TikTokerin Natalie Lacasse loses all her teeth after pain therapy and is dependent on dentures at the age of 19. How she deals with the aftermath.
Vancouver – Often one of the first things people notice about a person is their smile. For many people, beautiful teeth boost self-confidence. If these are impaired, this can in some cases lead to massive emotional stress.
Natalie Lacasse, 24, from Vancouver, Canada, had a hard time speaking or laughing in public for years after she unexpectedly lost all her teeth while taking painkillers. “When I was talking or laughing, I was constantly covering my mouth,” the Canadian told the British news portal NeedToKnow.
Painkillers with serious consequences: woman loses all her teeth
The young woman has been suffering from chronic pain since she was twelve, reports the New York Post. At the time, doctors diagnosed her with temporomandibular disorder (TMD), a dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint. When Lacasse was treated for her back pain six years later after a car accident with the painkiller naproxen, it changed her life.
She reacted to the painkillers and vomited for months. At the time, she had no idea what serious effects brushing her teeth would have on her health afterwards. “I didn’t know it was the opposite of what you should do. This only brushes the acid into the teeth, which then attacks the enamel. I destroyed my teeth because of it,” she explains to the British news portal.
The Canadian’s teeth gradually fell out and she withdrew more and more. The constant stigma and assumptions made by other people that she is neglecting herself or using drugs bothers her.
Tiktokerin shares her life without teeth: $5000 for a new smile
The sufferer saves and replaces the broken and fallen out teeth with a prosthesis, which costs her a total of $5,000. But it didn’t make her happy. “It felt like I had been punched in the pit of my stomach,” she says. “I expected my smile to look normal and the same again and when it didn’t I tried everything to not break down in front of the dentist as she was happy for me and thought they were good.”
But it’s not just her new, different smile that’s bothering Lacasse. The dentures give the young woman a headache, which is why she cannot wear them for long. In addition, she can neither eat nor speak properly with it.
Woman loses teeth after taking painkillers: On TikTok she finds comfort and encouragement
In the meantime, the 24-year-old has decided to encourage others with her story and to take her drastic experience and her chronic pain with humor. She posted a clip on TikTok that prompted the question, “Why don’t you eat in public?” Instead of answering, Lascasse simply loosens her denture, which slides down. She published a similar video to the question about the sentence: “If he says I’m crazy.” Her now almost 17,000 followers (as of April 25) encourage the young woman. “When I started this process, I didn’t see anyone like me. I’m just trying to be someone I would have looked up to when I was 19.”
Lacasse hopes to one day be able to afford jaw reconstruction to ease the pain she’s still struggling with.
Experts warn against careless taking of painkillers
According to general practitioner Dr. Christoph Specht is in the case of Natalie Lacasse “a tragic isolated case,” said Specht RTL. Nevertheless, he warns against supposedly harmless (over-the-counter) medicines, since side effects can always accompany them. “Every problem that a drug solves also causes a side effect. So it’s always a matter of weighing up the benefit and the risk,” the general practitioner continued.
Many people take pills as a habit. As the health insurance company AOK informs, one should always first critically question whether one Pain cannot be relieved with medicationn before taking a painkiller. Because regular intake can lead to dependency or other unexpected side effects. (Vivian Werg)
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