Around 1 out of every 100 people have an allergic reaction to gluten and young people today are 4 ½ times more prone to this condition than people were in the 1950s. Aside from causing digestive issues, a gluten intolerance or allergy can also cause some serious dental problems. This is what you should know.
What about gluten intolerance causes dental problems?
One of the symptoms of gluten intolerance includes difficulty absorbing the nutrients in your food, including Vitamin D and calcium. If you were very young when you developed the problem, your adult teeth may not have developed properly. The enamel of your teeth may have bands or pits in it, and your teeth may even be thin and prone to breaking.
If you develop the disorder as an adult, your teeth can be affected by chronic vomiting, which puts your teeth in contact with stomach acids that can wear out your dental enamel. In addition, you may be prone to inflammation, infection, dental pain, and excess cavities.
Your immune system may also play a role in the development of a gluten sensitivity—studies on patients who have celiac disease, the most severe form of a gluten intolerance, have antibodies in their blood that may also affect the development of enamel.
What other types of dental problems are associated with gluten intolerance?
Mouth sores that are very similar to ordinary canker sores are another common oral problem for people with gluten intolerance. The whitish sores can last from a few weeks to a couple of months, and they're likely to be found on your tongue and the inside of your cheeks. They don't usually appear on the lips, like ordinary cold sores.
There are a number of other oral problems associated with gluten intolerance, including a chronic metallic taste in the mouth, cysts that form on the skin and connect your top lip to your gums, bad breath, and damage to the tongue.
What can you do if you suspect that you have a problem with gluten? If you're experiencing oral symptoms that you think could be related to a problem with the way that your body processes gluten, don't delay—talk to a dentist like those at Bellasera Family Dentistry about your concerns. They can tell for certain if your mouth and teeth are suffering from signs of a gluten intolerance. Make sure that you discuss any of the classic signs of a problem with gluten, including abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Share12 September 2016
I have always brushed and flossed my teeth daily, but I still had the occasional cavity when I visited the dentist for a check-up. He told me it was normal to have a cavity on occasion and that I shouldn't let it stress me out too much. Well, I am not one to just accept any problem I am having, so I started looking into how to improve my oral hygiene even more. I had always thought mouthwash was just to improve your breath, but I found some that said they helped keep cavities away. I started using one every day before bed. I haven't had a cavity in two years now, and I think the mouth rinse is the reason! I created this blog to remind other people that even if they brush and floss regularly, they can always find ways to take even better care of their teeth.
