Dental work while on Reclast

Hi Isabelle, Partial dentures can be a great replacement option for missing teeth. If your husband has decayed teeth that can be saved, all’s the better. However, should he need them removed a partial is one of several alternatives for replacement of teeth. His dentist can go over the different possibilities with your husband. It’s always better to hang onto natural teeth when possible.
As a dental professional one of the things I do need to toss out here is the prevalence of oral cancer among chewing tobacco users. I know your husband won’t like to hear that but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the impact it can have on his overall health, besides his mouth. 😉

Has it been recommended that your husband start osteoporosis meds? Do you think he’ll lose the decayed teeth or could they be restored by having the decay removed and replaced with resin fillings or crowns?

@loribmt

Partial dentures is definitely something to think about. Hopefully they can be saved but if not it's nice to know there are options. He's going to the dentist in early July so we'll finally have an idea of where he stands and what the issues are. He has stopped chewing tobacco months ago which is a positive.

Yes. After I questioned a compression fracture that was noted in Feb 2024 that wasn't there in May 2023, the doctor said we should do a bone scan. We had that done which is when we learned that he has osteoporosis - which came as a shock to us since no one ever told us there was a chance that, on the high doses of prednisone he's been on for over a year, the chances were high he'd get it. They should have offered a drug once he was on high dose prednisone for 3 months. That ship has sailed so we now have to figure out what's best. At the moment, I'm leaning toward Forteo or Tymlus as a beginning drug followed by Reclast. Not sure about Evenity or where/when that would come into the picture. All of this is so new to us and I'm doing research and reading here when I can. I really appreciate all the knowledge that's available on this site. It has helped us tremendously as we've navigated through PMR, GCA and now osteoporosis. With a guy who has been healthy all his life.

I'm not sure if he'll lose the decayed teeth - we'll finally get our answers once he goes to his appointment in July. I've begged him to take care of this since 2007. Now he's kind of being forced to at least figure out where we stand before starting osteoporosis meds.

Good mornin’, Holly. Just checking in to see how you’re adapting to your new smile! Everything feeling ok?

Dear Lori,
Thanks, for checking in on me. I saw the oral surgeon on Monday (one week after the extraction), and he said everything looked really great. The dentures felt secure and no pain, except when I bit the inside of my cheek on Saturday. My bad !
I have been careful about the salt water rinses etc. and my cheek is all better now. I started chewing soft food (meatloaf), yesterday and today. For the first time the dentures feel loose. It did not feel as though my gums were swollen before now, but I guess they were and now the small amount of swelling has gone down. I will see how tomorrow goes. I think I will go back to yogurt for tomorrow. I know I have to get use to how it feels to chew food, but it feels so unnatural at this point. I will keep you updated.
Hope all is well with you,
Holly

Hi Holly. It takes a while to get used to dentures if you’ve not had them before. You’ve been without a full set of teeth for quite a spell so just adapting to having anything to assist with chewing will be a big change! Plus the new teeth take up space in your mouth and your cheeks haven’t had competition of a while! LOL. They may find themselves getting nipped from time to time until you get used eating with them.

You have the right idea about starting out with soft foods. As you get more comfortable you can add different textures. You’ll learn what to avoid for now and what works better for you. The tissue and bone around those extraction sites will continue to modify. And actually some of your other palate tissue may change too from having the solid material compressing against it. Think about a watch/watchband and how your tissue conforms underneath. When you take the watch off, you have an indentation. Your mouth tissue can react the same way. The denture may start feeling looser as this happens.
If the surgical site is closed, there shouldn’t be any issue with trying an adhesive if you need it to make the denture feels tight again while the changes take place. Did you talk about adhesives with your dentist?

Dear Lori,
I responded to your comment on Thursday evening !
I can not find my response ! I am looking for it.
Thank you,
Holly

Dear Lori,
I am so confused ! I sent you a long response to the text above. I cannot find it anywhere ! I wrote to tell you that my dentist gave me a small amount of adhesive, but I do not want to use it. What do you think about "Secure Denture Adhesive" It does not contain Zinc ! I also asked if you thought it was ok to soak my dentures in a very mild solution of dawn liquid overnight ! Then I wrote to you about what a wonderful communicator you were and how you presented a visual of the watch on my wrist. Thank you so much. Holly

Hi Holly! Oh my gosh, it’s so frustrating when you lose a response like that! I’ve had that happen too and it particularly tests my patience if I’ve spent a great deal of time researching and attaching links, only to have the little ‘time circle’ keep spinning because my internet is slow where I am…then I lose the entire comment. Having learned my lesson the hard way, now I generally type longer replies in another program, cut and paste…or I “select all and copy” so when I hit send I still have my original if the cyber bully snatches my comment! LOL.

Let’s talk about the denture adhesive first. You’re free to use any adhesive that you find works for you to bring a good, snug fit and provide a comfort cushion inside your denture. I’m expecting the sample you don’t want to use from your dentist contained zinc. Don’t let that deter you from trying the product. At least you’ll get a feel for what an adhesive can do for you. If you don’t like it, then toss it. Secure Denture Adhesive would be a good start for you if you don’t want a product with zinc. This might be trial and error for you to find just the right product! I’ve seen travel size tubes in drug stores and stores like Walmart, Meijers & Target which would be a good way to get smaller samples. ☺️

Just for your peace of mind…zinc is not a toxin. It’s an important element in our diet. But too much of most any mineral/supplement could potentially cause reactions.
The zinc controversy in denture adhesives comes with patients who use way more than the recommended amount of the product. Too much adhesive with zinc can cause some tingling or numbing of tissue. People that have issues are generally patients that use copious amounts of adhesive to make up for a bad fitting denture. Instead, they should have a permanent reline done to have their denture fitting snugly again. If used in the recommended amount where just a fine film is on the denture, the absorption into the body is minimal.

I can’t see any reason you couldn’t soak your denture in a mild Dawn solution overnight. Even plain tap water or distilled water is fine. Dentures should be kept wet when not in the mouth. The advantage of denture cleansers is they help to reduce staining and bacteria on the dentures. So you may want to use that a couple times per week.

Holly, you’re always so sweet. Thank you for the complements…I never accept them well! LOL. But I am truly happy when I can help someone else out when they have questions and concerns.
I hope you have a break in the weather today…we’re finally seeing sun after days of torrential rains. Enjoy your weekend!! 🤗

Dear Lori, Thank you for understanding and again for all of your guidance about adhesives and cleansers. I am so grateful that you are willing to share your expertise and I am sincere when I say that I love the way you communicate. You are clear, focused and your expertise and empathy are so apparent. I spent a fair amount of time in the "Lost Reply" encouraging you to keep copies of your responses and have them published. I do indeed make copies of your responses ! I have a three ring note book with "Wisdom from Lori" . For now I am taking it slow. Eating only yogurt this weekend and rinsing with salt water when I can. My gum on the upper left seems to be getting more tender. I am keeping an eye on it. I am really distracted with a very painful hip these days. I've been putting if off but I think I have to force myself to get an x-ray. I hope you are well. What happened to June.
Thank you again for everything, Holly

Holly, dear…I’ve never been economical with words so it’s a rare day when I’m rendered at a loss for what to say! My husband would say that’s impossible! 😂 I’m really moved by your kind and supportive recognition of my efforts to help you and that you’re printing out my replies! I feel like a new version of Heloise! Remember her? Joking aside, it’s so rewarding to know I’ve been that much of a help to you! I sometimes fear I come across with all my replies as a little too “in your face” or bossy. But I’m old and I know stuff! 😂. So I share where I can help.
Just like so many of us in Connect, my involvement began when I was searching for information about my own health concerns. In a shameless plug, here are links to 2 articles that will let you in on my personal side. It was like ‘pulling teeth’ to get me to acquiesce to these interviews but I did…so here’s the other side of my dental knowledge with my bone marrow transplant story and one of the young women I mentored through her similar journey.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/newsfeed-post/mayo-clinic-connect-brings-together-2-women-with-leukemia-46-years-apart/
And my personal bio. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/newsfeed-post/ill-take-an-order-of-hope-with-a-side-of-mayo-please/

Ok, that’s enough of my 15 minutes of fame! LOL. Not sure there will be a book coming out any time soon but I am truly humbled by your kind words.

I’m so sorry your hip is bothering you now! I think it might be a good idea to go ahead with that X-ray to see what’s going on. At least you can put the dental woes behind you now…that was a huge weight on your shoulders for a couple of years!

One note, if your gum on the upper left is getting more tender, don’t let that go! It will only continue to get more tender if the denture isn’t adjusted. You’ll have a number of those little touchy spots here and there for a while. Your dentist expects that too so it’s not a bother for you to call and get in for a quick adjustment. We used to sneak those little appointments in between patients.

I’d suggest calling tomorrow so the denture is trimmed before the holiday. When you go for an adjustment, make sure the denture has been in for about 2 hours prior to the appointment so the dentist will be able to see the irritated area…it will appear a little more pinkish or red to him so he’ll know where to trim the denture for relief.

In the meantime, you could try a cushion of the dental adhesive to see if that helps when you wear the denture.
And it’s perfectly ok to keep the denture out for periods of time or all day if needed. Just keep it immersed in water when it’s out of your mouth.
Keep up with the salt water rinses too, they are soothing.

You’re doing everything right, Holly! Slowly you’ll get used to the denture and it’ll start feeling second nature to you. Have you tried any adhesive yet?