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Monday, January 31, 2011

Teeth, bones, Osteo and calcium

I've always had poor teeth and soft bones.  That is fact.  Now, in my mid 50s, I'm a borderline osteo patient.  So when I decided to have all this work done it was imperative that the bones would heal around the implants.  Having sold my soul for this procedure, or actually, remortgaged myself up to my "teeth", I figured I'd better ensure my investment.  Load up on Calcium!  That in itself is an enormous undertaking.  You cannot take oral calcium without food.  Mind you, most oral calcium is calcium carbonate, i.e. derived from shell matter, which results in writhing agony unless you eat hearty.  So there I was, popping one of these horse pills with every meal - taking 3 times the normal amount, but only half as much more as the "Normal" person on the precipice of osteo.  For the record, I've never eaten 3 squares a day which was an undertaking in itself.  Required discipline, too!  I was so pleased with myself, despite that I was walking an extra 45 minutes every night in the freezing cold to work off the excess calories.  When I next saw my surgeon I was delighted to tell him my endeavours of the calcium.  Well, seems I'm not quite as brilliant as I thought.  My surgeon, Dan the Darling, as I've now come to think of him, advised me that too much calcium, particularly calcium carbonate, can cause long-term kidney problems if taken in more than adequate doses. Can't I do anything right????  In "right" I mean, proactive?  Is there nothing I can do to assist my prognosis and final result?  Apparently more research is in order!  Will keep you posted.

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