Graves' Disease Support Group

Graves-Basedow disease is a medical disorder that may manifest several different conditions including hyperthyroidism (over activity of thyroid hormone production), infiltrative exophthalmos (protruberance of one or both eyes and associated problems) and infiltrative dermopathy (a skin condition usually of the lower extremities). This disorder is the most common cause of...

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Graves and Bone loss (mainly dental)

scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
So, I went to the dentist this morning for a check up and to get some loose fillings fixed... and he told me I needed a "deep cleaning"... in the past, my teeth were always clean and well kept... so to speak. Now, I need a deep cleaning, a root canal, several fillings, and 3 crowns! OMG... so I googled Graves, hyperthyroid, and dentist... and came across a few sites that said that with Graves, it is common to have bone loss and this can affect our teeth... What! what else could go wrong with this dam disease! "Lord, give me strength"... it just seems every time I turn around, something else goes wrong... has anyone else had any bad luck with their teeth since being diagnosed with Graves? Also, is there anything I should know when I have all this work done on my teeth? I did mention to the dentist that I couldnt have the novacaine shot with epinephrine in it.

Thanks all!
Steph05
Steph05
Sorry to hear that this disease really sucks. I have read that hyperthyroid can lead to Osteoporosis. not sure how how high the risks are or anything. But my endo recommended me to get a bone scan, getting it in a few weeks. Good luck.
mmztcass
mmztcass
I haven't since being diagnosed with GD in 2001. I had all my mercury fillings replaced the several years before (1998) and had been cavity-free since then.

{{{hugs}}}
bransnana
bransnana
I don't have any cavities but had a filling replaced that broke. I have some gingivitis or some gum disease but can be more common at my age. I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months. I know untreated hyper can lead to bone loss if it's gone on for a long time with high hormone levels.
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
It's so frustrating. I have several fillings from my childhood days... and I've never been to the dentist and had so many things that needed to be done. As an adult, I have taken great care of my teeth and haven't had cavities since I was in my early twenties (over 10 years ago).... ARGH! Steph, what made your doc suggest a bone scan? did anything come back abnormal on your labs?
bm55
bm55
Graves disease can drain the calcium from your body. When I was diagnosed, the endo asked me if it was burning when I urinated. Well yes it sure was. She said it was the calcium going out thru my urine. This was only going on when I was in the hyper stage.

I went and bought some calcium with Vitamin D.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I also had some dental issues since graves same as u some crowns & root canals. I also tell my dentist about the novacaine and he uses the one w/ out epinephrine in it ...Theres not much of a differnce only it wears off a little faster so they may give u more than reg novicaine ..Good Luck
bransnana
bransnana
Yup it's called Carbocaine, it worked just as well for me but you didn't have that feeling that your mouth was all crazy looking and you couldn't talk right, like with the novacaine,much better.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I have never told my dentist any different regarding the novacaine shot with epinephrine in it? Should I not take that shot or the laughing gas? I have always had PERFECT teeth as a child and teen. Matter fact I didn't develop my first cavity until after I gave birth to my daughter as an adult and since her birth and being diagnosed with HYPER I have had 5 cavities and a root canal. I take just as great care of my teeth now as I did as a child but now that you mention it I wonder if they have become worse due to my thyroid levels.

I'm off to research this now :-)
Survivor7
Survivor7
Hi Scorpiogirl76,
Do you have low vitamin D? That had a profound effect on my daughter. She all of a sudden had gum disease and 4 cavities! She had not had that many all of her life!BTW, she doesn't have GD. I was dxd in May 09. After going on the ATD's, I had SEVERE sensitivity, tooth and jaw pain! I was about nuts for 3 months! When my endo cut my meds back, the pain went away, but now I sleep in two night guards (upper and lower teeth), and am very careful about lemons and other acidic foods. My doc wouldn't admit that methimazole had anything to do with it, but I read studies where participants had to drop out of the ATD study because of jaw and tooth pain. So my thought is yes, the disease can pull out the calcium(and it will if your levels go high for too long), but the meds in the ATD's can also play a part. I'm convinced they did in mine. I'm at 5mg daily and my teeth are pretty much ok. I'm also on mega vitamin D now.
Hang in there!