Just been to the dentist. Got an infection. Tooth needs to come out and the will put in an implant.
I was due to have my infusion on Monday which I cancelled.
I am on 30mg going down to 20 next week for a month.
I am feeling quite overwhelmed. Will I be alright. They won’t to do the dental work asap.
Thank you for being there for all of us.
What medications are you on? Just pred or anything else as well?
Just prednisolone. I am seeing their dental next week. I had root canal work and a crown a couple of years ago. The xray showed a translucent area at the roots. It is a sign of chronic infection. But definitely not an abscess. It looks quite quiet.
I have had extractions while on pred but have never wanted or even considered an implant to be honest.
What infusion are you having?
The annual bone one which would have been my first.
Oh right - yes, quite right to postpone that until the dental work is done. But that is also why they want to do the dental work immediately BEFORE the bisphosphonate introduces a complication.
Thank you. Up until now I feel that I have been handling everything quite well. But this feels like a set back and has stressed me out as it feels like one thing after another. At least I have you all to turn to. Thank you.
Not a set-back, the correct procedure to be safe to have the bone-protection medication without problems later.
Thank youx
I was tad by a dentist a few weeks ago that I needed an extraction and I said I would prefer at an NHS hospital. His reply ‘I have extracted hundreds of teeth when people taking AA’ too much fuss made.
I have since become an NHS patient again and was invited for checkup and was told this tooth needs extracting but you have to go to the hospital as we can’t do it here. Same practice different rules .
My hospital wait was 10 months. But then they refused anyway! (Due to risk of necrosis of the jaw). I found a dentist willing to do it in our practice & had it done there. No problems at all.
Just to let you know this post seems to have come up 3 times... maybe delete the other two...
What ever is best
Well you are likely to get replies on all 3 editions.. just a bit confusing for you and others that's all I was thinking...
If you don't delete the other two, you will get answers all over the place. Keep this one and delete the others please - we can't do it.
I am not good with IT hence the problem. I will try and see how I can do it.
On the post there is More and an arrow at the bottom - click on that and it gives you the option to Edit or Delete. Then it will ask if you are sure.
I’m watching my husband go through it at the moment. They won’t do the implant straight away; the process takes months with assessment along the way to see if your bone is up to it. He has had to have scans to see if it is ok. His problem is from receiving a hockey stick to the mouth as a child which made the bone become thin and no longer able to support a tooth, rather than bone meds. Meanwhile he wears a denture to keep the gap stable. The worst case is this could be the final solution if the bone doesn’t heal or you need to wait extra long, so there is an option that looks ok. So this process takes time and isn’t a given until the implant has been left for 3 months having already had 4 months from having had the tooth removed. It’s a real one step at a time job.
What I wouldn’t do is leave a focus of infection in the mouth. The dentist needs to weigh up the risk of infection while you are on highish doses of Pred and potential issues from any infusion. If the infection gets into the bone you have big problems and potentially rule out an implant in the future. I would want to know why there is any delay on the extraction itself if that’s what you meant.
Thank you.They are assessing me next Tuesday and they emphasised the need to get on with it. Thank you for your wise words
I had a tooth extracted recently and was told that nothing would be considered for 3 months unitl it had completely healed.
Thank you. Hope you healed well. Were you on steroids as well?
Its virtually healed I had it done in January, I was on 4.5 mg steroids and 12.5mg methotrexate.
I had an implant about 12 years ago after a tooth extraction. The gap in my jawbone was filled with bone fragments (synthetic I seem to remember) first and left for 3 months for it all to heal before the implant work. It’s still going strong so obviously a good job done. All I would say is make sure you have a good dentist and don’t be bullied into anything you’re not comfortable with. Maybe get a second opinion?
Thank you. Very reassuring. The dental team is excellent. I just felt quite down as I am new to this GCA and just had my biopsy so it feels like one thing after another. I do however really appreciate all the and encouragement I get from you lovely people.
Hi Clarinet1234. I have just had an extraction and a dental implant. I had the work done where I live in Spain. I had no problems at all with regards to my body tolerating the work. My dentist gave me a very large dose of antibiotics to take two hours before the implant treatment itself and I was then on 5 days of antibiotics as a precaution once the screw had been put into place. I took 10mg of prednisolone on the day too before the treatment just to allow my body to manage the stress. I have to stress though that I am not on any medication for bone protection as my dexa scan came back okay. I also didn't have any infection in my tooth before the treatment began. My implant is now in place and I have not had any further problems at all. I hope that this is helpful.
Thank you. Very reassuringx
I worried too before I had the work done and I too asked a few questions myself to the lovely people on this forum. Everyone was really helpful to me and I decided to go ahead with the procedure. Good luck x
Thank you x
I had a loose tooth i have been on Actemra and methotrexate altho not steriods....however the latter are considered risky for tooth extraction and there was talk about being done in hospital...in the end the tooth deteriorated very suddenly with pain and inflammation and the local dentist decided to extract cos very loose and unlikely to cause gum problems . He was right all healed fine ....Good luck
Thank you
I had an extraction and implant done last year. No complications. I am taking pred, but not a bisphosphonate.
My dentist was fairly relaxed about the alendronic acid tablets. He said that he would be more cautious about the infusions, or if I was an oncology patient.
Thank you. All very reassuring. I can’t take the tablets as they would upset my tummy.
Hopefully I might be able to get away with not having to have it.
Good you stopped the infusion. I’ve been told to have reclast infusion for bones but keep having dental issues. I’m on my 2nd implant, bone implant, and gum tissue surgeries so I’ve had it all and still not done. When you say 30 mg, are you referring to prednisone?
Just have your tooth pulled asap. Find a good Periodonist to do the work. It’s a long process with healing in between so no infusion for you for awhile. I’m same age as you are and have crossed over into osteoporosis but I just eat as well as I can and exercise. I also take calcium supplements.
I’m in the United States so there’s probably different treatment plans for you but don’t stress out too much over it. Reply back if you want to discuss more
Dental work- loosing a tooth 
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Tooth extraction
