Humming Bird

zobee, LOL, I hope the scurvy thing doesn't make you start brushing too hard! Yes, it could very well be a sensitivity to the ortho elastics. Sure a true allergy would make the lips swell, but a sensitivity to it would not. I have seen it and the results when the ortho is removed. hmarko, lichen planus ....... that's one I will have to break out the ol text book on. I might have to get back to ya on that one. I have seen some patients with symptoms kind of like that who get it to go away with a simple switch in brands of tooth paste. It's strange how a different brand will do strange things to your saliva and tissues. I'll think on it and look it up though and get back to ya. Do you use an inhaler for asthma?

interesting info Nutrition and bleeding gums can be related. The British Navy found this out when its sailors began developing Scurvy. Scurvy is a deficiency in Vitamin C and in its worse form, Scurvy can cause serious gum bleeding, four odor and even loss of teeth. Fruits and vegetables are rich in Vitamin C. The British Navy added limes which are rich in Vitamin C to the sailor's diets and the problem went away. Today many teenagers do not eat fruits and so have early forms of gum disease related to a deficiency of C. Nutrition and bleeding gums are also related because some foods can cause more periodontal problems that others. Sticky food sticks to the sides of the teeth and feed the bacteria that make placque and calculus. Foods that are high in carbohydrates also are preferred by these bacteria. Vitamin D and Calcium deficiencies also show that nutrition and bleeding gums are related. These deficiencies cause bone loss around the teeth and inflammation in the tissues surrounding the teeth. Eating foods fortified with Vitamin D such as tuna fish and milk can help. Getting some sunshine also helps your body naturally make this vitamin. Calcium is rich in dairy products and this mineral can be supplemented by taking a calcium pill with each meal. There are many controversies concerning the relationship between nutrition and bleeding gums. Recent advances in the interactions of nutrition, host defenses, and infections may lead to more understanding of how periodontal disease develops.

Name***********Starting******Current********Goal******ToGo Astrasmom..............254...............254.................170............84 Babe......................265...............265.................199... .........66 BetsyB...................226.6............226.6...............109..... .......117.6 Brigette..................198...............198.................150... ..........48 lotzasunshine..........247...............246.4..............175....... ......71.4 RandaPanda............194................194.................150...... ......44 TIGGER71G.............224...............224.................130....... ......94 TARASGIRL.............305...............305.................225....... ......80 DANA36.................233...............233.................160...... .......73 Humming Bird.........204...............204..................150..............54

Very cool !! I am so happy for you !! Great success !! You should be doin' the happy dance !!

Just another thought .............. I'm not saying it isn't a deficiency, but just trying to think of other things it could be. In most cases, it is not a deficiency that causes the gums to bleed. It is your body reacting to something. Your earlier example of plaque is a good one, but you do not let the plaque sit on your teeth long enough for that to be the cause. Do you have the style of ortho where they put a little colored rubberband thing around the bracket to hold the wire in the bracket? If so, you could be developing a letex sensitivity/allergy. I have seen this in quite a few ortho patients , who have great oral hygiene, over the years. It would be worth asking the orthodontist about. As soon as the ortho comes off, these patients gums get better quickly. These types of sensitivities/allergies happen over a period of time. Example : a nurse could wear latex gloves for 20 years and then develop an allergy to them and have to switch to wearing another type of gloves. My thoughts are that your body is sending extra blood cells to the area to take care of business. It may not like something about the ortho (happens over time). Bleeding gums is gingivitis. the gingiva= gums, itis = inflamation When there is something in the area of the gingiva that it doesn't like (plaque, latex, popcorn hull...), the body tries to take care of it's self. The white blood cells are part of our body's immune system and they are sent to the area to fight like little pac-man soldiers. There are so many close to the surface, when you brush or floss they get released. If we take away the irritant, the body stops sending the blood cells to they area and the gums no longer bleed.

I agree with you. I do not think it is an oral hygiene problem .... with the OCD and all. LOL I love patients with that type of OCD ! I joke around with patients, friends and family about my own disorder that I call OCFD. (obcessive compulsive flossing disorder)

it really sounds like you are getting enough vits. I was told to take adult chewable Centrum, not flintstones. Maybe that would help. oh, btw, I have been a dental hygienist for many years

<LI itxtvisited="1">People who are deficient in Vitamin C may be at increased risk for periodontal disease. Vitamin C supplements can improve the gum health of those people who have a low vitamin C intake (those who eat few fruits and vegetables). Vitamin C along with flavonoids (300 mg per day of each) have shown to improve gums health in people with gingivitis. <LI itxtvisited="1">A 0.1% solution of folic acid used as a mouth rinse can reduce gum inflammation and bleeding in people with gingivitis. Preliminary evidence has linked gingivitis to a coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency.

Some of it could be the change from quitting smoking. By all means, don't start again. Your tissues get tough from the heat and other things related to smoking. If it is from that, it may take awhile for them to stop.

There are several things that cause bleeding gums. Do you floss at least 1x per day? yes, even with braces. Are you taking any Rx meds? Do you take asprin or ibuprophen? Do you have diabetes? Did you recently stop smoking? How often do you have your teeth cleaned by a hygienist? Has the hygienist told you that you have pockets in the past? Are you a mouth breather?

I had my lapband surgery + hiatal hernia surgery at 1:00pm and was outta there at about 4:30. I am so glad it was outpatient. I've had 3 other surgeries and had 1 baby and I really hate staying at the hospital. Out of the 5 times, I only had to stay twice and convinced the Docs to let me out early both times. I just do so much better with recovery at home.

I think it really depends on how much they put in at each fill. I have seen bansters fill lists that say each fill was 1cc or less. Sometimes even .5cc Plus I think it is so very different depending on things like how thick your stomach wall that is inside the band is. I felt good restriction after my first fill for quite some time. Then I had such good restriction after my second fill, when the appt. for my 3rd rolled around I had to cancel it. I have not set up another fill because I've had tight restriction since September.

A 6' man at 200 lbs would look pretty great !

at 5' 11" and 242 lbs, it gives you a BMI of 33.8 I do not know if you will find a surgeon that will do the surgery with a BMI below 35. From what I understand, most of them say they will do the surgery on people who have a BMI of 40 or more without co-morbidities , and will do the surgery on people with BMIs between 35-40 if there are at least 2 co-morbidities.

Here we are, Jan. 1, 2010. I did not reach onderland yet, but will see it sometime this month. I don't feel bad about it because I took off 11 pounds during the holidays and that is a great thing!

That is such a shame. I am sorry for your loss. At age 20, his son still really needed him still. You are in my thoughts. I agree, vicodin is a dangerous drug. I work in a dental office and am amazed at how many people ask for vicodin Rx and eat them like candy. They put of their dental work and take vicodin. They ask for Rx refills and get very mad when we tell them they can not have another Rx, but need to get the tooth taken care of instead.

wow elfiepoo, that seems so strange to me that your body would just kick in that way after 17 years. I have heard that obesity causes issues with that TOM. Maybe it is a little menaposal hormone thing too. I had a hysterectomy when I was 25 yrs old and have been so happy to never deal with visits from aunt flo. Since then I really have not paid attention to issues related to that or to all the birth control methods that have come out in recent years.

I really hate making new years resolutions, but I am not drinking enough water, so that will be mine. I started making an effort yesterday and resolve to drink more water every day.

I did not do as much research as some people do. I have several friends and family members who have had by-pass and lapband. I had conversations with them. I did a little research online about how the band worked. As far as the surgeon, price was a big part because I do not have health insurance and I did not want to jump through all the hoops insurance companies make you jump through. The surgeon I chose has done many many laproscopic surgeries over the years and many many lapband surgeries. He also did not require all the testing and did not require a visit with a shrink. I am the type of person that does enough research to be informed and don't go overboard. I had already made up my mind that I wanted to be banded before I went for a consult. If I did not like the Dr. at the consult or he did not want to do the surgery on me, I planned to go someplace else. I liked him at the consult. Basically I said, "I'm fat and I need the band." He agreed and we talked about the things we both thought were important. I told him I am the type of person who makes up mind about something and then I do it. He said he was that way too. I asked what his schedule was like and how soon could we do it. He said do Atkins for 2 weeks and then we will do the surgery. In my case I did not have to research it to death. Everything went well and here I am today .... down 60 lbs. !

I've told everyone. All have been very supportive. It works for me. I think people in general are much more negatively judgemental of those who are morbidly obese and are doing nothing about it. Isn't it great that men and women are so different? This world wouldn't be as great if we were the same.

I have this problem too. It must be a nerve thing. If I even take one bite past my full I have a sneeze attack. It seems like sneezing from hay fever. It seems like that is part of my "slime" process.

I agree. My acid reflux was cured during lapband surgery because they did find a hiatal hernia and did the repair. took care of the reflux problem whoo hoo!

you can get one from the lapband site www.lapband.com The card is really nice ... like a credit card and has a picture of the band on it but, the print at the bottom on the back of the card is so tiny you can hardly see it. I also got one of my sergeon's cards where they rubber stamp the request on the back of the card. I have never really used either of the cards. There is nothing on the kids menu that I would want to eat. If I go out I usually order soup or chili.

My doc told me of surgical removal of a pill that had been swallowed whole. But gum is broken down by protein and other foods. You know the trick of breaking down gum with peanut butter when it is stuck in a childs hair ............... by all means don't swallow the gum, but taking pills seems to be much more of a danger.