Rheumatoid Arthritis and your oral health

How will rheumatoid arthritis affect your dental treatment?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that causes the inflammation of your joints. If your jaw joint or your temporomandibular joint is affected then you will experience discomfort and chewing problems. If rheumatoid arthritis affects your hands then you will have trouble when you brush your teeth and when you floss them. Your dentist will tell you more about special toothbrushes and special procedures that will make it easier to clean your teeth.

There are some people with rheumatoid arthritis who also get Sjogren’s syndrome, a disease of the saliva glands and the tear glands. It causes your eyes and mouth to become dry. This disease will cause trouble when you chew. It will lead to heavy plaque deposits on your teeth which can lead to cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease. If you are wearing dentures then you will also have trouble because your mouth will always be dry. A dry mouth will also increase the probability of getting a yeast infection or a fungal infection.

Some of the medicines that are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could also irritate the mouth. They can also cause xerostomia or dry mouth. It is important to practice good oral hygiene. You can ask your dentist about the best mouth rinses, gels, and medications that could reduce the dryness in your mouth. You may have to apply extra fluoride on your teeth in order to reduce the chances of tooth decay.

There are a lot of patients with rheumatoid arthritis that take high doses of aspirin. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis also take high doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. These kinds of drugs will increase bleeding and can even cause sever bleeding after surgery. Medicines for this disease are known to make the immune system weaker. They are also known to have oral side effects. Some of these medicines are methotrexate, ethanercerpt, steroids, hydroxychloroquine, and cuprimine or d-penicillamine. These medications are known to affect your blood count so whenever you visit your dentist, make sure to give them your latest blood counts.

If your jaw joint is affected by your arthritis then you may find it difficult to go through long dental procedures. In order to fix this problem, you can have several short appointments instead of a few long appointments. Steroid therapy is a usual solution for people affected with rheumatoid arthritis. If you are on a high dose steroid therapy for quite some time then you may have difficulty coping with stress. If you have been taking steroids for more than a few weeks or if you have a history of reactions after dental treatment then you may have to take more steroids prior to long and stressful dental treatments.

If you have had joint replacement then your dentist may give you antibiotics prior to a dental treatment. This will help in preventing bacterial infections that can occur in the joint. If you are scheduled for a joint replacement surgery then you must consider having all the essential dental surgeries before going through the joint replacement surgery.

Gallery of Smiles

View Smile Gallery