Lifesavers for Latasha

Most people don’t have to worry about infections when they have dental work done. I, on the other hand, have had to be pre-medicated with antibiotics before any dental procedure, including regular dental cleanings.

Because of my congenital heart disease, I am at a higher risk of having bacteria enter my bloodstream and causing an infection.

As a child, I would have to take antibiotics one hour before my dental appointment and again four hours after my appointment. I hated going to the dentist because of this. It seemed to take me forever to swallow all the pills before and after the appointments. Thankfully, things have changed to where I now need to take antibiotics before my appointment only. So, one hour before my appointment, I take four huge capsules totaling 2000 mg of antibiotics.

When I was intubated in 2016, I don’t know if I fought it or if they struggled to get the tubing in, but my top and bottom front teeth were knocked loose.

My dentist at the time thought I would have to get dental implants. That became a whole thing, though, because they said I didn’t have enough bone to hold the implants. They talked about having bone grafts to build my gums up enough to hold the implants. That did not sound like anything I wanted to have done.

In the meantime, they wanted me to see a periodontist to have my gums cleaned to see if that would help. In a periodontal cleaning, they do one side of the mouth in each session. They have to numb that side of the mouth, because they will be cleaning deep under the gums. A few days later, you go back to have the other side done.

I ended up having to have the periodontal cleanings done a couple of times. In between them, I had dental cleanings every three months, until my teeth finally started to stabilize again.

I am just now, after almost 7 years of my teeth being knocked loose, getting back to a regular six-month dental cleaning routine. My teeth are still a little loose, but nowhere like they were when I thought I would need dental implants. My top and bottom teeth have shifted a lot, though, so they hit each other now, which is very annoying and sometimes uncomfortable. So much for having braces twice! At this point, though, I’m just glad to still have my teeth.

And, since I do have my teeth, I had to get my dentist to clear me for the transplant. As part of the transplant evaluation, it is mandatory that a dentist gives clearance. When I started this journey, I never would have thought my teeth would play a part in it. In order to be listed for a heart and lung transplant, though, you can’t have any major dental issues. If you do, those have to be addressed before they will list you.

Thankfully, I’ve had dental insurance that allowed me to have all those extra cleanings to get my teeth stabilized again. We did have to pay out-of-pocket for the periodontal cleanings, but I’m glad I went ahead and did those when I did. Otherwise, I may not have been approved and listed for transplant.