Toothache from Inflammation

[Nana2four]

After waking up one morning with a horrible toothache I of course made an appt with my dentist. The pain was so bad I resorted to an Urgent Care to seek relief. I was prescribed antibiotics which thankfully eased the pain while I waited to see the dentist. One week later the dentist took X-rays but did not find a cavity. He did comment on the obvious inflammation around the tooth but could not find any other problem. Now, I'm noticing other painful teeth. Can Behcet's cause this problem? And, is there anyone who has lost their teeth due to inflammation? I would like to know if there is anything I can do to stop this from happening.

[lovenothate]

Hi there,

I was really interested to read your post because of what has just happened to me.

I started getting excruciating pain in one particular tooth about a year ago and the dentist could find nothing wrong with it. X-ray was clear. The pain continued to get worse and still nothing showing at the dentist, who began to suspect trigeminal neuralgia.

In the end, an extremely fine hairline crack was found in it which went straight through the middle of the tooth.

I had it removed two weeks ago and the surgeon (I had to have it done in hospital due to the meds I am taking - immunosuppressants causing an increased risk of infection) said he hadn't seen anything like it. The crack went down the middle of the tooth all the way through the nerve to the route.

I believe it was caused by the Behçets but don't know why! I'm not sure that this reply will help you much, other than the fact that in my case, the seemingly healthy tooth did end up having a hairline crack which wasn't visible on X-rays and was inexplicable.

I hope you get some relief from it soon!

Will.

[sian35 in reply to lovenothate]

I too have had some terrible tooth problems , lots of inflammation if ever anything wrong with my teeth. Lots of antibiotics. Also, when I had a tooth out i then got inflammation elsewhere. My knee was so bad I could hardly walk!!! had two further teeth crowned - cost a lot but worth it.

Then trigeminal neuralgia/atypical facial pain - that turned out to be ulcers in throat where Eustachian tube joins throat. Also gave me ear pain. Prof Fortune at London COE found ulcers there.

I guess we all have our 'weak points' where Behcets strikes us.

Hope your teeth problem Settle down - I know it can be really painful.

Kind regards,

Sian

[Kat70 in reply to sian35]

Oh my gosh! I just read your reply sian35 and that answers my question as to the jaw pain. I love this site. I feel like I learn more here than from the many drs that I see. Thanks!

[Kat70]

Hi Nana2four, I too have had the experience of having what I thought to be a bad toothache. This happened to me twice and of course both times I went to the dentist and them telling me that the tooth was fine. What I later kind of determined on my own by research was that the inflammation that Behcets causes had hit my muscles in the side of my jaw. Very painful! It also led me to massaging the side of my jaw and feeling what my doctor told me was impacted salivary glands. My experience with this (2 years) has led me to believe that this inflammation is the same issue that also causes serious perio problems which can lead to loss of teeth. I have been using unrefined coconut oil ( 1 tbsp swishing in your mouth for as long as you can and then spitting out) for the last 8 months has really helped take the gum inflammation down. I'm sorry you're experiencing this problem. It's very scary how many parts of our bodies are attacked by this disease.

[Hidden]

Hi,

I too have been struggling with excruciating pain in teeth, going on for several months. It not good only thing that helped was getting stronger pain killers from doctors.

Attended many dentist appointments and emergency ones too with nothing showing up on any x rays. One dentist did think it could be linked to Bechets but my own dentist didn't think so. They said that the only effect Bechets would have is the mouth ulcers and then not being able to clean teeth properly because of them. After about four months they finally decided needed a root canal but this ended up having to be done on two teeth but still not right and going back next week to see whats happening and hopefully get it sorted. Its awful to think that this could be another part of Bechets. I use cortosol mouth wash in between brushing to try and help.

Hope your toothache gets sorted soon

[xandii]

Hi,

I also have a long history of toothache and inflammation in the mouth. Fortunately my dentist is very BD aware and always checks my jaw hinges and soft tissues around my neck as well on every visit. She is a lifesaver for me and I am very lucky to have found her as she always sorts out my problems quickly.

Just a hint that might help you here ! I use the mouthwash tablets that dissolve in water that the Oral Consultant at the Aintree COE gave me. I get these on repeat prescription and use them at the first signs of ulcers or sore bits and even toothache. They are called BETAMETHASONE .

Another small trick I have learnt ! I keep a box of SOLPADIENE at the highest strength as the dissolvable tablets in the house. REMEMBER ! Watch your pain killer limits with these ! I dissolve one tablet in water and hold it in my mouth as long as I can if I get toothache / mouth pain that I need virtually instant pain relief for. If your pain medication allows then swallow after this as it will help the pain. If you are at the top of your painkiller limit then remember to spit it out again after swilling around. Worth a try if you get desperate in the middle of the night.

Take care all xx

[LillaMy]

Hi! I too have been at the dentist time and time again, no cracks or anything else at X-ray but excruciating pain in several teeth. Inflamations both around my teeth, gum, tongue and muscels in my face and ears. My dentist said that I should talk to my rheumy and neurologist about this. My dentist thought it was linked to Behcets and so did my neurologist but not my rheumatotlogist! When I started with Gabapentin this "toothache" has been better and more seldom. This group is fantastic, many times when doctors say "it is not related to Behcets" but then I can read here that many of us have the same issues. What are the odds of that?

I also got Xylocain solution and more potent painkillers (I already have Paracetamol and Naproxen for the pain in my joints and lower back).

Take care.

[nurse_ratchet]

Yes! Our poor teeth! My first rootcanal was in my mid 20's due to a crack that went straight down. Failed root canal because it went right down to the root a year later so it was extracted in the end...ugh. 2 years later, molar on opposite side-same thing and i was told-we can save it with root canal. BS! A year later it abcessed so bad i had to take super strong antibiotics and narcotics before the oral surgeon could extract it-which was a bloody mess. I'm running out of teeth-I've since refused a root canal 2 other times and tell them to pull it out. My teeth all seem to be cracking, recently discovered what looks like hair line cracks in my front teeth-straight down the middle. Waiting to hear what the dentist has to say....was just there for a filling 2 days ago, but am always now given sedative because they can't freeze me-never works. Anyone else that way? I know i definitely have issues with clenching my jaws-paid 500$ for a nightguard...ugh.

Gen

[jzeis]

I've had problems with my teeth and gums for as long as I can remember. The only time I haven't had gum inflammation was when I was on steroids for other Behcet's problems, or taking regular green tea supplements. There are a couple of free medical journal articles that have info on BD-related tooth and gum problems:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

rheumatology.oxfordjournals...

Hope this helps!

Joanne