CLL and slow healing following dental work

Posted by justinesmith @justinesmith, Aug 3 2:13pm

I am in w and w with cll and up till now have not experienced problems with immunity. I recently had a tooth extraction which became infected with an overgrowth of tissue. The oral surgeon had to cut away the tissue, scrape the bone and prescribe antiobiotics. The dentist said I would not be a candidate for any future extractions due to "slow healing". I also take reclast (one infusion 2 and one half years ago) for osteoporosis). So the dentist (this is a dental school) said I could not have an implant either due to slow healing and Reclast (biophosphate drug). (I posted on bone support group also) I really don't know if this is a cll issue due to being immune compromised, aging (age 75) or due to Reclast. It was tooth number 14 which was extracted. Tooth 15 was already missing aas was one below so it is hard to chew. Any thoughts on how to boost immunity and healing with cll or is this a biophospahte problem?

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Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Aug 10 4:59pm

Hi Justine, Just checking in to see how the extraction site is healing now. I’m not quite understanding the comment about the overgrowth of tissue and the infection. Was it classified as osteonecrosis? Hopefully behind you now.

It may be difficult to actually pinpoint the culprit with the healing of your extraction. CLL, since it is a type of blood cancer, may possibly be impacting the robustness of your immune system which could slow the healing. Reclast, being a biphosphonate formula to help with bone loss can also interfere with bone healing after an extraction. So this is a good question for your oral surgeon or your hematologist.

I’m sure the experience left you a little rattled though for any possible major dental treatment and having implants to restore #14 & #15 would most likely not be an option for you. However in situations like this, a partial denture could give you a decent replacement for those missing teeth so you can chew again. It wouldn’t involve removal of teeth or modification of the tissue.

As far as boosting immunity when you have a blood cancer/condition, basically it’s the usual recommendations of eating healthy with nutritious foods, plenty of water, good sleep habits and avoiding situations which expose you to illness.

What has your doctor recommended for replacement of the missing teeth?

justinesmith | @justinesmith | Aug 11 12:30pm

In reply to @loribmt "Hi Justine, Just checking in to see how the extraction site is healing now. I’m not..." + (show)

Thank you for the reply. The oral surgeon said that the overgrowth of tissue was my body's reaction to the infection. The bone was not involved so I don't think it was from the Reclast. The dentist also said I would not be a candidate for an extraction in the future due to slow healing of the extraction site. Since I posted this, I had a consultation with a Naturopath. He said my blood tests indicate that I can fight off infection and am not immune compromised and the slow healing might be due to not enough protein or zinc in my diet. Yes, I am looking into the removable partial denture that you take in and out for eating. I have also had another crown break on the right side and the dentist thought that was from chewing so much on one side.

Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Aug 11 1:03pm

In reply to @justinesmith "Thank you for the reply. The oral surgeon said that the overgrowth of tissue was my..." + (show)

It’s great news to hear you’re not immune-compromised and also that the infection wasn’t involving the bone.

A note about the partial denture. While it is removable, it’s designed to replace the missing teeth and generally left in the mouth for eating. That would help to distribute the biting surface for your chewing without focusing on one side. Is your dentist recommending that the partial be removed for eating?

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