We took my mom to an oral surgeon who said most of her tooth has been infected and all of her tooth needs to be removed in order to do a kidney transplant sometime in the future. Is this common for people on dialysis? He says he could remove all of her tooth in 2 visits, but we are a little bit concerned about this. Are there any complications after removing all of her tooth especially because she is diabetic and is on dialysis? Any feedback from anyone would be appreciated. Thanks.
Yes, it is not uncommon to be recommended to have a significant amount of dental work done prior to transplantation. If the teeth are particularly damaged or carious, or there is widespread gum disease, then dental clearance can be the wisest move. Tooth decay, chronic gum infection and /or deep tooth abscess formation is a significant and well known risk factor for sepsis once immunosuppression is started after transplantation. Many transplant units, including our own, insist on the repair or removal of as many damaged teeth - even to the point of full clearance - as is needed to ensure that the infection risk is minimised.
Thanks Dr Agar. I am not sure how well she could handle removing all of her tooth out. I hope the surgeon will handle the procedure gently. Appreciate your response.
Hi, Agar thanks for clarifying my doubts 
Hello Dr. Agar,
My Stepfather is 75 years old. He is a Vietnam Veteran. Sadly the VA does not offer Dental care unless he was shot in the face and needs dental care as a result…
Nonetheless, he is on Dialysis and currently has rotten teeth that need to be surgically removed. He currently has an infection that his doctor is treating with Antibiotics. We are having one heck of a time locating an oral surgeon that can do the work.
We currently reside in Vacaville, CA which is between San Francisco and Sacramento. He has Medicare, Medicaid and VA insurance. It seems that none of them cover dental work.
Is it possible we can purchase some private insurance and use it? would there be a waiting period.
Any help would be so appreciated. At our wits end.
RonM