time afterwards I travel home thinking 'What was I so worried about?!'.

[seasider18 in reply to Sunnie2day]

What happened when you got to see your doctor ? Had everything settled down by then .

[Sunnie2day in reply to seasider18]

I saw the GP that same afternoon, and she thought I was in heart failure (chest pain, angina on exertion, breathless, oedema - all in I was not at all well), fast tracked me to the Rapid Access Chest Pain two weeks later and was 'fast tracked' for an echocardiogram (from dentist chair to echo, nearly a month and by then I was beginning to feel much better) then three weeks later my first appointment with the cardiologist. Still a little angina but otherwise when I saw the cardiologist Tuesday I was (and am) fine - but he said 'see you in autumn' so it's not over yet, apparently.

The Bisoprolol has essentially stopped the angina - I do get the start of chest pain if I move too quickly without a warm-up, and forget stairs or hills, which is about where I was before becoming so unwell in mid-March.

Round2 root canal treatment is scheduled for 1 July.

[seasider18 in reply to Sunnie2day]

When I first had chest pain and BP 210/110 in 2000 'Fast Track' was that afternoon.

[Sunnie2day in reply to seasider18]

From what the techs and nurses I've come into contact with since this all started, I have been getting 'star treatment' - in our area getting appointments to be tested and scanned and x-rayed can take up to six-eight months. I'm in NE Scotland.

I worked my entire career in the USA - when I became seriously unwell there I was in Emergency and being tested within an hour of arriving to the GP. By the next afternoon I was recovering from a pericardiocentesis, being reminded I have a 'rheumatic heart' and shouldn't try to 'soldier' through.

[Beyanne57 in reply to Sunnie2day]

Thankyou ❤️❤️

[Sunnie2day in reply to Beyanne57]

So, have you found the right-for-you dentist?

[seasider18]

You started your treatment in America before moving back to Scotland ?

I started my treatment in Scotland in 2000 but have lived in SE England since 2006. I could write a book about the poor treatment I have had at our local hospital. I've seen a series of assistant registrars and locum consultants. When I complained in 2011 about treatment and test delays and the people I was seeing I had a meeting with the head of cardiology. He put his hands up to all of my complaints and told me of improvements being made as a result. He said that in Future I would always see him. I saw him the next twice but not again. I joked to the nurse at my last appointment that I had not seen him in six years. Neither have I she said. Like many others he splits his time between different hospitals and private work as well going to conferences around the world. Where I do see him is on local TV when he is doing new trial procedures that he likes to get publicity from.

[Sunnie2day in reply to seasider18]

Long story, in short, my parents were expats to the US, they divorced, Dad said Scotland wasn't big enough for the two of them and she moved back to GB. He had custody of my brother, sister, and me, and we spent half our lives in the US and the other half in Britain until uni years - did those in the US and was hired straight out by a US company. I kept coming over to the UK on holiday, paid taxes in both countries. But my career was in the US and when pericarditis went to cardiac tamponade I was scolded for 'ignoring the fact of the rheumatic heart', that was in the US.

When I retired permanently to the UK (August 2010) I did register first thing with the local GP surgery, handed them my medical records - which they lost and chose to ignore my repeated requests for attention (yes, well, I've been having angina pain for years). Had some other things (fell in our front hall and broke and dislocated everything from fingertips to collarbone) and their 'response' was so dismal I (ahem, not recommended, do not try this at home) stopped bothering with them at all.

FF to Sept 2019 when my husband and I downsized to a smaller property in a different town. From previous experience I put off registering with the new GP surgery - my bad, but in all honesty if my dentist hadn't been so alarmed in late April, I still wouldn't have been registered (well, yes, and I probably would have been in hospital via blue lights, but heigh ho ). The new surgery is amazing, so different from the first one!

But, well, I know what you mean about the way some cardiologists can be. I'm not complaining, though, at least he was willing to spend 15 minutes with me Tuesday although he's not too willing to say I have rheumatic heart despite the echo showing aortic valve scarring (minimal, he calls it 'trivial') or that I have chronic pericarditis (some scarring and 'minimal' fluid in the pericardium).

I'm so much better now than when the GP saw me in late April I'm not surprised he seemed under-interested in my case, and too, while I was waiting to be seen four other patients arrived - all to see him.

[Beyanne57 in reply to Sunnie2day]

Awww glad your feeling better stay well xx