Are bones more important than teeth?

[MaggieSylvie]

A year after stopping AA my GP has persuaded me to go back on it again. He says my bones are more important than my teeth. Three more fractures since I last posted on this subject has forced his hand. It's only once a week and I already have another medication that I have to take weekly, so I have put them on the same day so that I don't forget either one of them. I will be seeing my dentist in the near future and I don't suppose they will have much of an opinion on it either way.

[Screwed]

just saw my dentist yesterday. Basically got told deal with bones first then teeth

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Screwed]

I'm glad to hear that. I have a fairly full mouth of teeth for my age but that doesn't mean I want a mouthful of dentures any time soon! I'm taking the risk anyway.

[Screwed in reply to MaggieSylvie]

Will you be doing infusion of Zolendronic acid?

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Screwed]

I started with a capsule and lots of water on Sunday, 30 minutes before any other meds or food. Sundays I avoid most other medications totally.

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Screwed]

Oh it's good that it came from your dentist. My dentist didn't remark on it but later, it was pointed out that my lower right jaw had moved upwards. So I put two and two together.

[MWZ3]

I had an echo light a few months ago and discovered my bones are fragile but not from osteoporosis. The bones in the back are nearly 90% fragile which is the strength component. Only checking for osteoporosis fails to take into account that bones have two components, namely, density and strength or porous and fragility. If you can get to an echo light scanning place you will be able to get a complete picture of your bones. The DEXA machines are not always accurate either and only looking for osteoporosis.

[MaggieSylvie in reply to MWZ3]

I'm in the UK and I've never heard of Echo Light scanning, so requesting it, when you can't even get a DEXA when needed, is pretty much out of the question.

[ROSModerator Partner in reply to MWZ3]

A gentle reminder that our community guidelines ask everyone not to post content which is based on opinion, but presented as fact. We have this rule to help make sure all the content posted here is accurate and informative, to help everyone stay safe.

We’ve noticed a number of posts saying saying that Radio Frequency Echographic Multi-Spectrometry (REMS) is more reliable than DXA scanning and is the best test to understand your bone strength. Our specialist nurses tell us that the current up to date expert-view, based on the evidence, is that REMs is an interesting scanning method which is currently being researched. But it is not yet accepted by experts in the field of bone measurement as a reliable and fully tested approach to understand how strong your bones are.

We have a video youtu.be/YS9RaxhrWZc(Not working as expected?) and web page theros.org.uk/information-a... which give more detailed information about this topic. You can hear more from an expert (watch the video from 30mins15secs). The scans and tests section of our website tells you the best ways to investigate and understand bone strength. theros.org.uk/information-a...

This can be a tricky area to understand because no scan or test can perfectly explain bone strength and we all want a definite answer especially if we are making decisions about medications. But we wanted to remind you - please don’t post anything as proven when more research is needed as it can be confusing.

[Met00 in reply to ROSModerator]

REMS scans aren't officially accepted by the NHS, but some individual consultants and GPs are happy to accept them. They are officially recognised in the US and Italy.

[MWZ3 in reply to ROSModerator]

Okay, taken onboard. It is a fact that REMS looks at strength as well not just at density which was important for me. My density scans showed big differences in parts of the body from the wrist to the hips to the back.

[Mavary]

Hi Maggie. I’ve been on Denosumab since 2020 and haven’t had a fracture since. I would worry if I wasn’t on anything. My bones were going quite quickly before I was on it. You can have a tooth out but you can’t have your body bones taken out when they break.

[fraid]

Of course your bones are more important than teeth! You can get false teeth but not bones! If your scaffolding falls down everything else does too. Hope you can hang onto your teeth as well. 🤞

[MaggieSylvie in reply to fraid]

Well, somehow, I suspect my teeth will outlive me.

[MayGodBlessYou]

teeth ARE bones and joints ...i wonder if one's more prone to injury than the other.

dentists seem to know a lot about osteoporosis drugs and osteoporosis,

[MaggieSylvie in reply to MayGodBlessYou]

That's what I thought but my dentists didn't react to my telling them I was taking AA. It was only later that they pointed out that my teeth had shifted and they didn't say it was because of the drug. I had stopped taking it by then, but they never mentioned it.

[MayGodBlessYou in reply to MayGodBlessYou]

i think teeth are an indicator of bone health or bone problems ...my Mum lost 3 teeth in the years before having a vertebral injury

[MayGodBlessYou in reply to MayGodBlessYou]

also, recently going through her records of pr*lia doses, there were delays between doses at that time, a broken tooth should be regarded as a possible osteoporosis / osteoporosis drug-related bone fracture

[MaggieSylvie in reply to MayGodBlessYou]

I had three extractions too. But they were wisdom teeth - well at the back and not easy to clean. Then I had a tooth extracted that had been giving me trouble for at least 60 years! Maybe there's something in it. Without a dentist interested in vertebral injuries, how are we to know?

[Foodie2shoes]

I'm a dental hygienist. I would encourage you to be very diligent about caring for your teeth and gums. Certain meds can definitely damage the bones of the jaw (osteonecrosis). Do all you can to reduce sugar intake, frequent snacking, etc and brush, floss, use a water pik etc. Have more frequent cleanings if necessary. Your dentist can prescribe a toothpaste with stronger fluoride to help prevent decay. We need teeth for proper nutrition and we need healthy bones as well. Don't give up- just do everything you can to strengthen both!

[MaggieSylvie]

Yup.

[ROSModerator Partner]

Great to see all the sharing of information. Our specialist nurses say there is often a misunderstanding and people think that osteoporosis drug treatments can damage teeth - they don't. There is the side effect of osteonecrosis of the jaw after a tooth extraction with some osteoporosis medicines but it's very rare . As explained, looking after your teeth and gums will make that risk even lower. If you would like to know more about this, we have a factsheet which gives detailed information on this topic: strwebprdmedia.blob.core.wi...

[MaggieSylvie in reply to ROSModerator]

Thank you ROS. I do look after my teeth. I am 79 ; I still have one wisdom tooth and have only recently had extracted the tooth that always gave me problems as a child! They put fluoride in our water and I think that has helped me to keep a full mouth of teeth. There aren't many people my age who have all their teeth.

[Clematisa1]

I had to see my dentist before Dr would start me on AA . Dentist checked my teeth, xrays etc and was ok for me to start last month. I see her fairly regularly and also the hygienist every few months so hopefully they would quickly pick up on anything happening jaw wise.

[MaggieSylvie]

That is really good - a bit like joined-up thinking. I have to ask my haematologist if I need surgery, but for a doctor to consider something they're not directly responsible for is excellent professionalism.