Chemo related gum bone loss..and other problems...anyone?

MAJW
MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
I've been buzzing along really well since my lumpectomy in May 2009......this past Jan I started yoga...come Middle of Feb...my sternum...right between my boobs, became so sore it was painful to touch it....stopped yoga. Went to my onc PA...sent for X-rays to rule out any lesions...all clear...diagnosed with Costochronditis..inflammation of the sternum....okay..then had my mammo and ultrasound..all clear..yeah! I am having a lot of discomfort on my bc breast...nerves regenerating...my radiologist that I have gone to for 20 yrs for my mammo explained ( she herself had bc 8 yrs ago) that the sternum problem is a result of muscle and tissue " pulling away from the sternum".... had I NOT had radiation it probably wouldn't have happened....seems the radiation weakens bones, somewhat...Also that the pain from nerve regeneration from the lumpectomy is a huge underreported problem and can take 5 years to go back to normal......lovely! It hurts all the time...

Okay...fast forward to march...felt like 3 of my teeth were lose....yeah again! Dentist thought they would " tighten back up"...guess what? They haven't! ! Saw an oral surgeon last week.....having all three extracted tomorrow morning under general anesthesia...I'm a baby when it comes to dental work...although he did say it was best when having more than one extraction, to go under...not arguing that! He feels that chemo played a big part in this as I had none of this in the dental cleaning and exam I had before starting chemo....that chemo is very hard on the bones and gums....so when this heals it's back to the dentist for "replacements"....until then, I guess I'll have " summer teeth" ...." some are here, some are there"..lol

Sooooo..anyone else have anything similar? I guess chemo and rads are gifts that keep on giving...and I was doing so well...I know, considering what others are enduring, this is small potatoes....

Hugs, Nancy

Comments

  • jendrey
    jendrey Member Posts: 377
    #2
    ...
    I also lost a tooth a few weeks into radiation. I grind my teeth during sleep, always have which certainly doesn't help but it's not like I can just stop doing it. Sometimes, I wake up with a loose front bottom tooth or two that 'tightens back up'..so far this hasn't been anything serious but I'm sure it will be eventually.

    Yes indeedy, chemo and rads are the "gifts" that keep on giving!
  • foxhill96
    foxhill96 Member Posts: 25
    #3
    ugh
    I am also a big baby whrn it comes to the dentist. I never go, but since my first tound of chem I have one tooth
    That is really bothering me feels like a nerve my be exposed. Had second round yesterday snd now going to try snd find a dentist
    That will knock me out if I need something done. Then of course before anything is done you have to get the blessings of your
    oncologist. This all sucks big time. Blessings to all. Xoxo
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #4
    foxhill96 said:

    ugh
    I am also a big baby whrn it comes to the dentist. I never go, but since my first tound of chem I have one tooth
    That is really bothering me feels like a nerve my be exposed. Had second round yesterday snd now going to try snd find a dentist
    That will knock me out if I need something done. Then of course before anything is done you have to get the blessings of your
    oncologist. This all sucks big time. Blessings to all. Xoxo

    Well this is kinda scary
    Well this is kinda scary since I am currently going through rads.. LOL

    I was suppose to have a teeth cleaning in November but had to cancel due to starting chemo. So it's been almost a year since I've visited the dentist. With all my other medical bills from this past year, that was one area I felt I could take a year off to save expenses. Thanks for the heads up, I must keep a close eye on my teeth. I'm sure happy I'm not a grinder. Yikes...

    Hugs,
    Lorrie
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #5
    My wierdest tooth thing was
    My wierdest tooth thing was one of my canines last year just sort of disolved itself from the inside. The dentist said it was some sort of immune system problem which makes sense in a way with all the stress my body was under.So far i8t's only been the one tooth, so I hope it stops there.
  • Gabe N Abby Mom
    Gabe N Abby Mom Member Posts: 2,413
    #6
    I had a tooth that prior to
    I had a tooth that prior to chemo had a crown and a root canal. It developed an abscess after my 3rd round, and had to be pulled. The gum was slow to heal, but I sure felt better once the abscess was gone. It's a molar that you can't see when I smile, so I have no plans to replace it.

    Good luck with the extraction and the replacements.

    Hugs,

    Linda
  • NJMom10
    NJMom10 Member Posts: 176
    #7
    Gabe N Abby Mom said:

    I had a tooth that prior to
    I had a tooth that prior to chemo had a crown and a root canal. It developed an abscess after my 3rd round, and had to be pulled. The gum was slow to heal, but I sure felt better once the abscess was gone. It's a molar that you can't see when I smile, so I have no plans to replace it.

    Good luck with the extraction and the replacements.

    Hugs,

    Linda

    Love the 'summer teeth' reference
    Made me laugh out loud! I'm still going through radiation so I don't know the long term effects yet, but I guess I have that to look forward to. As for during chemo, during the AC treatments I had a very sore area around my tooth that felt like an abscess but I kept rinsing with baking soda and working on it and eventually it subsided. I also cracked a tooth during after my 3rd treatment. I went to the dentist 2 weeks after chemo and prior to rads to get my cleaning and to have the cracked tooth repaired. So far no other problems.
  • RozHopkins
    RozHopkins Member Posts: 578 Member
    #8
    Teeth and Gums
    Done with treatment. I have very sensitive teeth and found them generally worse after chemo. Unsure whether related or not, I get the feeling if we have stuff going on before cancer arrives chemo makes some things worse.

    My sensitivity got so bad I couldn't walk on a cold day. Now hot and cold food affects me, didn't before. Sometimes it just comes for no reason and I feel like having my teeth out as I cant stand it. However, changed dentists and they are going to coat the worst areas and infill ridged teeth I have. Special paste to use last thing at night. I am also a baby having dental work done but must do this as it has become a daily occurance.

    Glad you brought this up as thought I was the only one with a problem.

    Good luck.
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #9
    Nancy
    I just went to the dentist a couple of weeks ago. He said my mouth looked good except a bit dry. I've been on Arimidex since January. I used Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash during chemo. After finishing rads in Feb my teeth had become very sensitive so I started to use sensitive toothpaste and all seems ok today. I had a loose back molar for about a year but it's fine now. I'm so sorry you have to have 3 teeth removed.
    {{hugs}} Char
  • Lynn Smith
    Lynn Smith Member Posts: 1,264 Member
    #10
    cahjah75 said:

    Nancy
    I just went to the dentist a couple of weeks ago. He said my mouth looked good except a bit dry. I've been on Arimidex since January. I used Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash during chemo. After finishing rads in Feb my teeth had become very sensitive so I started to use sensitive toothpaste and all seems ok today. I had a loose back molar for about a year but it's fine now. I'm so sorry you have to have 3 teeth removed.
    {{hugs}} Char

    MAJW
    When you said replacements do you mean implants????

    I have thought about implants since I want to get a couple teeth pulled. Alot of filling in them.

    I just worry about implants.One doc says OK then another says not.Since my dx I worry. Seem to be stuck in the middle.Do I or not????

    Lynn Smith
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #11
    Lynn Smith said:

    MAJW
    When you said replacements do you mean implants????

    I have thought about implants since I want to get a couple teeth pulled. Alot of filling in them.

    I just worry about implants.One doc says OK then another says not.Since my dx I worry. Seem to be stuck in the middle.Do I or not????

    Lynn Smith

    Lynn...
    No, I'm not going the implant route...going to do a bridge...my husband went with implants...I would rather you beat me with a 2x4 than go through what he did...no thanks! Lol. It's a long process and VERY expensive...

    Good luck Lynn...
    Hugs, Nancy

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