Dentist or dental students w/ osteo or rheumatoid arthritis

[jeanniebluebird]

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I am wondering if any of you are dealing with or know any dentists who have osteoarthritis pain or rheumatoid arthritis. My brother is going to apply to dental school and was thinking he may have arthritis. I am entering this fall to d-school and i am also feeling some stiffness in my lower right thumb joint and am concerned.

Please share your experiences! I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Biogirl361]

wow, i'm sorry 🙁 I don't know anyone in dental school with RA but i can tell you that drilling, waxing, and a lot of other clinical stuff involves a LOT of fine finger movement and when working in certain areas of the mouth my (normal) hands and fingers get huge cramps... I'd definitly be concerned and at least entertain ideas of other fields you'd be interested in, if you are already diagnosed with RA.

 

[oldboy]

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

Don't stress until you have been diagnosed. Lots of people have health issues that may or may not impair their ability to do their jobs. You should go forward and pursue your dental education with determination and confidence. If things go awry along the way, you'll do whatever is best for you. There are lots of things you can do with a dental degree that don't involve 8 hours a day of dextrous manipulation, i.e. research, teaching, oral/maxillofacial radiology, dental public health, etc... Focus on the positives and don't obsess about a problem that may or may not be.

When you start, I'd invest in some disability insurance. If you're planning on getting it checked out, try to get the disability insurance first...

The other poster is right though. That's a great feature of dentistry as a whole. If I'd lose my hand and not be able to practice in OMFS, I could easily transition into Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. There are lots of fall-backs in dentistry.

Just to get you prepared, and not to take anything away from RA, everyone has days where they come home aching. Whether it's your back, hands, forearms, neck, ass (kidding). Aches and pains are part of the job. Exercise and use of arthritic joints is a highly stressed preventative measure for the disease--practicing dentistry may end up being beneficial.

 

[jeanniebluebird]

THanks for the replies so far. I just wanted to clear up that I havent been diagnosed with RA

I was concerned about some slight swelling and minor pain that ive noticed over the past few days, but i think like you guys said i am probably jumping the gun a bit. I am thinking that it may just go away on its own. I am seeing a doctor about my concerns.

 

[QCkid]

edited

ANy one else with experiences or advice?

I find that excercise helps a lot. Without excerise the pain becomes difficult to manage even with heavy pain killers, but with excersize, the arthritis may not even be noticeable. I work out lightly with machines just to keep the range of motion and keep the muscles strong. I think that both are important. I also use the crosstrainer. On top of that I take supplements that contain condroitin, hyaluronic acid, MSM, and glucosamine. At the end of the day, joint replacements will be unavoidable unless their have been some technological breakthroughs. It is important to hold out as long as possible, since joint replacements have a limited life span and it becomes increasingly difficult to replace them when they wear out. Most people may only be good for 2 or 3.

As for treating RA, Corticosteroids and gold salts have been commonly used in the past. Recently anti-alpha TNF has been used with some success and may be promising.

 

[kylie]

I am truly sorry to hear of your brother's problem as well as yours. I had some terrible problems with swelling and aching joints several months before I entered dental school, but no one diagnosed me. I visited doctors of varying specialties, and my serology was negative, so they really had nothing to go on. After suffering for months, the pain all of a sudden stopped. From May to the end of September the year of my matriculation, I did not have any pain. As a matter of fact, I was pain free until we started drawing/carving teeth in Tooth Morphology. Then...well, it was all downhill from there. I had pain not only in my knuckles, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, but I also had it in my neck. The daily labor of laboratory activities took its toll on me. I managed to get through the first semester's basic sciences, but I had to take an "I" in my dental science course. During the second semester, things only got worse for me. However, towards the end of April, I found a Rheumatologist who diangosed me with a classic "paper" case of RA because I had all the symtoms, but negative serology. So, I was put on all the so called RA drugs, and they helped to some extent, but the pain did not lessen. So, I made the decision to withdraw from dental school and my school granted me administrative withdrawal from the remainder of my courses due to my problem. I ended up moving back home...depressed no doubt...still in pain, but not as bad. It was very difficult trying to learn anatomy, tooth morphology, occlusion, neuroscience, microbiology, and more while in terrible pain...in addition to trying to finish the lab work from the 1st and 2nd semesters, keeping in mind that I did not receive any relief from my pain until April. I am a truly optimistic person, but sometimes you must look at ALL your options. The person who mentioned liability insurance in dead on...it is a must. The dean at my school told me that I would HAVE to take precautions since I have a diagnosed condition.

So, years later, after teaching English at a community college, eating very, very healthy (mostly natural diet and very little sugar), taking Glucosamine, exercising, using various rubs and therapies, and never fogetting my desire to work in the dental sciences, I am waiting to get cleared to return to dental school. I just wanted to post that although you (or anyone) may have some obstacles, a "handicap" can be overcome if you are diligent and recognize the signs your body gives. You just have to find what works for you. As for me, I am trying to get through school so I can teach in the dental field. There are so many things one can do if the hands will not allow him/her to practice day-in, day-out dentistry tasks. Best wishes to you and your brother, and please do not hesistate to contact me if you need any advice. Take care

 

[L8DYV]

RA. wow. I wish you and your brother the best of luck!