Two weeks ago I saw an 82 yr old, someone I haven't seen in over 4
years, for a check up.  He came in with a horrific gum condition.
His gums bleed so much that I could not accurately probe him.  He had
very little plaque on his teeth.   A full  mouth series of x-rays were
taken.  Tooth #24 was very loose so I extracted it on fear that he
might swallow it.  Radiographs revealed that #29 and #14 had severe
bone loss.  It has been years since I have seen someone I could not
probe because of all the blood.  It also hurt him when probing.

I had last seen this gentlemen about 5 years ago.   I had done a root
canal and some restorative work for him, and his gums and periodontal
condition were fine back then.

My first question, do you have diabetes, and he said he has had it for
the last ten years and  that he  controls it by diet, nothing more.
I test my sugars once a day and I go to the doctor regularly.

Well, I said take this prescription, tetracycline 250mg,  four times a
day for two weeks, and come back  for scaling and evaluation.

He back yesterday, for a scaling and root planing.  His gum almost
didn't bleed.  Probing didn't hurt.

I asked him if he knew what his A1c (Glycohemoglobin) was? He said he
didn't know.

Well, all I knew was that the tetracycline was a miracle for this
gentleman.

....David DiBenedetto, DMD,   author of "Insider's guide to gum
disease, orthodontics and dentistry.  What is not  taught in dental
school."

Dear Dr. Dave,
    I'm not a doctor, don't even have a valid
first aid card. That said..... I've heard that
calcium deficiency can cause all kinds of havoc
with blood vessels. Leads to nose bleeds for
example. I wonder if that's a problem? Maybe a
calcium based antacid every day? Can't hurt.
    In any case, sounds like the tetracyclene
helped. Wonder if he had some kind of infection?

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
  www.lds.org
.

news:658c30e2-392a-4e7a-b585-9a11453d70bc@g28g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...
Two weeks ago I saw an 82 yr old, someone I
haven't seen in over 4
years, for a check up.  He came in with a horrific
gum condition.
His gums bleed so much that I could not accurately
probe him.  He had
very little plaque on his teeth.   A full  mouth
series of x-rays were
taken.  Tooth #24 was very loose so I extracted it
on fear that he
might swallow it.  Radiographs revealed that #29
and #14 had severe
bone loss.  It has been years since I have seen
someone I could not
probe because of all the blood.  It also hurt him
when probing.

I had last seen this gentlemen about 5 years ago.
I had done a root
canal and some restorative work for him, and his
gums and periodontal
condition were fine back then.

My first question, do you have diabetes, and he
said he has had it for
the last ten years and  that he  controls it by
diet, nothing more.
I test my sugars once a day and I go to the doctor
regularly.

Well, I said take this prescription, tetracycline
250mg,  four times a
day for two weeks, and come back  for scaling and
evaluation.

He back yesterday, for a scaling and root planing.
His gum almost
didn't bleed.  Probing didn't hurt.

I asked him if he knew what his A1c
(Glycohemoglobin) was? He said he
didn't know.

Well, all I knew was that the tetracycline was a
miracle for this
gentleman.

....David DiBenedetto, DMD,   author of "Insider's
guide to gum
disease, orthodontics and dentistry.  What is not
taught in dental
school."

Hey Sista,

If you are around late Sunday afternoon or early evening, give me a call on
my cell phone.

Would like to chat and catch up.

--
::::
Amatus Cremona
;;;;;;

news:jf20p5h92r5bl82dstrihi9mbt5ofe781p@4ax.com...

On Mar 4, 8:45 am, "Stormin Mormon"

Dear Chris,

I do not think that calcium deficiency will cause bleeding problems.
If anything, tetracycline may bind to calcium to prevent absorption.
We do know that calcium channel blockers( and I also believe potassium
and magnesium channel blockers ) have effect on collagen synthesis in
the gingiva.

How does tetracycline work so dramatically?   What are the possible
mechanisms?

(1)  tetracycline interferes with a hormone that causes capillary
fragility ....possible since we know that antibiotics prevent oral
contraceptives from working

(2) tetracycline lowers inflammation.    We know this is true.

(3) tetracycline is an antibiotic and thus kills certain bacteria.

(4)  tetracycline prevents collagenases from working.

(5)  tetracycline helps the body regulate blood sugars.   Studies have
shown this.

David DiBenedetto, DMD

I've heard of the chelation effect, tetracyclene plus milk
for example. Sounds like as with many medications. The
pathways and effect aren't totally understood. However, the
fact that it helped was what counts.

Thanks for revealing your inner personality, in your polite
and thoughtful reply.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
  www.lds.org
.

news:f5f2fc02-cc80-4417-a67e-a5cb3c0caa36@z4g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
Dear Chris,

I do not think that calcium deficiency will cause bleeding
problems.
If anything, tetracycline may bind to calcium to prevent
absorption.
We do know that calcium channel blockers( and I also believe
potassium
and magnesium channel blockers ) have effect on collagen
synthesis in
the gingiva.

How does tetracycline work so dramatically?   What are the
possible
mechanisms?

(1)  tetracycline interferes with a hormone that causes
capillary
fragility ....possible since we know that antibiotics
prevent oral
contraceptives from working

(2) tetracycline lowers inflammation.    We know this is
true.

(3) tetracycline is an antibiotic and thus kills certain
bacteria.

(4)  tetracycline prevents collagenases from working.

(5)  tetracycline helps the body regulate blood sugars.
Studies have
shown this.

David DiBenedetto, DMD