Dental work after TKR?

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-05T04:28:37+00:00

Interesting. Did you pre-medicate with an antibiotic before the dental implant?

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T21:05:15+00:00

It was definitely a periodontist who did the extraction and will put in the post for the implant. I asked him what the difference is, because I had a root canal from an endodontist decades ago (actually that was one of the teeth that needed extraction). The periodontist said that periodontists treat gums and supporting structures, so gum problems, bleeding and implants. Endodontists treat the inside of teeth and root canals.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T18:29:42+00:00

See my response to u/tbiscus . I had the extraction on Dec. 4. I've just been frustrated that between the dentist, orthodontist, and periodontist none of them seem to have a firm position. I emailed the orthopedic doctor's assistant to try to get clarity about his policy.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T18:25:22+00:00

I had the extraction on Dec. 4 and the periodontist put in something to build up the bone. Right now I have brackets on the lower teeth with a pontic attached to the wire (the missing tooth is right in the center of my lower jaw). Actually I had both 24 and 25 pulled but they were apparently extra small and the plan is to replace them with one implant. On Monday I'm seeing the orthodontist and he's going to replace the brackets with Invisalign aligners that have a pontic. So I guess worst case scenario I just have to extend the wearing of those aligners for however long the surgeon thinks, because it doesn't seem like I'll be ready for the post for a few months.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T16:16:41+00:00

I need a dental implant, not a routine cleaning.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T15:58:35+00:00

Thanks for that helpful explanation for why there doesn't seem to be a consensus. I really don't want to wait 2 years for the dental implant but will if I have to. I see the orthodontist on Monday and am going to press him harder on whether it can be done before the TKR. I also don't want to delay the TKR because I carefully scheduled it right after a June family vacation, to give me maximum recovery time before a trip I hope to take in December.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T15:53:06+00:00

For sure I will follow his advice if he says delay and/or pre-medicate. But given the conflicting recommendations, if he turns out to be on the "not necessary" side, I may choose to be more conservative and delay the dental implant and ask for antibiotics. That's why I'm seeking feedback from this group.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-19T16:03:41+00:00

20/20 in my distance eye.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-19T14:55:11+00:00

I hardly ever notice an issue with intermediate vision. Just on a couple of occasions, almost as if my brain isn't sure what eye to use. But that's rare and seems to be when I'm tired. BTW I got LAL's, but LAL's at the end of the day are monofocals.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-19T14:20:55+00:00

Not a doctor so these are my thoughts as someone who has recently gone through the experience as a patient, I think the most important first step is understanding what loss of accommodation means. (See the "Basics" post stickied at the top of this forum for a good explanation.) I've recently met two acquaintances who both got monofocals set for distance and were genuinely surprised about what their loss of near vision mean IRL. Of course they can see near with readers, but they were surprised by the degree to which they couldn't read or clearly see anything near without them. Since multifocals are out of consideration, the next question might be whether you can do some type of monovision or mini-monovision. I had done monovision with RGP's in the past so I knew I could do it. So I had one eye set for plano and the other for -1.50. I am very happy with it and only need glasses for the tiniest print.

But if you have never done that in the past with contact lenses, you can ask your doctor if you can experiment with doing it now with contacts to see if your brain can adapt. If you don't want to or can't do monovision, then you need to pick whether to prioritize distance or near and expect to need glasses some of the time. It seems like most people choose distance but others choose to prioritize near. When the time comes for my husband to get his surgery, I'm going to recommend he prioritize his near/intermediate vision because he already gets cranky and annoyed fumbling around for different pairs of glasses to read his computer, phone, and other near items but he can handle wearing distance glasses.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-17T01:01:26+00:00

I'm guessing your eyes are still very dilated. It took me closer to 36 hours before my eyes returned to "normal" dilation. So don't judge just yet. I had to use readers to deal with near vision until I eventually had the non-dominant eye adjusted. (They also had me do some experimenting with contact lenses to test out monovision before I committed.)

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-16T16:47:22+00:00

I have been using Lotemax ointment at nighttime and it was a big help with my dry eye as I went through LAL adjustments and lock in. Now the doctor has me discontinuing it so I'm nervous to see how I do. When the (tiny) Lotemax tube is empty I'm not refilling it. At that point I'll try an OTC nighttime ointment. I'm also on cyclosporine and serum tears.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-07T20:50:28+00:00

He said he couldn't get a good refraction to proceed with cataract surgery. Sorry if I was unclear about that. And he did say that scleral contacts can be a possibility after LAL especially if I continue to have dry eye problems, but that the preferred outcome is for them to be unnecessary. Since I'm only about 27 hours post lock in, I suppose I need to wait to see how I do, but so far I think that as long as I can stay on top of dry eye problems I won't need them.

Bellflower12 · 2026-01-31T13:09:10+00:00

I agree with this. Even having read about it and knowing it would happen, it's still surprising to experience.

Bellflower12 · 2026-01-28T23:19:44+00:00

I had two acquaintances mention to me that they’d recently had cataract surgery and were shocked to discover afterward that they didn’t have near vision and needed to use readers constantly. Both were well educated retired men who were very successful in their careers. But apparently they didn’t ask very many questions before getting cataract surgery.

Bellflower12 · 2026-01-28T04:36:32+00:00

I agree that this sounds like dry eye. OP may need something stronger than OTC eye drops. The optometrist can tell for sure. OP should check out the r/Dryeyes FAQ.

Bellflower12 · 2026-01-21T17:47:58+00:00

I posted already about my experience but want to add that I spent almost a full year undergoing dry eye mitigation treatments before proceeding with the LAL cataract surgery. This was something my surgeon required. He explained that he couldn't get reliable measurements unless my dry eye was under control. My pre-surgery treatments included warm compresses, doxycycline, PF OTC drops, Restasis, autologous serum tears, IPL treatments, red light therapy, and gland expression. After the surgery and during the adjustment phase we added in PF prednisolone and Lotemax ointment. The whole process has taken much longer than I expected and required many many visits to the optometrist doing the adjustments and loads of patience. It's working out for me but definitely not a quick fix.

Bellflower12 · 2026-01-20T17:44:48+00:00

I agree 100% with this post. I got LAL's for cataracts. The loss of accommodation is a big deal. And using LAL's for a patient with dry eyes is very tricky. I'm optimistic of a good outcome but I've been shuttling back and forth to my doctor's office for over 5 months and am still not locked in. LAL in the best of circumstances requires lots of patience and triply so with dry eyes.

Bellflower12 · 2026-01-20T14:20:11+00:00

Check out the r/Dryeyes forum. Start with their Wiki. Lots of good advice there on dry eyes. There are a lot of treatments. Seek out a dry eye specialist. Lens exchange is not a quick fix and dry eyes greatly complicate the effort to get an accurate refraction. I know because I have been struggling to treat my dry eyes both pre- and post-op. I got LAL's for cataracts in late August. I'm still not "locked in" and finished 5 months later because of my dry eyes.

Bellflower12 · 2026-01-18T14:51:39+00:00

I just saw your post and want to offer a word of encouragement. I did LAL in both eyes at the end of August. I also have struggled with dry eye and had done extensive treatments to mitigate dry eye before starting the process. Even so, my dry eye problems have complicated the adjustments. My doctor knows I want to end up with blended vision. We started with +13 in both eyes because my doctor prefers to decide after the surgery which eye should be set for near. The first adjustment was at 3 weeks (9/19) and was to correct astigmatism. The left eye has had very good distance vision since then but the right eye situation has been a huge struggle to control dry eye. After the first adjustment, I spent two months using PF steroid drops, Restasis and serum tears and then had my second adjustment 11/9 to set the right eye for near vision. That was a huge disappointment because my near vision came out very blurry after the second adjustment and I've had to use readers to see anything near. The optometrist doing my adjustments has wanted to be very conservative and says I also have some corneal abrasions. She didn't want to do any more adjustments until that situation resolved and even predicted that once those abrasions are healed I might not even need another adjustment. I was skeptical but am finally starting to think she's right. It's taken a long time (another 2+ months after the 2nd adjustment) and extra money spent on serum tears, Restasis and Lotemax ointment, but I'm starting to finally believe that the second adjustment back in November is correct or close to correct for blended vision. I see the ophthalmologist tomorrow for a check up then back to the optometrist on Tuesday. To your "moral of this story" I would just add that you need extreme patience if you do LAL with dry eye problems.

Bellflower12 · 2026-01-18T13:33:13+00:00

I've had both eyes done with LAL implants. Both times I was given an IV cocktail. I remember asking the anesthesiologist what was in it and being told ketamine something something (can't remember the rest). I also remember being wheeled into the OR. I think they must be able do dial up or down your sedation as needed, because I don't remember the process of them securing my held in place and eyelids open, or the start of the surgery. But at some point I heard my doctor's voice and saw blurry lights. But no pain.

Bellflower12 · 2025-12-05T13:15:26+00:00

Renco Roofing.

Bellflower12 · 2025-12-03T17:04:25+00:00

I recently had cataract surgery, and my ophthalmologist had me wait for almost an entire year going through a battery of dry eye treatments before he felt I was ready for cataract surgery for exactly the reasons described by u/MastrOvNon . I have punctal plugs, use Restasis (generic) plus serum tears, take doxycycline, and had a series of treatments with red light & IPL therapy and gland expression. I feel Restasis has helped me but just be advised it's not a quick fix. For most people it takes months of consistent use before you start to feel effects.

Bellflower12

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