Tooth Loss in a PK advanced person

[Janice557799]

My brother in law is suffering with tooth loss. Nine months ago his first tooth fell out (he is presently 64 yrs old). To date, he has lost 4 teeth, one in the back, one near the front, the other 2 on the sides. Yesterday his cheek was swollen a bit and he said 2 more teeth are loose. He remains happy and in good spirits, does his drawings and reads often. He listens to loud rock 'n roll music and walks well but shuffles his feet. He is amazing !!

[pvw2]

Has he been going to the dentist regularly and taking care of his gums (flossing or water pick). That is more of an age related thing than PD; often starting after 55 years old. The swelling sounds like abscess. He will lose bone if not taken care of.

[beehive23 in reply to pvw2]

also.............brush teeth with a salt and baking soda mixture in addition to toothpast brushing. .........

[beehive23]

pd folks breathe abnormally at night and dont swallow as often due to autonomic dysfunction.....our mouths dry out and the ph changes promoting tooth decay. try biotene which is OTC and keeps your mouth moist at night..........when you wake at all at night swallow and sip water as much as you can. hang tough......cheers.

[park_bear in reply to beehive23]

As a result of Parkinson's I have low levels of saliva which also causes tooth decay. I take the prescription drug cevimeline which promotes the release of saliva.

[beehive23]

i have known many folks that lost thier teeth to PD breathing issues on top of the common age related tooth loss.

ehealthme.com/cs/parkinson-...

davisphinneyfoundation.org/...

[park_bear in reply to beehive23]

This paper implies that gum invasion by Porphyromonas gingivalis bacteria is universal in Parkinson's. I do not have breathing issues but I do have gum issues in spite of careful care. I'm not sure the causes of this are completely known.

frontiersin.org/articles/10...

[beehive23 in reply to park_bear]

nothing s completely known imo. cheers!

[parkie13]

Hydrogen peroxide does wonders. It kills bad bacteria in your mouth. It stops periodontal disease it heals your gums. You can use it in a waterpik and also use it as a mouth rinse.

[park_bear in reply to parkie13]

What concentration do you use? I find 3% is a bit strong for my mouth.

[Hidden in reply to park_bear]

I use 3% but it is a bit full-on, isn't it?

My suggestion is this: stick with the 3%, but mix it with bi-carb soda to make a toothpaste. This is much more manageable. Then at the end, give yourself a 15 second rinse with it. Not every day. Once a week is probably plenty.

If all of that is too much, dilute your rinse mixture with 2 parts peroxide and 1 part water (which would make it 2%).

I also suggest an electric toothbrush (the round spinning head variety) as they are much better at cleaning the inside of your teeth. This is from my dentist, who is hopefully generally competent, given what she charges.

[park_bear in reply to Hidden]

NAC - N-acetylcysteine - has been shown to break up biofilms of a number of different kinds of bacteria. I prepare my own custom toothpaste including neutralized NAC and some other anti-biofilm enzymes. Of course I could add hydrogen peroxide.

[Hidden in reply to park_bear]

Sure, or you could just do a separate brushing once a week with the peroxide and leave your current formula as is (to prevent the ingredients screwing with each other in ways that will be hard to predict or evaluate).

[park_bear in reply to Hidden]

Found this. Does not say what strength of hydrogen peroxide was adverse:

rdhmag.com/pathology/public...

"Another homecare technique that was introduced in the 1970s and gained support in the 1980s from many periodontists was the Keyes Technique, developed by Dr. Paul H. Keyes (rhymes with skies) of the National Institute of Health. His then revolutionary treatment for periodontal disease was simply brushing with baking soda, but he added hydrogen peroxide to provide a foaming sensation. Most patients that used this maintenance care had improved pocket depth. However, over time gingival exposure to concentrated hydrogen peroxide created problems by developing pyogenic granulomas, ulcerative gingivitis, and gingival tumors. In the mid 1980s the American Academy of Periodontology recommended not using this technique for treating periodontal disease.

Research has shown that the baking soda, when added with water, is less abrasive and has the same benefits. Hydrogen peroxide is routinely discussed as being harmful to gingival tissues when used as a rinse or added to baking soda. It is wise to tell your patients not to use this combination"

[parkie13 in reply to park_bear]

I have been using hydrogen peroxide for quite a while now. To begin with you can dilute it with any concentration of water that you feel comfortable with. I think that your mouth toughens up after using it for a short time. I rinse my mouth full strength, I use it in the waterpik, just small squirt, maybe 10 - 15%. Lately, I have been having hard time finding it. I always used to get it in Walmart. So this time I just ordered it from Walmart online.

[park_bear]

Here's a previous thread with useful information:

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

[LAJ12345]

I just saw this ad for oral probiotics. Has anyone tried them and do they work. Maybe they can counteract the bad bacteria? Or is it another gimmick?

getprobfresh.com/living/bre...

[Jgcren in reply to LAJ12345]

Hi laj12345. I am pwp who also used to practice dentistry until 2017. I would regard claims of altering ones oral microbiome with probiotics with some skepticism. Not saying it’s not possinle

[Jgcren in reply to LAJ12345]

Possible but I think you have better odds of altering it by keeping better hygiene

[LAJ12345 in reply to Jgcren]

I just have trouble getting my husband to do his teeth when feeling bad, and he has a plate too. I also have kids at home so some days I can’t remember to keep him on track with his stuff as well as everyone else’s stuff.😞

[Jgcren]

Understandable. You are doing the best you can under difficult circumstances. I have kids 13 and 9 and they can be a handful.

[Janice557799]

thank you all for your responses... answers: Matt has not been getting consistent dental care so yes! he is partly to blame. But for the teeth to fall out literally... is strange. I plan to discuss with him if his meds may be part of this problem... all of your input is very, very helpful to us... and we appreciate all your responses. I will give an update when we see Matt again. His biggest problem resulting from the tooth loss, is his obvious inability to chew things he enjoys, popcorn for instance...he loves popcorn. Thanks again so much !

Janice

[falcon946]

My roots have calcified early (its natural but normally at an older age) but when I fall I have also lost teeth. Otherwise healthy teeth crack easily. Its weird. I have never had a cavity or any other dental issues. Good news is I did not need the root canal to get a crown as the root is closed with this condition.

[beehive23]

1. use a waterpik.

2. use biotin or some other moisturizer for the mouth. folks with pd breathe differently at night culminating in ph change due to dry mouth and subsequent tooth loss.