HA last June, 3 Stents fitted and now on a mixture of drugs.
For 30 years I have been going to the dentist, twice a year, only had 2 fillings and 1 emergency tooth chip fixed. Every time had a clean and polish. Never any signs of gum disease.
Visited dentist last August and was told have signs of gum disease, went again last week and was told it has got worse!!!
Brush twice a day with electric toothbrush and mouth wash, have been told my brushing is excellent , so just wondering if any of the meds I am on could be the cause of the sudden onset of this? (Asprin, Statins. Tricalegor, candestarten ( I think that's how you spell them???) or have I just been unlucky?
Thanks
Written by
CarlGreen
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Well, I am not a medical person, there are some very well informed people on here but this is a forum for the folks on the wrong end of things really so you won't get medical advice. However, if it helps, I have exactly the same problem in reverse. I have had gum disease all my life, it is a constant source of annoyance to me that it was generally just largely brushed over (forgive the pun) by the dental profession until only later in my life, when I had several visits to a dental hospital and still have to go to the hygienist every 3 months. About 3 visits ago she commented on the fact that although the gums are still swollen they are not showing any signs of inflammation or bleeding for the first time since I have been seeing her. She has suggested that it mat well be the Statins that are responsible for this. There is also a train of thought that heart disease can also be linked to chronic gum disease, so I wonder if you may have had it for longer than you think?? Do you use floss or tepee brushes? Some of the mainstream mouthwashes are a wast of time, Corsodyl is good but it leaves your mouth tasting awful the next morning. I don't think gum disease would just come on like you have suggested, to be honest? Maybe you should consider changing dentists, some of them seem to be less focused on this than others. It might also possibly be the Aspirin causing your gums to bleed was the dentist aware you are on them?
Thanks for the input, My Dentist has changed (The new guy picked up the gum disease) The link between heart disease and gum disease is a possibility as I did not have any idea that I had a bad ticker till the HA, so I guess it could have been an ongoing issue!
I don't floss but I do use a water pick (Not every time I brush, but quite often) - The dentist knows about the meds I am on (I thought the Asprin was causing my bleeding gums also) - Again, thanks for your thoughts.
No problem. Not sure what a water pick is but you need to get between the gaps between your teeth (however small or large) and the tepee brushes are great for this, and you need to do it every time you clean your teeth, preferably after each and every meal. You might consider visiting a hygienist every 3 months as well, otherwise you may end up with loose or missing teeth in years to come. Sounds like you previous dentist was not on the ball, I think that the profession in general has been very lax in this respect,
A water pick is a flossing device that jets water between the teeth via a small nozzle and hose drawing from a water filled reservoir (some models permit use of mouthwash instead of or in addition to water). A good quality one actually cleans between teeth better than floss and comes with the added bonus of preventing injury caused when using tradition floss (cuts which can permit bacteria to enter the bloodstream and go to the heart).
The trademark brand is called Water Pic. Some are battery operated, some plug directly into the mains.
A bit like a jet washer then, maybe I will borrow next door's to give us all a break the guys obsessed with cleaning his drive. Seriously though sounds like it's worth a mention next time I see the hygienist, I don't use floss as I did find it can make your gums bleed if you are not careful, the tepee brushes are very good I find. I am also cheered by the effect I am sure the Statin is having as well.
Some dentists and hygienists love it when patients are using a Water Pic but others don't. Personally I love mine but I've injured my gums with both floss and those interdental brushes so it's probably a 'no-brainer' to use the Water Pic for me.
I've had dental procedure induced heart problems (after a root canal without prophylactic antibiotics and my dentist is still apologising two years on) so I don't like risking another cutting myself with floss or brushes.
Not sure there are many, as far as I am aware the enemy is Gingivitis which will then lead to Periodontitis (which can take different forms) if left untreated. Hopefully the people here will only have Gingivitis at this stage, as I believe it is the more aggressive forms of Periodontitis that is linked to heart disease, hence my suspicion that the two are not linked in their cases, but hey I'm just a layman. A good dentist will hopefully give them appropriate advice, pity mine didn't in my younger days, all they seemed to be interested in then was filling your mouth with probably unnecessary fillings for ££££ no doubt.
I too had a heart attack 3 years ago and last year told I have the start of gum disease! I'm only 38. My sister who is 5 years older has had quite bad gum disease fir a few years now. I never had any issues before my heart attack. 🤷♀️
If you have gum disease it will have been present before your HA and you are only now starting to notice it, The only evidence is for the gum disease to be possibly partly responsible for heart disease. I would start to follow a strict cleaning regime if I were you or you will have big problems in later life trust me.
Well look on the bright side, your heart disease will take your mind off your gums. I've just had a load or grief with my eyes, but I found myself worrying about them and forgot all about my ticker.......
I have gum disease because I have sjogren's syndrome and lack saliva but it has got far worse since my heart attack yet I am now only taking aspirin, furosemide, simvastatin and famotidine so I can't imagine it's the tablets. I'm so jelous you could see a dentist. I've lost 4 filings, have one vaguely loose toth and now two red lumps come up on my tongue which I desperately want checking but not a chance of seeing my dentist who is emergencies only if in pain. I'm hoping the lumps can be considered an emergency.
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