Steroids and teeth!!

[yaf_user681_15459]

My 5 yr old daughter has an excellent diet. Unfortunately her health has been awful the last few months though, including hupoglycaemia due to steroids for adrenal insufficinecy and brittle asthma.

She had tooth ache, so despite having her checkup booked for a months time, I popped her to the dentist today.

He made me feel so bad!! I cried!! He told me her teeth were dreadful and she needed 5 fillings!! I am mortified!! He asked if she had lots of sugar and sweets....she doesn't!! She hasn't got a sweet tooth at all and always craves salty foods. He looked at me and said ""well evidently she DOES eat too much sugar and sweets""!!

I really feel like I've failed her but seriously know she has an excellent balanced diet!!

All I can think of is she has little cereal bars regularly through the day to keep her sugar levels up. They were recommended by the dietician as part of a controlled diet for her hypoglycaemia!!

Can the steroids be to blame too???? He said not but I remember her consultant saying years ago they could do!! She still has her baby teeth. This horrid dentist said ""can only be diet""!!

I really feel low as every day has been a battle recently with her health and I feel so sad that she has gone from a stable little girl to one that has problems each and every day. And now to be told this is so devastating. I feel so guilty :-((

Does anyone have any experience with steroids and dental issues??

[Thomass_mum]

I know the inhalers can affect teeth as well. So far we haven't had any problems with thomas yet but wouldn't be surprised if we did.

However, his older sister who doesn't have asthma we have a lot of problems with and I was extremely upset when it was suggested it was diet. They are very quick to place the blame on the parents and diet. We have now found out that it actually may be her massive overbite which means her mouth dries out over night that has caused it. Not much we can do for now but at 10 she can have a high fluoride toothpaste. We have started using disclosing tablets with her to help highlight the plaque xx

[Hidden]

Hi I could have written this post myself !!! , I took daughter to dentist and she has to have 2 teeth taken out !!! but they won't take them out at the dentist due to her condition she has to have them out at the hospital I feel so sorry for her as she struggles a lot and is forever up the hospital with her asthma and now the teeth !!! sometimes feel like a shit mum !! xx

[Hidden]

Hi there, when i recently registered with my new dentist i had to fill in a 'health' form which included medical history, i ticked the 'asthma' box & had to write down what inhalers i use & EVERY TIME i go & have a check up, he ALWAYS asks me 'how has your asthma been?' BECAUSE asthma inhalers DO effect your teeth, he told me so himself. I have been on powder inhalers & aerosol inhalers for a long time now. So yes they do effect your teeth so don't be so hard on yourselves, my dentist always tells me to take my preventer inhalers BEFORE i clean my teeth because they leave a film over your teeth, then the brushing takes it back off, so do that

[Hidden]

also (not dental related) brushing your teeth after taking preventer inhalers reduces the risk of oral thrush too!

[Hidden]

The recommendation for all inhaled steroids is that the mouth should be rinsed out after use, at the very least. Cleaning teeth and gargling are also recommended. As jinglfairy says the reason is that it reduces the risk of oral thrush.

I've been using inhaled steroids for around twenty seven years: in that time I've had perhaps two fillings. My younger son, put on inhaled steroids just before his birthday, has never had a filling in his life (he is now twenty two). Emily, does your daughter have orange juice as part of her breakfast? I was told years ago that this can cause problems with teeth.

[Hidden]

Sorry, I've just realised that I didn't specify which birthday was involved when my son was put on inhaled steroids. It was his fourth birthday. So eighteen years on, he still hasn't had a filling.

[Hidden]

I had the asthma nurse (yearly check-up appointment) this morning & yes she said that too, about rinsing your mouth out after taking the inhalers. I have had asthma since about 16 years old, & i have been on powder inhalers & the areosol ones, i am now 37 & have no fillings, i already knew about rinsing out your mouth afterwards & of course cleaning your teeth! Do you know what my asthma nurse told me this morning, she said to me that every time i get a cold & suffer with my asthma, which i have done this Winter, it does irreversible damage to your lungs, so by the time i am 50-60, i'm going to be very breathless & suffer more with the asthma (this is because i keep forgetting to use my Flutiform inhaler twice a day which is a steroid & long acting blue one in one inhaler) so that really made me realise how important it is to take your meds everyday, even when you feel well! I should honestly know better at my age lol, my peak flow was down this morning too :O( oops! best behave myself lol

[anandakumar]

Hai. ..you need to hear the success story of one of the richest man's son in the world has to say for being affected by asthma and effects of using steroids he is son of reliance group chair person Mr

Mukesh Ambani. ..where he gained huge weights due to steroids and reduced it by 100 odd kgs by yoga and 20 km run daily. .now free from asthma