A woman who underwent a gastric bypass to help her shed more than 126lbs has revealed that the weight loss procedure caused all of her teeth to fall out – while opening up about the many medical issues she has suffered since the surgery.
Cathy Blythe, 33, from Michigan, had a gastric bypass in 2011 and lost 130lbs as a result, but has suffered scores of problems since – particularly with her teeth.
Despite taking supplements daily since the operation, Cathy noticed herself becoming anemic and had low vitamin levels, which had a terrible impact on her teeth.
‘Before my bypass, my natural teeth were perfect and healthy,’ Cathy, who runs her own business selling crystals and minerals, said.
Then and now: A woman has gone viral on TikTok after revealing that all her teeth started falling out after she got a gastric bypass to lose 126lbs
Struggle: Cathy Blythe, 33, from Michigan, underwent weight loss surgery in 2011 and began suffering with a series of health issues as a result, including serious issues with her teeth
Before and after: Cathy (pictured left before her surgery) was forced to get a full set of dentures (right) earlier this year after struggling with her teeth for years
‘Until I was 24, I had never even had a cavity. But a few years after the bypass my teeth became fragile and weak.
‘I had lots of cavities and my teeth were breaking off.
‘Over the last eight years I have spent a lot of money trying to save my teeth.’
Since her gastric bypass, Cathy has had to have numerous fillings, crowns and root canal treatments but she says ‘nothing could save them’.
‘I could have spent thousands more dollars but nothing was guaranteed that I wouldn’t need dentures soon anyway,’ she explained.
In December 2020, after discovering a TikTok star who was open about using dentures, the business owner decided to finally have her remaining broken teeth removed in favor of getting a full set of dentures.
Cathy received the full set in January this year and hopes to get implants within the next few years.
She started sharing her journey on TikTok to help other people who might also be struggling with the decision to get dentures – while also opening up about the brutal realities of undergoing a gastric bypass, warning others that the surgery is not a simple or easy way to lose weight.
Issues: Prior to the surgery, Cathy says she had never had any issues with her natural teeth (left), but soon after the procedure, she started struggling with cavities and broken teeth
Goals: The weight loss surgery did help Cathy to achieve the body she had always wanted, but she wants people to know that there are many downsides to the procedure
Opening up: Cathy shared a video of her natural teeth back in January, when she revealed that several of her teeth had to be removed because of the decay
Agony: She also shared footage from the dental procedure during which her remaining teeth were extracted in order to make room for her dentures
Ouch! During the procedure, Cathy videoed herself without any teeth, before revealing what her first set of dentures looked like
In a video shared to her account back in January, before she got her dentures, Cathy detailed the many ‘complications’ that she has struggled with in the years since her surgery, explaining: ‘One thing that I’ve been wanting to come and talk about on here is gastric bypass complications.
‘So I had a gastric bypass in 2011 and this is hard for me to talk about because this hurts my soul. This is something I’m so ashamed about.
Eye-opening: The video also included footage of the teeth that she had to have removed
‘But I have teeth problems now. Never had any problems before, I made it until I was 23/24 with no cavities, no nothing.
‘Then I had a gastric bypass and now I have vitamin deficiencies that I have to take medicine for, vitamins for.
‘My teeth are horrible. I’ve had to have teeth pulled, I’m probably going to end up with dentures by the time I’m 40.’
In the video, Cathy showed off the gaps in her smile where she has had to have teeth pulled out, before going on to insist that the issue is something more people should talk about so that others who are considering weight loss surgery are made aware of the potential issues they may suffer from.
‘I feel like this is something that people don’t talk about enough. The side effects… and what can go wrong,’ she said.
‘Well having teeth problems is associated with gastric bypass. And people just don’t talk about it enough and I feel like we should. We should normalize it, get the word out, let people know that if you have a gastric bypass you might have problems with your teeth later on in life.’
According to bariatric surgery website Bari Life, many patients who undergo weight loss surgery end up suffering from tooth decay – however there is still little medical information available to patients who are undergoing this kind of procedure.
Sharing: Cathy now documents her life with dentures, sharing informative videos about how she puts them in and removes them
Getting better: In one post, she detailed her evening routine, explaining that she rinses with mouthwash before removing her dentures and then scrubbing them with a toothbrush
Updates: Cathy has been documenting her denture journey on TikTok in a bid to destigmatize them, particularly among young people
The research that has been conducted suggests that a majority of bariatric patients experienced ‘increased dental erosion, increased dental caries, and increased dental hypersensitivity after weight loss surgery’, according to the site.
It is believed that dental issues occur as a result of ‘increased exposure to gastric juices because of vomiting and reflux’ following bariatric surgery.
Cathy also documented her dentist appointment in which she had to have her remaining teeth pulled out in order to be fitted for her dentures, sharing eye-opening footage of her bloody, tooth-less mouth after the extractions had been completed.
However, after getting her dentures fitted, Cathy has also tried to share more light-hearted footage with her followers – including a recent viral video in which she is seen sitting in her car and wiggling her fake teeth at passers-by.
In the hilarious clip, she can be seen sitting in her car at a red light and pops out her bottom dentures with her tongue.
She shakes them and waits for someone to notice – to no avail.
The post has been viewed more than 2.9 million times so far and racked up 830,000 likes.
One person commented: ‘I’m sorry but if I saw that I would scream and crash.’
‘You got a [f***ing] reaction out of me omg,’ another shocked viewer said.
Joker: She recently went viral after posting a video of herself wiggling her dentures at other drivers while her car was stopped at a red light
Prank: The post has been viewed more than 2.9 million times and racked up 830,000 likes
Positivity: Although Cathy still hasn’t managed to get the perfect set of dentures, she is happy to make light of the situation
Someone else commented: ‘I feel like I would just stare and scream. What are they supposed to do?’
‘Haha I’d run the red light out of fear,’ another person said.
One fan said she loves the humor Cathy brings to the subject, while another person shared that their grandmother had once done the same thing to make people laugh.
Someone else said: ‘I genuinely think this is the hardest I’ve laughed at a TikTok tbh.’
Cathy believes making light-hearted videos about her dentures helps reduce the stigma around young people wearing them.
She often gets comments asking why she would need them and says some assume it is due to drugs or poor dental hygiene.
The TikToker added: ‘I want to help people realize that people of all ages have dentures for all different reasons.
‘When I had my gastric bypass surgery they weren’t recognizing that the surgery could have very negative effects on your dental health, even if you are doing everything right, but they now are and have done some research and studies on the matter.
‘Before someone gets the surgery I believe they should be warned about what could happen – I constantly have people tell me the same thing happened to their teeth.’
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