Mum has premature menopause and gum disease please help
Q. My Mum has gone in to premature menopause and is now suffering from receding gum disease. She already has a bridge for 70% of her top teeth that she has lost. Apparently the actual jaw bone is rotting and there is nothing for the teeth to hang on to but the teeth themselves are healthy. The remainder of her top teeth are now becoming unstable and her dentist has advised her she will loose them soon and will have to have a denture. This terrifies my Mum who is only 47 years old. Can you advise us of any treatment options to slow her condition down or alternatives to a denture? Implants may not be an option due to the problem being her crumbling jaw bone. She already takes Co Q-10 and Grapeseed Oil to try and strengthen the gum tissue. I would be so very grateful for your help.
A. I am very sorry to read about the problems your mother is having. Your Mum is obviously suffering from something we call chronic adult periodontitis (gum infection with bane loss). This is a difficult disease to control and depends on how far it has progressed to whether anything can be done. From your description it does sound like she is likely to loose the remainder of her upper teeth.
If this happens the 3 options your Mum will have are:
1. denture
2. denture with implants.
3. bridge work with implants.
Although your Mum has probably lost a lot of bone around her teeth this does not usually make implants impossible to place. There are techniques , such as bone grafts, that allow us to create bone to place the implant into. There are some medical conditions which would prevent implant placement but, provided your mother isn’t a smoker and she is reasonably healthy, implants are a great solution.
Kindest regards
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