Anyone have periodontal surgery ?

[Liz D.]

In a few weeks, I am having periodontal surgery in order for 4 new crowns to be put in.  I'm curious if anyone has ever had this kind of surgery and if the dryness of the mouth affected the healing process?
I'm a bit nervous about it.

Liz D.

[Navigator]

I have had crowns put in in both upper and lowers because my teeth were cracking and splitting from dry mouth. It was not surgery per se. You are awake.  The first day they file down the teeth and fit you with temporaries and then two weeks later you come back for installation of the permanent crowns. 

My dentist is well aware that I have SJS.  The only impact is during the procedure you don?t really need your saliva suctioned off.  They let me let them know what I need.  It is not a big deal at all.

In terms of recovery  ...just floss when they tell you it is safe and there you go.   Good dental hygiene is always a good idea whether you have crowns or not.

Periodontal surgery is usually what takes place when gums have become inflamed and pull away from the teeth,  I have not had that.  But the recovery would be similar, follow the directions of your dentist, hydrate and use good teeth hygiene.

[Nymph]

I am having an implant done tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes. However, I do not have severe mouth dryness. I am more worried about my TMJ.

[Nymph]

My implant went well. I was out the door in 45 min. In contrast, my sister who had gum reconstruction was in there for three hours. Right now I am not flaring so no significant mouth dryness, just a little at night. This did not bother my TMJ at all and eating soft foods for awhile will help with that. I'm thankful that everything went so smoothly and I think that this was the best decision for my long-term dental health.

However, after visiting my sister right after her full gum reconstruction, I would say that dryness could be a very difficult issue there. If it were me I would probably still explore the possibility, just because periodontal disease can cause or contribute to so many other problems. But I would want to go into it with an excellent plan to keep the tissue as moist as possible.

Are you on Exovac or any other systemic treatments for dryness? What did your periodontist say when you raised this concern? If he did not address it with a plan then maybe a second or third opinion would be helpful. You could also consult with your rheumy. 

[Nymph]

Sorry, just saw that you are on Exovac. Have you tried NAC? It has made a big difference for me. Anyway, good luck with your crowns.

[Liz D.]

Thanks, nymph, for sharing your experience. I'm so glad you did not suffer with the Tmj.  That can be so painful, I know.

I did research on my procedure.  It is called crown lengthening.  Almost wish I hadn't since I can see that it is full gum surgery similar to your sister.  The periodontist said it would take an hour and a half to do 4 bottlom teeth. 

One of the things that dries me out the most is talking (I'm a people person and a big talker.)  There are days I just stay home because my mouth gets so sore from talking.  Not speaking helps but I can't live like that everyday!  (Although maybe there are some people that might wish that !) haha I will just have to be sure to keep my mouth shut and as lubricated as possible after the surgery.  I'll discuss it with the periodontist.

My surgery is the 17th of January. I'll post after.  Btw, what is NAC?  Never heard of it.

Liz D.

[Nymph]

Sounds good. Hope it goes well!

N-acetyl cystiene. It is an antioxidant and mucolytic that plays many roles in the body. There are a number of threads here about it or where it is mentioned. It has also been researched for Sjogren's and Lupus. I was becoming dryer all the time until I started taking this as well as DHEA. For me, those two things have turned me around and seem to have stopped the progression of my dryness. They don't work for everyone but I am not the only one.

I get dry when I talk, too, and I'm a teacher! I find that if I sleep with a humidifier (old-fashioned Vick's really pumps out the steam) and use my neti pot faithfully I am okay. Probably a good idea to isolate yourself for a couple of weeks while you heal! Come online and "chat" with us!

[Kathy57]

lizD,

I had gum surgery in my late 30's and before I realized I had Sjogrens.  It was a painful recovery and you really need to follow your post op instructions to keep from getting an infection.

It was very successful, but really was more painful healing then I thought it would be.  Good luck.

Kathy

[Liz D.]

Thanks, nymph, for explaining NAC.  I'll check into it.

And thanks, Kathy, for your surgery experience.  I feel it will be more painful and longer to heal because of the Sjogrens.  My lip biopsy was not pleasant and I was miserable with an infection then.  I will follow all instructions closely and be careful and lay low for awhile after surgery.  I wish I didn't need it, but I don't want to go without bottom teeth and be old before my time!

Liz D.

[quietdynamics]

Dr. ordered labs which showed I was VitD deficient, and I was put on therapeutic doses. Later an dental exam showed severe bone loss and there is periodontal disease.

Here is a study examining the role VitD and Periodontal Diseases.  Sometimes I find the study references of more interest.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768179/

If you have not had Vit levels checked for VitD and Vit Bs (as these are often found low in AI patients) you could ask Dr at next appt to have them checked.

[irish]

I have had all my teeth pulled plus I have had some oral surgery to trim off the bone after having my teeth pulled. I did not have any problems with healing in spite of being dry. One can always suck on some ice chips occasionally to keep the mouth moistened.Good luck. Irish

[Liz D.]

Thank you all for your replies and recommendations.  Happy to know, irish, that you healed well when you had surgery.  That has calmed my nerves.

Liz D.

[ohiolady]

Liz, I had dental implant and healed well.

Anna