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  • teeth problems???!!!

    Hi! I just was curious if anyone has had teeth problems since having surgery???? I can't say I have the best teeth at all but I had 2 more molars crack in the last 6 months!
    I'm sure there is no relation but was curious about others out there?
    thks, Lynne

    surgery-aug 2006/fused T11-L5/Boachie
    95 curve/85 kyphosis
    Last edited by lelc2002@yahoo; 01-06-2008, 06:27 PM.

  • #2
    I have had some issues

    Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. My experience was not as severe, I had braces when I was younger, and even with my retainer, they shifted around as my scoliosis got worse. My orthodontist said that it is pretty common among people with scoliosis to have problems with their alignment. I hope that now after surgery nothing happens as you have described.
    2001 T-sp 58* L-sp 55*
    2007 T-sp 64* L-sp 67*
    Surgery Dec. 21 2007
    Posterior fusion T3 to L3

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by lelc2002@yahoo
      ... I can't say I have the best teeth at all but I had 2 more molars crack in the last 6 months!
      Lynne, do you have TMJ and/or do you grind your teeth? The combination of the two are bad (and often linked), but protecting yourself from the effects of grinding would be my first avenue of investigation.

      And are these in previously filled or unfilled molars? I haven't had a cavity since age 10, but every single one of the four filled molars I have (old, old, OLD fillings now - LOL) are splitting. Back then, most dentists just slapped big, sloppy globs of amalgam in there - and it degrades over time.

      Check with an orthodontist and try a bite guard to see if you get some relief.

      And, like me, if they're cracking, try to address it as soon as possible (and, yes ... the ridiculous cost of crowns/inlays are hard to swallow - or I'd have had MINE done by now ;-) before the teeth completely crack.

      Regards,
      Pam
      Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
      AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


      41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
      Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
      Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


      VIEW MY X-RAYS
      EMAIL ME

      Comment


      • #4
        Told of possibility

        Lynne,
        Sorry to hear about your molars cracking. I don't know if anyone else had their physicians tell them what I was told while I was in the operating room. This really scared me but I didn't have any problems after all. Anyway I was on the table and had several physicians, staff, etc. around me, explaining different things and asking me last questions. One of the Docs told me that with the large tube they put down your throat that sometimes during surgery some of your teeth could get broken or damaged. I'm not sure if it would happen when they put it in or if a person would bite down on it while under the anesthesia?

        One of the first things I did when I came out from under the anesthesia was to run my tongue over all my teeth to make sure they were all there (and they were). It was so strange to hear something like this, but true. I don't know if anything like that could have happened to your teeth. You might ask your Doc. I would be interested to hear what he says. Also, was anyone else told that one of the risks was damage to your teeth from that tube ???
        Best to all,
        Susan
        Susan, Age 60, getting accustomed to my new back!
        A/P Surgery Oct. 15 and 22, 2007
        Spinal fusion T10 -S1 with Segmental instrumentation
        Thorocolumbar pre-op curve 63 degrees: post-op curve less than 10 degrees per Dr. at 6-month appt.
        Dr. Robert A. Hart @ Oregon Health & Science University, (OHSU) Spine Center, Portland, OR

        Comment


        • #5
          Intubation will NOT weaken/crack your teeth (unless they are already compromised).
          Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
          AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


          41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
          Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
          Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


          VIEW MY X-RAYS
          EMAIL ME

          Comment


          • #6
            thkyou all.
            The reason I posted this question is because my mom asked at her dentist's office & a hygenist said she had heard that having your mouth opened so long(with tube in it during surgery) could affect your teeth. I just noticed I had several teeth breaking months later & never had the problem before. I was wondering if the percoset/drugs had affected them too? thks...Ly

            Comment


            • #7
              I had problems with a wisdom tooth when I was in my body cast post-op. Back then they were plaster and went from chin to hips. I couldn't open my mouth far enough for them to remove the wisdom tooth, so they pulled the 12 year molar it was hitting instead! I have had many surgeried in my life and have never had a problem with my teeth cracking.
              T12- L5 fusion 1975 - Rochester, NY
              2002 removal of bottom of rod and extra fusion
              3/1/11 C5-C6 disc replacement
              Daughter - T7 - L3 fusion 2004

              Comment


              • #8
                As a former respiratory therapist, I can clarify all of this for you. The tube itself is a soft plastic that is stiff enough to keep it's tubular shape, but will not harm the teeth. The loosening or breaking comes from poor technique or difficulty in visualizing the vocal cords to get the tube in. What happens is that the anesthesiologist or doctor uses what's called a larygoscope to lift the tongue up and that with the positioning of the head makes it possible to see into the airway and see the vocal cords. Sometimes what happens is that sometimes the person, rather than pulling up and forward on the scope, may tilt the handle back and rock the blade of the scope on the teeth in an attempt to lift the tongue. This is most often the cause of cracked or broken teeth in this case and it would be the front upper teeth that would be affected, not the molars. The attached picture cangive you a better idea.

                Comment


                • #9
                  To-the Slice: Thks for the explanation. I guess I just have rotten teeth!!!
                  Hopefully fixing them won't be as much as back surgery! Although I was better insured for that........Ly

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    To the Slice,
                    Thanks all... After I posted last night I talked to my husband and he said what all of you say. He said that the molars would definately not be affected and he understood that in rare cases the front teeth could be harmed.
                    I stand corrected. I misunderstood what I was told. Thanks for the explanation.
                    Susan
                    Susan, Age 60, getting accustomed to my new back!
                    A/P Surgery Oct. 15 and 22, 2007
                    Spinal fusion T10 -S1 with Segmental instrumentation
                    Thorocolumbar pre-op curve 63 degrees: post-op curve less than 10 degrees per Dr. at 6-month appt.
                    Dr. Robert A. Hart @ Oregon Health & Science University, (OHSU) Spine Center, Portland, OR

                    Comment

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