Well, we haven't seen her yet, but she's in recovery. Here's what we know:
A. Her teeth are a mess, but they were able to put 4 caps on some of the bad teeth, they pulled one that was unsalvageable, and they did one gigantic filling. The rest of the dental work will have to be done in a dental chair, but this should start the reversal process of the horrible decay in her mouth.
B. The cheekbone is vital! There was no dead bone in there, on either side. All he found was some soft bone cement that he was able to scrape off, but he found no dead bone.
Conclusions: Though the dental team did not feel they found anything that could be identified as the source of the infection, Dr. Siddiqi, the surgeon, is certain that the teeth were the source of her pain because he found nothing in the cheekbone that was "bad bone."
Next steps: Infectious disease will grow the cultures to see where the bone infections stands, and adjust the antibiotics to more specifically target the bugs. We'll let the infection resolve completely, and then start looking at what we can do to build up her dental bone such that she can eventually be fitted with a dental prosthesis, as she will most likely lose all her teeth in the end. Actually, a prosthesis may be the best overall solution because it would allow the creation of a good chewing surface, which is something she hasn't had all her life.
We are relieved about the fact there is no mushy bone! Yeah! Your prayers and ours have been answered. She will be very swollen the next two days - even to the point of her eyes swelling shut.
A. Her teeth are a mess, but they were able to put 4 caps on some of the bad teeth, they pulled one that was unsalvageable, and they did one gigantic filling. The rest of the dental work will have to be done in a dental chair, but this should start the reversal process of the horrible decay in her mouth.
B. The cheekbone is vital! There was no dead bone in there, on either side. All he found was some soft bone cement that he was able to scrape off, but he found no dead bone.
Conclusions: Though the dental team did not feel they found anything that could be identified as the source of the infection, Dr. Siddiqi, the surgeon, is certain that the teeth were the source of her pain because he found nothing in the cheekbone that was "bad bone."
Next steps: Infectious disease will grow the cultures to see where the bone infections stands, and adjust the antibiotics to more specifically target the bugs. We'll let the infection resolve completely, and then start looking at what we can do to build up her dental bone such that she can eventually be fitted with a dental prosthesis, as she will most likely lose all her teeth in the end. Actually, a prosthesis may be the best overall solution because it would allow the creation of a good chewing surface, which is something she hasn't had all her life.
We are relieved about the fact there is no mushy bone! Yeah! Your prayers and ours have been answered. She will be very swollen the next two days - even to the point of her eyes swelling shut.
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