What would cause a person to have multiple cavities and teeth that tend to break?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a female. My mother and I have the same dental issues. My teeth have cavities, and they break.

Other medical issues are acid reflux, fear of vomiting, anxiety at the dentist (I usually get prescribed a particular Benzodiazepine when I go), PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) is unrelated to dentistry.

I was born missing five or six adult teeth, while my mom was born missing four teeth. My mom eventually had to have all of her teeth crowned. Recently, she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and we are waiting for a geneticist to see what specific type. Congenitally missing teeth is a common trait of people with EDS, and with that and a few other symptoms in mind, it is highly suspected that I have it too. I had mid-wisdom teeth removal and dental stitches several times with no issues. I also have TMJ disorder and clench my teeth, but I do not know if I grind them at night.

The point is that my teeth are doomed. Since we now know, I would have to go in and rebuild all teeth in my mouth. My dentist recommended I look into getting implants. The top arch of my mouth is especially bad, and it hurts. I have a plan for my mouth, but unfortunately, the soonest I can do this procedure is around February. I do not know which teeth are hurting me, and even if I did, I could not afford to fix these teeth just in the interim.

So how can I deal with this pain while waiting for this procedure?

I have strong pain tolerance, but my current baseline is about two. However, it can suddenly spike up to an eight, causing me to continuously take four Ibuprofen and two Acetaminophen pills every six hours (my doctor said it is safe). I do not want to take any opioids if possible because most do not work for me for the whole four to six hours, and asking for stronger drugs raises suspicions, and I also do not want to be addicted to pain medicines.

Is there anything I can do besides clove oil, OTC painkillers, and Benzocaine?

And if the answer is no, could a dentist do anything other than prescribe painkillers?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your question, and I can understand your concern.

Dental pain is usually non-localized because the brain's pain center can not identify the same, so the pain looks like the one you feel.

Now coming to your query, you need to answer certain questions like;

Do you have cavities in your teeth, the painful ones?
As you said, you have missing teeth. But are they symmetrical (missing from both sides or only single)?
Upload the picture of your arches, both upper and lower, and mention precisely the questions too.

The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) pain and a clicking sound are also because of malocclusion and missing teeth. The stress you have on muscles of mastication also gives you severe pain.

You may need antibiotics and muscle relaxants because NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) painkillers alone are not the treatment for such complicated situations.

EDS (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) will not hamper your normal life, especially when cardiovascular and visual systems are unaffected.

Thank you.