Osteopenia? What the heck???

[321Marie]

Oh boy... I went for a bone mineral density test today and was shocked to hear that I was approximately (as the official report isn't in yet) a -2. The reason I am soooooo surprised is because I am PRE-menopausal (I'm 45) and have not entered menopause yet. I know osteopenia/osteoporosis is very common POST menopause, but lucky lucky me.

So.....now I'm wondering if I should take a different approach when it comes to my teeth. I posted about that last week and really appreciated your replies. It appeared that my bone loss in my mouth was due to smoking (I know, very stupid), and a couple people suggested that maybe I need to take better care of my teeth. To make it brief, I'll just say that I have taken care of my teeth, so was totally shocked when the dentist mentioned bone loss in my gums.

So because I'm on the verge of having osteoporosis, should I now be leaning towards getting dentures? I'm just not sure what the heck to think and would really really appreciate your thoughts on this whole mess.

Here is the link to my previous post on this board.

http://www.studentdoctor.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46026

Thanks so much!!!

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[UBTom]

Hi,

Unless you have some form of severe periodontitis (inflammation of the tissues surrounding your teeth and attachment loss so severe that your teeth becomes very mobile) or some other serious oral condition that requires full-mouth extraction, I don't see any reason why you should get dentures anytime soon.

The trick is to deal yourself all the cards. Eat a good diet with recommended levels of vitamins and minerals that aid bone health like vitamin D and calcium. Find out more about your osteopenia/osteoporosis diagnosis and how to manage it. Quit smoking. Regular dental cleanings, proper brushing and flossing, etc. Assuming the best case scenario, you might be able to keep your teeth into the 70s or 80s and beyond.

Just about all I can recommend with limited data.. So take it with the obligatory grain of salt and all..