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Originally Posted by Tart Cherry Jam
@ BeyondtheRainbow, I can definitely relate. I wear our dental work faster than expected. I have many crowns and have had many fillings throughout my life. I have two implants at age 52. In the past when I was severely depressed, my dental hygiene was terrible as I could not even floss. Now it is excellent and my doctor says that my gums are good enough to be placed for display in an exhibition. I floss first thing in the morning, then scrape my tongue, then brush (no rinsing and yes, I use a prescription strength toothpaste) and nothing in the mouth for 30 minutes thereafter. Then I eat breakfast and then I do my waterpik. It would be ideal to add brushing at night but I eat and take meds too close to my bedtime now to do that; maybe in the future it will be possible as an improvement. But either way, the gums are strong with the current regimen.
Some years ago my dentist thought that my issues were a late aftereffect of taking Lithium for some years even though I long stopped. Then her son who is also a dentist and is trained in special techniques did an analysis of my jaw using 3D imagery and determined that there are issues with the positioning of my teeth that cause me to wear out dental work fast. The treatment for these issues is expensive and is not covered by insurance and currently I cannot afford it out of pocket. Also, to undertake his recommended course of treatment I would also need to go to an out-of-network physical therapist which is something that would consume time and money that I do not have. So at present this hypothesis is not leading to an actionable insight, but it offers a competing hypothesis to the one from earlier, i.e. that I wear out dental work fast as a medication side effect. Maybe something similar is happening to you? Again, there is nothing you can do about it, but it is a way to sidestep blaming meds, which we too often do.
PS I grew up in an unfluoridated area and without access to fluoride toothpaste which must have contributed to the number of cavities I had as a child.
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It sounds like you have a routine that really works for you. I just need to get in the habit of using the prescription stuff at night and the waterpik in the morning after I brush.
You did remind me that they said this current crown is needed because of poor alignment with the tooth so that the fillings just won't work. I forgot that but I guess at least this time I have a specific reason that i kept getting cavities in the same spot. They've even replaced the filling without charge once or twice but it still went bad. So I feel like everything that could be done has been done. I have a small mouth and even after orthodontia as a kid things are crowded in there.
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Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD.
Clozapine 250 mg, Emsam 12 mg/day patch, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1600 mg & 100-2 PRN,. 2.5 mg clonazepam., 75 mg Seroquel and 12.5 mg PRNx2 daily
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