Hyperbaric treatment and dental extractions looming on the horizon

I put myself in your shoes because that is something I'd truly want to know....if I'm going to do the Hyperbarics, and it takes so much money and time, should I get them all yanked at once, or do this money/time consumer over and over.  I sure don't have an answer, but wonder if your dentist could give you some idea how well other teeth are doing.  Thinking also, that you'd probably have to have 2 or 4  pegs put into the bone to hold a denture or a bunch of pegs if they're doing implants....the jaw bone would have to hold up to those, too.

p

Mikemetz said:

Doubts about HBO

I've had two series of HBO treatments and have serious doubts about their effectiveness, even before you factor in cost, lost time, lost productivity, and mind-numbing boredom.

When I've asked my doctors' opinions, the best I get is that "It can't hurt, so do it."  Well, if they had to take nearly 3 hours a day off of work each time, they might have a different answer for me.

All of the research I've read gives no more than weak support for HBO's effectiveness, and no one seems to know under what circumstances it can be an effective treatment.  The HBO docs say that you have to complete the full series of "dives" to get any effect--if any is there to be had, so they convince you to ride out them out and not stop in the middle.

mikr

 

Certainly in terms of experience.  Hey you have to post on your blogsite too.  It doesn't do me any good to have you have this nice site, be in New Zealand, then not blog.  So stop sightseeing, and type away!

D Lewis said:

Specialists

Heading out to see a specialist early next week.  Sent an email in to my favorite expert at Stanford to get their opinion. My ENT is heavily in favor of hyperbaric, owing to the fact that he is treating 3 patients right now who have serious ORN issues and he doesn't want to see me go there.  Looking foward to a response from my ophthalmologist with regard to the potential for adverse events.   My dentist has a lot of experience with Head/Neck survivors, and she's been thrilled by my hygiene, and very happy with the state of my teeth.  This one snuck up on her though; a crown came off to reveal extensive decay and a shattered tooth beneath.  It wasn't even painful.  What happened to the nerve? I have a mouth full of crowns already, and no idea which of them, if any, might be incubating more decay underneath.  So far, everything else seems solid, but so did this tooth, up until about three weeks ago. Ick.  My dentist wants first to try a root canal to salvage what is left of the tooth. 

I have read elsewhere that the main issue with ORN is with the lower jaw, as it takes a harder hit from the radiation and is served by fewer blood vessels.  Anyone else hear this one?

Deb - dining on yogurt today. bleh.   

Always good to ask the main man at Stanford where you should go.  Did he send you to the Bay Area or someone in the valley?  The specialist will probably do a panorama x-ray and that should show if you have any other problems to be looked at.  I will be interested to hear how that appointment goes.

I asked the same question when I had to have 4 pulled on the bottom and the dentist didn't like the idea of having more than needed pulled. Maybe it was money in the bank for his kids college fund who knows. But I chose to agree that it is best to keep your natural teeth as long as possible.Yes it was a boring 2.5 hours but I never healed faster in my life after having them yanked.

     Jeff

PatDarago said:

HBO

Deb,

I have some (alot)of expierence with HBO. Little back ground. BOT SCC in 2010 with 36 radiation treatments and chemo. In 2011 ,I had a tooth prepare for a crown and the area around the tooth was damaged and I developed ORN. In Jan 2012, I went thru 20 treaments of HBO before the tooth was extracted and 10 more after . The wound did not heal and in March of 2013 ,I had a debrevement done to remove the dead bone ,and had 10 more HBO treatment ,a total of 40, which the doctors tell me is the limit.

As for the amount of money , It was all covered thru my insurance and I was very fortunite to have a hospital near me that has a HBO chambar that was only 10 minutes away. the hospital worked with me so I would not miss any work and did my tratments after I got off work daily. It was hard to lay flat on my back in that glass chambar for 2 1/2 hours at a time, But my wife bought me all 6 seasons of the Saprano's ,which I watched 2 episodes a night to pass the time.

In the end ,I think it helped , but I am still looking at a total Jaw replacement in the future due to ORN .

 

Hope you well and make the right choice that fits you.

 

Pat

Deb

   With 10 Crowns and a Bridge, our boats aren't too far apart. Less than a year ago I had a problem under a Crown, which lead to two Root Canals on the same tooth, then a new Crown to replace the old. Way it was explained to me was that keeping the teeth is by far the best option once we've been thru the C tx. The Hyperbaric was discussed, pending how the RC went and condition of tooth after it, but they thought it was good enough to re-Crown. 

   Lot I don't understand, but the issue is bloodflow and pockets developing in the jawbone that compromise it's physical integrity, and leads to problems. Those pockets are difficult to find. Did some reading and You Tubing on seminars, and it seems there's still only a combination of two tests that can best assess the condition of the jaw- one is the regular Panaramic X-ray, and the other has a name that escapes me, but which I know your people at Stanford will know of. I would suggest you throw that past the Stanford team to get a good focus on the big picture, and take their advice on what's best, long term, for you.

   The costs are major, girl, but no way around that unless you can get Aflac (can't join until 5-years C-free), or some such  to help. My Dentist insists that pulling teeth only leads to complications in the ORN field, or so he says. FYI.

    kcass 

Duggie88 said:

Deb

I asked the same question when I had to have 4 pulled on the bottom and the dentist didn't like the idea of having more than needed pulled. Maybe it was money in the bank for his kids college fund who knows. But I chose to agree that it is best to keep your natural teeth as long as possible.Yes it was a boring 2.5 hours but I never healed faster in my life after having them yanked.

     Jeff

the dentist didn't like the idea of having more than needed pulled. Maybe it was money in the bank for his kids college fund who knows

You bust me up. That is truely a unique spin on why a dentist choses to pull less teeth now. I would hate to be the folks coming in the month when his new Ferrari is rolling off the boat!

hawk711 said:

Percentages and howdy Kent!!!

Great to hear from you Kent.  Hope you are doing well in QC.

 

deb, my HBO Dr's sain he thinks HBO works for 66% of people, 2/3rds is what he says shows improvement.  I was one of the 66%, so I am a believer, but you and others could be in the 1/3rd that it doesn't help.  As we say, everyone is different.

 

good luck

steve

I had a team of surgens and the one that did graphing sugested removing the teeth I had mainly because he said when I start raditation will most likely destory what is left.Will find out shortly