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JayhawkDan
JayhawkDan Member Posts: 205
in Colorectal Cancer #1
Joking of course, but I do have a semi-serious question. I need to spend a thousand dollars to cap a tooth. It's in the back, does not hurt, and can't be seen. I'm going to do it next week, but I've got to admit, I thought twice about "throwing good money after bad." I'm sure others have had the same quandry and just curious what you decided in regards to long-term maintenance of your body. I still have my "chemo for life" and "terminal" diagnosis," but after being on this board for a couple of months I feel like I'm going to be around for at least a few years and hopefully many more. Not getting the cap would have made me feel like I was giving up.

Also, I've chronicled my CEA number on here that has dropped every time through my 7 chemo treatments. I started at 44, and yesterday it dropped from 1.1 to 0.9. I didn't see my oncologist yesterday, but I'm just trying to grasp the significance, and why they call anything under 3 "normal," when I still have lesions all over my liver, along with the primary in the rectum. Anyway, it's good news and I'm very thankful.

Hugs,

Dan

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  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #2
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    I Only Smoke Them...
    I had a similar thing and choose not to spend a fortune on dental work that wasn't really needed (more cosmetic stuff) and here I am 8 years later and probably could have used the dentures... Something told me if I got them I would have only had a better looking corpse
    :-)

    Tough call...if it's something that's not taken care of can sause harm, then I'd get it done.
    -p
  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    #3
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    Funny,. I have been thinking about this
    I had radioactive iodine after my thyroid cancer and my bridge broke and as the teeth and bones were weakened. to repare will cost over $10000 and it is considered cosmetic so very little would be covered by insurance.. so .. the scale was cancer doc and treatment or teeth.. well the teeth lost out.. can't afford both.. not really noticable as on the side but sure would make me feel whole to have those three teeth.. but .. can't afford everything and no one would cut me a break.. soo..
    but I am constently thinking about them..
  • idlehunters
    idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
    #4
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    dmj101 said:

    Funny,. I have been thinking about this
    I had radioactive iodine after my thyroid cancer and my bridge broke and as the teeth and bones were weakened. to repare will cost over $10000 and it is considered cosmetic so very little would be covered by insurance.. so .. the scale was cancer doc and treatment or teeth.. well the teeth lost out.. can't afford both.. not really noticable as on the side but sure would make me feel whole to have those three teeth.. but .. can't afford everything and no one would cut me a break.. soo..
    but I am constently thinking about them..

    Hmmm.....
    Before DX I spent almost $6000 out of pocket on upper porcelain crowns..... They looked great! BUT....after 3 years of chemo.....the chemo rotted the remaining piece of tooth left on ALL crowns and they ALL had to be pulled and now I have a upper denture. Never had a crown on the lower teeth and while chemo has done SOME damage to those..they were repairable..... I have no clue..only theries...as did the dentist....why chemo affected the closed in crowns MORE than the open tooth. Just MY experience.

    Jennie
  • tommycat
    tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
    #5
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    IMO
    For a back tooth that doesn't hurt I wouldn't bother.
    Take the $1000 and go have some fun...life is short.....
    Take care~
    Tommycat
  • janie1
    janie1 Member Posts: 753 Member
    #6
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    tommycat said:

    IMO
    For a back tooth that doesn't hurt I wouldn't bother.
    Take the $1000 and go have some fun...life is short.....
    Take care~
    Tommycat

    justin case
    I would fix a tooth if I could. Sometimes an ounce of prevention (unfortunately cost a thousand bucks).
    My reasoning......prior to surgery (and I've had 4 general anesthesia's in 13 months), they ask if you have any loose teeth or anything removable in your mouth. If your tooth is weak (like it has a huge filling), the intubation tube could knock anything weak, loose, out and right into the lung. Not something you want to go fishing for. That jaw muscle is the strongest muscle in the bod, and when it bites down on something (particularly when you are under anesthesia), it could jar anything loose.......just saying.
    Also, if that tooth would ever break to where it could no longer be crowned (capped), then the remaining root would have to be extracted, and oh what fun that is.
    Also....LOL.....too much info, i know.....if you loose a tooth, it can cause the other teeth to shift, which can cause bite problems, headaches and/or TMJ pain.
    Knock on wood, so far I haven't had any teeth issues after a lot of chemo, but I baby mine, brush gently, and floss everyday.
    Good luck :)
  • JayhawkDan
    JayhawkDan Member Posts: 205
    #7
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    janie1 said:

    justin case
    I would fix a tooth if I could. Sometimes an ounce of prevention (unfortunately cost a thousand bucks).
    My reasoning......prior to surgery (and I've had 4 general anesthesia's in 13 months), they ask if you have any loose teeth or anything removable in your mouth. If your tooth is weak (like it has a huge filling), the intubation tube could knock anything weak, loose, out and right into the lung. Not something you want to go fishing for. That jaw muscle is the strongest muscle in the bod, and when it bites down on something (particularly when you are under anesthesia), it could jar anything loose.......just saying.
    Also, if that tooth would ever break to where it could no longer be crowned (capped), then the remaining root would have to be extracted, and oh what fun that is.
    Also....LOL.....too much info, i know.....if you loose a tooth, it can cause the other teeth to shift, which can cause bite problems, headaches and/or TMJ pain.
    Knock on wood, so far I haven't had any teeth issues after a lot of chemo, but I baby mine, brush gently, and floss everyday.
    Good luck :)

    Thanks Janie
    I always appreciate your posts. I am going to get it done. I think I can save it and it would deteriorate further if I don't cap it. I'm just hoping I have to have it done again in 10 years... ;-)
  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    #8
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    JayhawkDan said:

    Thanks Janie
    I always appreciate your posts. I am going to get it done. I think I can save it and it would deteriorate further if I don't cap it. I'm just hoping I have to have it done again in 10 years... ;-)

    Of teeth and other things
    I played a lot of rugby when I was younger and got clobbered in the head and face quite a bit. Since chemo and lots of immuno suppressants I have suffered a lot from abcesses on teeth. I must have at least six or seven root canal filled teeth. At sixty two i still have my own teeth and no dentures . It is funny I am so paranoid about losing teeth. I got called into the doc last week re blood test results. Seems that my 18 mos on high dose steroids has done a job on my pancreas and now I am officially diabetic. Still type two so far but the onset has been fairly rapid. My trouble is I am having trouble taking the news seriously. I have survived st111c ca for 14 yrs and each year something else drops off or stops working. I am starting to feel like an experiment gone wrong.
    Ron.

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