Can degenerative bone disease really affect a persons teeth?
I have been diagnosed with degenerative bone and disc disease. for years I didn’t have any dental problems, even though the dentist told me that I have "soft teeth". For that reason and having braces when i was a teenager, I made it a habit of brushing my teeth several times a day. I will even wake up at night and brush my teeth.
Now, in the past 1 1/2-2 years my teeth will just crumble and eventually some of them have hurt which meant they had to be extracted. The tooth will look healthy. I had a FRONT TOOTH to crumble and fall out WHILE I WAS BRUSHING!
My dentist told me that other than the deteriorating my teeth were healthy. There were no signs of plaque or improper brushing.
I am now 37 years old and I have been diagnosed with the bone and spine disease along with arthritis in my back but does this type of disease affect a persons teeth.
Please serious answers only worth 10 points!
Tagged with: 37 years • arthritis • braces • brushing my teeth • dental problems • dentist • disc disease • front tooth • habit • plaque • several times • signs • spine disease • teenager
Filed under: Degenerative Arthritis
Bone issues and degeneration would affect teeth as they are forming. If your teeth are crumbling, then you may have some very highly acid producing bacteria. Healthy teeth and healthy habit don’t allow teeth to simply crumble. The only known treatment that causes crumbly teeth is radiation treatment (very high doses) directly to the mouth. Short of that, I would recommend having a bacterial culture of your saliva as well as a salivary flow assessment. Low saliva flow (natural or induced by medications) in the presence of lots of acid-producing bacteria will cause teeth to erode and crumble as you’ve described.
So many dentists remain in the dark on how to treat this and chalk it up to some mysterious event. This is not the case ( I could have this as well)
Without a bacteria check, you can check yourself by checking to see if you have a sour taste in your mouth when you wake up in the morning. If so, you need to control bacteria with more than simple brushing and flossing.
You should brush your teeth for 5 days in a row once a month with Betadine rinse (I put a little tooth paste on it and dip the brush into it several times during a 2 minute brush). This cuts the bacterial count dramatically.
Then (the easy one) add xylitol to your diet. By adding 6-15 grams a day, the bacteria that cause decay actively take up xylitol and die. You can use mints or gum (though the gums have less xylitol, I find they help stimulate salivary flow) Check out epicdental.com
Next, assess your diet overall. Limit fermentable carbohydrates (any sugars, breads, crackers, fruits,dried or fresh, pasta, etc) to main meals only and do not have them at any between meal snacks. Have cheeses, veggies and things like that as snacks.
Good luck with everything. I’m sorry your dentist is in the dark on this one. It’s really not a mystery.
You may not be brushing improperly, but you are brushing too often. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Too much brushing can wear down normal tooth enamel, so you brushing so often while having "soft teeth" is even harder on the enamel.
Do you brush right after eating or drinking something sweet or acidic (like juice)? This can also cause problems. Rather than brush immediately, you should use a strengthening mouthwash (such as ACT Restore or Listerine…the purple formula) about half an hour before brushing. The mouthwash will rinse away the sugars and acids that weaken the enamel before you brush them.
You might also try a soft bristled toothbrush. My dentist said that most people don’t need more than medium bristles, but often opt for harder bristles. The soft bristles clean just as well, but are not harsh on your teeth.
Yes, the problems you mentioned can cause problems with your teeth. You have to remember that they are held in your mouth by your jaw, which is a bone. Once the bone begins deteriorating, the teeth weaken and can fall out.