- Joined
- Nov 18, 2014
- Messages
- 4,887
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 08/2015
- Country
- US
- State
- South
- City
- The Beach
After a very uncomfortable and painful dental appointment to replace a 40-year old crown today, I decided I need to write another ALS information sheet for dentists. The ALS Awareness Paper would probably not get read and it doesn't really address dentistry and ALS.
When I went for a cleaning last month the X-rays showed I had cavities under two crowns. They wanted to replace them both at once but I explained I couldn't keep my mouth open that long and explained why (some of it has to to with an auto injury and some of it is ALS.) As I reclined in the chair I reminded them that I had a strong gag reflex. The dentist was very careful, telling me exactly what she was doing and exactly how long each thing she did would take. The dental assistant was another story. She shoved so much cotton in my mouth at one time I really thought some of it would go down my throat. I told her I had to spit frequently and the tube she was using wasn't doing it for me. At one point she said, "it's only water, it won't hurt you." When the dentist came back in she made her change the tube, remove most of the cotton and let me spit into a paper towel.
I can't tolerate stimulants so I have to substitute some other numbing agent for novocaine. It only lasts about 20 minutes. The "simple" procedure of removing one crown and putting a temporary crown on took an hour and a half.
So when I return in two weeks I'll have a handout on treating ALS patients who can still tolerate dentistry.
Anyone who wants to make suggestions, please just add them to this thread and I'll compile them and incorporate them into my handout.
Maybe it can be a complete "Dental Health and ALS" sheet. I visited a friend a couple of weeks ago. She has bulbar onset and is on Trilogy about 20 hours a day. She can still walk using her walker and told me the hardest thing for her is brushing her teeth. She insists that her teeth be brushed and flossed twice daily.
Please give me some feedback on what I should include in the handout.
Thanks.
When I went for a cleaning last month the X-rays showed I had cavities under two crowns. They wanted to replace them both at once but I explained I couldn't keep my mouth open that long and explained why (some of it has to to with an auto injury and some of it is ALS.) As I reclined in the chair I reminded them that I had a strong gag reflex. The dentist was very careful, telling me exactly what she was doing and exactly how long each thing she did would take. The dental assistant was another story. She shoved so much cotton in my mouth at one time I really thought some of it would go down my throat. I told her I had to spit frequently and the tube she was using wasn't doing it for me. At one point she said, "it's only water, it won't hurt you." When the dentist came back in she made her change the tube, remove most of the cotton and let me spit into a paper towel.
I can't tolerate stimulants so I have to substitute some other numbing agent for novocaine. It only lasts about 20 minutes. The "simple" procedure of removing one crown and putting a temporary crown on took an hour and a half.
So when I return in two weeks I'll have a handout on treating ALS patients who can still tolerate dentistry.
Anyone who wants to make suggestions, please just add them to this thread and I'll compile them and incorporate them into my handout.
Maybe it can be a complete "Dental Health and ALS" sheet. I visited a friend a couple of weeks ago. She has bulbar onset and is on Trilogy about 20 hours a day. She can still walk using her walker and told me the hardest thing for her is brushing her teeth. She insists that her teeth be brushed and flossed twice daily.
Please give me some feedback on what I should include in the handout.
Thanks.