The Drs: Mysterious Medical Condition
The Doctors heard from a man whose teeth were completely destroyed by the medication he’s been taking for a medical condition. (flovie / Shutterstock.com)
The Doctors heard from a man named Tony who shared that after he graduated high school, he had a really great job and was a member of a band. One night, he got home and noticed he had rings on his forearms. He had blood work and biopsies done, but everything disappeared from his arms and went to his calves. The single bump turned into many red, pus-filled bumps, and he was told that he had a staph infection. He had ulcers all over his feet that would tear, and at one point the pain got to be so severe that he collapsed on the stairs.
The dermatologist put him on all sorts of medications, including steroids and blood thinners. After seven years, he was finally diagnosed with Livedoid Vasculopathy, which is a rare disease that causes severe thrombosis and ulcerations of the lower extremities. There is no cure for the disease.
The Drs: Teeth Destroyed By Medication
Tony then shared that he always had perfect teeth, but one day he noticed that he had a chip in his two front teeth. He also noticed that his teeth were becoming rubbery, and realized that all the medications he had been taking had rotted his teeth. He lost most of his teeth and can’t even stand to look in the mirror.
Tony then met Sharlene online, and Sharlene said she didn’t even notice that he didn’t have any teeth, and loves his just as he is. Tony wants to propose, but doesn’t want to do it looking like he does.
The Drs: Meth Mouth Without Doing Drugs
The Doctors sent Tony to see a dentist to see if there was anything that could be done to help his teeth. Dr Kourosh Maddahi explained that although Tony has never done drugs, he has “meth mouth.” He explained that taking narcotics day after day has attacked his tooth structure. Dr Maddahi explained that the nerves in his mouth have died and he has infections all around his teeth, which makes things complicated.
Dr Parvaz Mizrahi is an oral surgeon who looked at Tony and explained that he has a lot of irreversible damage in his mouth. She said the bone is recessed and pretty much gone, and he doesn’t have a good quality of bone. Dr Maddahi said it’s one of the worst cases he’s ever seen.
The Drs: Deadly Dental Infection
The Doctors welcomed the two dentists, Tony, and his girlfriend Sharlene to the show. Dr Maddahi explained that Tony’s case is much more complicated and severe than he ever thought it was initially. He said there are 32 broken and infected teeth, and the infection is growing into his bone and sinus, getting close to the nerves of the jaw. He said normally when you see a case like Tony’s, you have to treat the infection.
Dr Maddahi explained that treating Tony could actually be fatal because his medical condition exposes him to the risk of blood clots, and during surgery, he could have blood clots that can cause heart attack, stroke, or pulmonary embolisms. Basically, if they treat him it could be fatal, but if they don’t, it could be fatal.
The Drs: Surprise For Man With Broken Teeth
They had to enlist the help of multiple specialists to figure out what to do. Dr Maddahi said Tony is incredibly lucky that he wrote in to the show when he did. He’s confident that he can be safely treated and given back the smile and teeth that he had before. Even better news is that the procedures would be done free of charge, because the cost can be well over $100,000.
Dr Mizrahi said as an oral surgeon, she’s seen many mouths like Tony’s, but most of them are drug abusers with meth mouth. Tony has never abused drugs in his life, but the condition was caused by the chronic use of narcotics he takes to treat his medical condition. She said it’s a challenging case, but it’s not impossible.
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