Posted , 10 users are following.
Dental work and sjorgren's syndrome: did you have dental work (fillings, root canal, that kind of thing) *prior* to experiencing any sjorgren's symptoms or did your dental work clearly result from having sjorgren's? I know the assumption is the latter but I'm very interested to know whether this is clearly the case for everyone.
1 like, 30 replies
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maureen05275 celeste07997
Posted
Hello Celeste
I am sending to you something I found on another forum a couple of years ago and saved in my Downloads. It is relevant to your question:
"Do Dental Infections, Tooth Extraction, or Dental Anesthesia Trigger Dry Mouth?
Wednesday 11 May 2016
Filed under: Symptoms
Q: I was diagnosed with Sjogrens in 2007. Dry mouth was one symptom that was not a major problem for me until 6 weeks ago. At that time I developed a terrible oral infection from a bad capped tooth. An oral surgeon drained the infection and 10 days later the tooth was extracted. Ever since I had that infection and extraction my dry mouth and throat is off the charts! My mouth and throat feel bone dry and I can't get relief. What could have happened from that infection and the two procedures I had to trigger this horrendous dry mouth problem? A: I think it is possible. I have seen patient's who describe similar events. Not clear, at present, if related to the infection, the pain/trauma of the extraction, or the anesthetics (epinephrine/lidocaine) that need to be used. Hopefully, it will gradually improve the further you are out from the episode."
I feel I should say also that my experience through the decades of living with Sjogren's has shown me that any kind of stress can cause a flare up of symptoms. In the early days before I was diagnosed I remember the inflammation behind my ear would occur in the school holidays after I had been under a lot of pressure at end of term with corrections, writing of reports. Then when I was 35 or 36 I had chicken pox and again, about two weeks later, there was the inflammation. As for the start of symptoms, I met a woman once who was adamant that her Sjogren's started when she had a fall from a small height into some sort of 'pit', connected to her swimming pool, that contained pipes etc. I do not recall what injury she suffered as a result of that fall. So though I know tooth extraction was a factor in the start of my Sjogren's, I am sure there are a multitude of different triggers out there.
Best wishes, Maureen
celeste07997 maureen05275
Posted
Thank you Maureen that's helpful information. I hope you are managing to cope ok with your symptoms. I'm finding everyone's posts here quite overwhelming. It's good to bear in mind that dental work is common and that people are more inclined to post a reply if indeed they think their dental work might have been a trigger, rather than if they don't think it was or don't have any. So I'm trying to keep that balance in my head.
lily65668 celeste07997
Posted
Hi Celeste,
I have to say that on balance, there probably wasn't a connection in my case, though I'm not entirely sure, as my history is a bit complicated.
Because I was born in the UK in 1944 I fall into that unfortunate group who automatically got all their adult molars and premolars filled and re-filled on multiple occasions (with mercury amalgam, of course) during our teens and 20s. That's just what the majority of UK dentists (most of whom came from Oz or or NZ) did in those days. This will inevitably muddy the waters with my generation, because I presume not all of us ended up with Sjogren's. I developed oral allergy syndrome (as it's now called) in my early teens, around the time this dental abuse began. However, everyone on my mother's side had RA, asthma, allergies, Raynaud's, thyroid problems or various combinations thereof, so it's difficult to prove causation.
I had my last serious brush with UK/Australian dentistry at the age of 31, when I was planning to up sticks and move to Belgium, and decided to get my teeth "fixed" before I left. About half of my fillings were replaced (for the umpteenth time) and the dentist managed to find a minute cavity in my last unfilled upper molar, into which he inserted a tiny amalgam filling. In doing this, he also inserted a chunk of amalgam about 0.5mm (1/4 inch) wide between the tooth and the outer gum. I could feel it there, and went back repeatedly. He denied everything and it fell out a month or so later.
Incidentally, the irony of all this is that I was about to leave the UK for a country that has one of the best, and most affordable, basic dental services in the world, but I didn't know that at the time!
Six years later, aged 37, I had a sudden attack of severe joint pain, affecting both hips and knees, both hands and wrists, one elbow and one big toe. I was completely disabled for a few weeks, with my hands being the worst affected - swollen fingers, nodules appearing all over wrists and fingers. The excellent homeopathic rheumatologist I saw said some of my inflammation markers were high, but my main problem was sky-high uric acid levels. He prescribed various homeopathic remedies and some valuable dietary advice, and it all subsided after about six months. I suspect it was the dietary advice - which I've followed to this day - that did it! My uric acid levels are still high-end of normal, but I never get any more than an occasional rheumatic twinge these days.
The following year the raging toothache started in the upper molar where the amalgam had been rammed under the gum 7 years earlier. Long story short, it went on for 10 years - 3-4 episodes per year - during which time I saw 5 dentists in both countries, all of whom X-rayed the tooth and assured me there was nothing wrong. During this time I had endless bouts of sinusitis on the affected side. It finally transpired that although the tooth itself was fine, a chronic infection was destroying the root, starting from the inner root which isn't visible on normal X-rays. An oral surgeon removed the tooth, scraped out the infected bone, and I never had another toothache or sinusitis attack. No idea whether this was connected with the amalgam incident, but it was the same tooth so seems a bit suspicious to me.
I was 47 at this time, and my first Sjogren's symptoms started four years later, at age 51.
I wouldn't like to say whether or not there is any connection between the above events, but thought it might be useful to lay them out.
I've been very interested to read everyone else's experiences.
celeste07997 lily65668
Posted
That's quite a story. I have had repeated infections in one of my molars and I often wonder whether it would be best to remove it but from what many people say, this could just make the problem worse. It's hard to know isn't it?
lily65668 celeste07997
Posted
Well, I can only say that removing the molar with the infected root practically turned my life around after 10 years of recurrent sinus infections and raging toothache! I honestly don't believe it had anything to do with the Sjogren's, which started a few years later.
As already stated, I think it's probable there was no connection at all between Sjogren's and my dental history. However, if there was one, I think the Sjogren's was more likely to be down to either the heavy exposure to mercury amalgam in my youth or the 10 years I spent living with a chronic infection. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd go for the latter. I suspect that exposing the immune system to 10 years of constant infection would be a good way of sending it into permanent overdrive, particularly in someone like me, who already had a familial tendency to AI conditions.
I honestly think you could be doing yourself more harm by living with chronic infection than by getting rid of the source. However, I'd be wary of accepting a root canal, since there is a fairly well-documented connection between root canals and AI conditions. If you can find a dentist who's willing to extract the tooth rather than doing a root canal, I'd say go for it. Unfortunately, most dentists these days will do anything to avoid extracting a tooth, and will try to insist on a root canal. And I'm sure the fact that they can make more money out of root canals and crowns than they can out of extractions has absolutely nothing to do with it...
aitarg35939 lily65668
Posted
Okay, so now I feel lucky not to have needed a root canal until decades into my SS DX, lol. And that tooth was cracked in 2 places & badly infected.
shaq26875 celeste07997
Posted
I was DX SS in summer 2015.....plaqunile for 3 months ( I decided to discontinue plaq as my symptoms had gone) January 2016 (4 months later) spat out a chunk of wisdom tooth....had it extracted...dentist suggested removal of 2nd wisdom tooth a month later ( only have ever had 2 of them) ..followed by 4 month very painful teeth cleaning (had periodontis)...the last cleaning was July 2016 ...I didn't go back to him when he suggested I get 4 crowns for cosmetic reasons (my front teeth are jagged edged ...don't know when or how it happened or even at what age) when I told him I had SS ..he didn't have a clue what I was talking about. Fast forward to December 2016.....debilitating SS symptoms in joints, and muscles...back on plaq, and the new rheum has me back on steroids for a month and oral anti inflammatory meds.
?The gap between extraction and return of SS was quite long so not sure if 2 are related in my case.
Vette1 shaq26875
Posted
Shaq I recommend you get a 2nd or even a third ENT specialist opinion because some ppl are diagnosed with SS then a few years later they are informed that they were mis diagnosed and they really don't have Sjogren's Syndrome. Im Not 100% sure if dental work is the cause of SS but I didn't start having symptoms with SS until I had a dental filing and deep cleaning. But all my tests are negative for SS. Also don't stay on steroids too long cause they will destroy your liver. Alot doctors never heard of Sjogren's or don't know how to treat it. If you do test for SS don't get a lip biopsy. I got one and I regret big time. The test results is always mostly negative or inconclusive. My tests are negative. The reason you will regret a lip biopsy is because your bottom lip will become numb with tingling burning sensations and nerve damage. All what I'm experiencing for life.
shaq26875 Vette1
Posted
Hi, the 1st time of SS diagnosis was blood tests though I didn't believe him as I didn't have any of the severe symptoms at that time .....only had a dry mouth and slightly inflamed knuckles (I turned down the lip biopsy) Same rheum told me last summer that I had pinched nerve in my neck/shoulder ..then he said at follow up he said I had fibro.
?the next diagnosis was again through Total Blood Pattern (different rheum) and I was given a copy of lab results and the diagnosis by the pathologist which showed a very strong positive of SS primary (speckled pattern with 1: 640 titre ) and i had now debilitating inflammation of all joints, peripheral neuropathy, dry eyes (and this was test was done in Feb this after 9 months of plaq)
?I think someone here said (was is it you Lily) that as you get older the 'disease' progression is worse ..I am now 66 yrs old
lily65668 shaq26875
Posted
Hi Shaq,
I can only say that in my case things started going downhill a bit faster after the age of 70. But then a lot of the symptoms of SS are also symptoms of ageing, so it's not always easy to unpick which is which.
Apart from the current eye and tendon problems, I'm not too badly affected either by SS or old age, so I just carry on trying to treat the symptoms.
shaq26875 lily65668
Posted
hi Lily, glad to hear you are still not too bad. Maybe mine will not escalate further
This morning hubby told me that he was trying to unlock the house door using his car key fob (the keyless method ) and I told him I have done that several times recently.. or trying to lock the house using the car key.....all part of ageing
it doesn't seem to happen gradually it all seems to happen overnight...Maybe there were minor signs over the past couple of years but nothing significant ...
?Now its ..going into a room to do something and then just leaving again ..but don't remember leaving the room just finding myself back in the original room ....
I still work and if I didn't then I think my ageing would be faster...so quite loathe to give it up unless forced to ( if the government department here don't re issue my work and residence permit.)
celeste07997
Posted
Has anyone experienced feeling spaced out/derealised/extreme brain fog as part of their symptoms? I suffer with this daily and it's perhaps the most unnerving issue for me.
lily65668 celeste07997
Posted
Yes, but I've always had that problem, even as a child, and I've only had SS for the past 23 years! I suspect this isn't helpful, but you did ask.
aitarg35939 celeste07997
Posted
A lot of people in my local group complain of this tho when they mention it and say it just happened, what occurred was an aging brain problem, either aphasia, word sorting issue or something in that vein. Your description as derealization sounds quite different.
As to Lily, you imp: Are you telling us you've always been a daydreamer or what we now refer to (in women only) as "ditzy?" Lol, Lily, I could not help myself.
aitarg35939 celeste07997
Posted
For those of us over 40 and especially over 55: please keep in mind that our teeth deteriorate as we age and we see dentists more and more frequently. If dental work caused SS, the percentage of SS in the Northern Hemisphere's sugar-laden countries would be overwhelming. It would be more common than heart problems & all cancers combined.
Bad dental work -- I find that much more suspect than decent dental care.