Antidepressants Blog

Of the 40 million Americans who have lost all their teeth, half make do with removable false teeth, and half are pitiable unfortunates unable to bite, chew, or gum any food whose texture is much harder than that of soggy macaroni. Their dental agony now can end.

After decades of work on tooth implantation by scientists here and abroad, you can be given new teeth as good-looking as those that once brightened your youthful smile. Dentists now can screw or tap special metal anchors into the jawbone. The bone grows onto the metal, forming a tight bond. Then the anchors -in the shape of blades, cylinders, or screws -become one piece with the bone and can be used to implant a single artificial tooth or a whole mouthful.

Even better news: Since the cost of the new procedure has been decreasing, dental implantation is becoming available to more and more Americans. Implanting a full mouth of teeth once cost between 20,000 and 40,000 dollars -and it still does in several big cities. But residents in many other areas are finding lower prices, often ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 dollars, depending on what needs to be done.

“It’s the best thing I ever did -the best money I ever spent,” says Earl Beer. Mr. Beer, 62, is a salesman and my fellow tennis player in New York. His implantation cost him 13,500 dollars. “My whole life has changed,” he adds with a big grin.

Mr. Beer also is a gourmet chef who loves food. He remembers suffering the horrors of an upper denture that didn’t fit, that slid around his mouth when he tried to eat foods like steak or hard fruits. And he recalls how the false teeth hurt and made him feel bad about himself. Four years ago, he replaced his loose upper dentures with implanted teeth.

“Look,” he says, tapping his teeth with a finger. “All new – and solid as a rock. I can eat anything: apples, celery. I don’t even know I have them. People say I look good, but they don’t know exactly why.”

Dr. Dennis Tarnow, head of the Department of Implant Dentistry at New York University in Manhattan, says, “Implantation is one of the most important dental developments of this generation or even of the 20th century. Millions of people will live better.”

A healthy tooth is fixed in the jawbone by its root. The jawbone and root are held together by living tissue. If bacteria rots a tooth to the point where the dentist can make no more repairs, the tooth must be extracted. More commonly today, in a mouth that is not given good hygiene, germs attack the gums, disrupting the bonding among tooth, root, and jawbone. The root separates from the bone; the tooth loosens and may fall out. Most people lose teeth through gum disease, not through cavities. Teeth can be replaced by bridges, crowns, dentures, and now implants. Only money -not science or technology -bars the way to tooth implantation for most people.

Dentists down through the ages tried unsuccessfully to substitute animal teeth for human teeth. About 100 years ago, dentists learned how to make porcelain teeth, still popular today. For many, dentures proved their salvation; but for millions, the discomfort and pain of dentures made them a burden.

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Acute glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the glomeruli) frequently follows a streptococcic infection of the respiratory tract or scarlet fever. It is seen most often in children or young adults. During the acute stage of the illness, there is nausea, vomiting, fever, hypertension, hematuria, and oliguria. The appetite is usually very poor and little is gained by forcing food when the gastrointestinal symptoms are present. The fluid intake is usually restricted. The fluid allowance may be taken in the form of fruit juices, fruit ices, ginger ale, sweetened weak tea, or high-carbohydrate low-electrolyte supplements. Even these small amounts of carbohydrate help to reduce tissue breakdown.

As soon as the patient is able to eat, a diet providing about 0.5 gm protein per kg for adults (up to 0.75 gm per kg for children) and sufficient calories to maintain weight is given. Most of the protein should be obtained from milk and eggs. Protein foods of low biologic value such as peas, Lima beans, dried peas and beans, nuts, peanut butter, and gelatin are omitted. Sodium restriction is not necessary except when edema is present. Potassium restriction is usually not required. Chronic glomerulonephritis may be present in a latent stage for years before symptoms are detected. When the kidney function is below 20 to 10 per cent of normal, the patient begins to complain of headache, fatigue, nocturia, and sometimes blurring of the vision. Hypertension, proteinuria and hematuria may also be present.

Sufficient nutrients to meet body requirements are of utmost importance so that the sense of well-being can be maintained as long as possible. Anemia is relatively common and persistent. Iron salts are usually prescribed, but they do not always correct the anemia.

If the blood urea is only moderately high, about 60 to 70 gm protein are included daily with particular emphasis upon sources of high biologic value. If there is proteinuria, the daily protein intake should be increased by the amount lost in the urine.

Sodium restriction is not necessary except when there is edema, but some physicians routinely prescribe mild restriction. Because the kidneys are unable to concentrate urine, the fluid and sodium losses can be high. Such losses must be corrected by adequate intakes of fluid and sodium. In these patients a sodium-restricted diet could lead to body loss of sodium, weakness, nausea, and shock.

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