Hello, I saw my dentist this morning and informed him of my recent changes. Though it was pretty apparent when I came in with a skirt on!
Anyway, I'm on spiro and estradiol and he said that when you take hormones you have to really watch your mouth and any decay or plaque buildup. Hormones are also responsible for how the body responds to bacteria. He told me I really need to brush well and floss twice a day. Just thought I'd spread the message. You may end up with a beautiful body and face that matches your gender but a set of teeth that are just plain disgusting!
I would respectfully disagree that being on HRT would drastically affect your decay rate.
It does however, make common sense to look after your teeth with a few simple rules as dental work can be expensive if things get out of control. Transition costs are high enough without having to worry about preventable problems.
1. Teeth cleaned before bedtime (floss and brush)! The mouth dries out when you're asleep so there's no saliva protecting them so anything left on them when you go to sleep has hours on end to rot.
2. Watch the frequency of naughty stuff - it's not the quantity that's important - it takes the mouth an hour to clear sugars/acids after eating or drinking
3. If you notice something happening in your mouth, get it checked immediately (even if it goes away) - particularly if you've had sensitivity to cold/hot or sweet things. Better a small filling than a root canal and crown or even worse, having a tooth removed.
Common medications that would affect your decay rate:
1. Psychotropic drugs (antidepressants etc)
2. Corticosteroids
3. Blood pressure tablets - I'll give him spiro as a maybe - if the diuretic effect is high enough to cause your mouth to dry out
4. Chemotherapy drugs
5. Alcohol (dehydrates you, acidic, contains sugars)
The list goes on, but those are the most common.
There is another reason to look after your teeth too.
Mitral Valve Disease.
Short version- One of the bugs that lives in the mouth also likes to take up residence in heart valves, where it secretes sugars. Pieces of this can break off and migrate throughout the body, including the brain where they can cause strokes. Nasty.
It happened to one of my son's ex-girlfriends, in her early twenties, and nearly killed her.
So, look after your choppers.
Karen.
Quote from: Hippolover25 on August 21, 2012, 01:48:58 PM
Anyway, I'm on spiro and estradiol and he said that when you take hormones you have to really watch your mouth and any decay or plaque buildup. Hormones are also responsible for how the body responds to bacteria. He told me I really need to brush well and floss twice a day. Just thought I'd spread the message. You may end up with a beautiful body and face that matches your gender but a set of teeth that are just plain disgusting!
This was one of the first things my HRT doc informed me of when it comes to comorbids.
Thanks for sharing