Cavities and pred

[runcyclexcski]

I have not had cavities in 40 years, and now, after being on 20 mg prednisone for a year, I got six. Is this a coincidence ("old age"), or are these related? I am on 5 mg pred now and tapering further (sleep pattern is all screwed up now)... is there anything I can do to help other than stopping pred?

[Jennypin]

Hi I am a retired dentist .I have seen this before .

The important thing now is to prevent you getting more new cavities or recurring decay in new fillings

It's very important that you clean your teeth with a toothpaste with fluoride in it just after you inhale

Using something called Duraphat or getting a mouth rinse such as Fluoriguard should also help

Check your blood sugars as if they are high then that will also make you more caries prone

[Itswonderful in reply to Jennypin]

That is so very helpful Jennypig. Thank you for replying. These are things that doctors and ANs don’t mention. Thank you. 💖

[runcyclexcski in reply to Jennypin]

Thank you, Jennypin! This is quite helpful, and my dentist did not have much advice...

[awilso]

Interesting, I have been on prednisone for years (10mg +) and not seen this effect. Prednisone is known for advancing osteoporosis generally and it is recommended that you take 1000mg calcium with vitamin D if you are on steroids as this helps mitigate the effect somewhat. Also testosterone and DHEA are also known to help mitigate the effect too.

It might well be that the prednisone is leaving you short of some vital minerals that you need. I would get a bone destiny scan and a mineral and vitamin panel done as a check.

[runcyclexcski in reply to awilso]

Thank you, awilso. No one mentioned D and calcium to me before, although I eat plenty of diary. What a great resource this board is