Gum Disease link

[Roxanne22]

Hi there - visiting the dentist yesterday I had quite a shock as they were recommending that I may have to see a gum disease specialist shortly due to bone loss and moderate gum disease around my wisdom teeth. Obviously this is a hard to reach area of the mouth, but wondering if this is possibly linked to my PV (diagnosed 2107) I follow a healthy, low in sugar diet (by most modern standards) and see a hygienist every 3 m and follow good oral hygiene with flossing and interdental mini brushes, elec brush.... another little distraction to contend with on our path to optimum health. Any shares/tips? Thanks

[hunter5582]

Some medications can have adverse oral effects. It i worth checking on that. Thrombocytosis can cause bleeding issues in the gums, which may play a bit of a role. It is worth noting that gum disease increases cardiovascular risk. WIth a MPN, this is something we need to address.

We can also experience oral issues that are unrelated to the MPN. I did experience this issue. I used to get excessive plaque build up. When I addressed my microbiome using probiotics the problem resolved. Note that your mouth is also a microbiome which is part of your digestive tract. You may want to talk to your dentist or another medical professional about that issue. My dentists also recommended that I switch to a Water Pic rather than flossing as it can get into the hard to reach areas better.

The bone loss is also an issue to address as it can affect more than the mandible, That is also worth following up on with your care team. I recently had a dexa scan due to long-term use of Nexium. My results were fine, but better safe than sorry.

Hope you get the dental issues worked out ASAP.

[Roxanne22]

Thanks Hunter for your thoughts and reply - well not on meds atm (may need to address that in the near future, have been simply aspirin and vene for several years) - I am taking a gut supp. I hadn't realised that there may be other issues relating to the bone loss around the jaw, I will have to ask more about this. Prevention better than cure though so have written a list of things that may help to better manage the situation from diet to cleaning habits, to supplements and also rinsing with organic coconut oil, a habit known as oil pulling and which helps to cleanse the mouth due to the mechanical action of the swishing round the mouth and between teeth, as well as antibacterial properties of the oil, I know people inc my Mum use Corsodyl but like to keep things natural where poss. thank you again for taking the time to reply to me.

[Orangeboykitty]

My gums are OK but my teeth are not doing so well. I always had excellent teeth and suddenly there was a lot of decay, and one tooth started to crumble. I thought it was due to medication, but I've changed meds several times now and my tooth situation is the same. After reading posts on other forums I realize that the disease itself is the causative factor. My dentist is documenting everything.

[Roxanne22 in reply to Orangeboykitty]

Thank you for your feedback, it's something that is quite alarming and makes you wonder what else is being affected. I guess all that we can do is step up to take care of our physical, mental and spiritual bodies in the best way that we can. I am certainly committed to a tip top oral hygiene regime now to see if I can arrest the damage. My teeth are actually good, it's the gums that are presenting issues, that said it is localised to back teeth which is giving me hope that it's down to me, as if were systemic the front areas would be equally affected. Thank you for taking time to share your experience, and I wish you well in your ongoing health journey - take care.

[GarciaB]

I had never had a cavity until diagnosed with PV seven years ago. First treated with phlebotomy. Then Hydrea1500mg. I’ve lost 13 teeth so far. I have read that’s it’s from the disease and the medications changing the pH in my mouth. I happy to be alive. Teeth or no teeth😁

[Roxanne22]

Thank you GarciaB and I love your sense of humour and gratitude, despite the challenges faced! Thank you for bringing your experience to the forum and I am so sorry to hear about your dental issues, and the loss of several teeth. I am currently not on any meds (bar aspirin + vene for my pv) and it's these poss side effects that have put me off stronger meds - although I recognise that it's a balancing act as carrying sticky blood and being iron deficient isn't much fun either and this is not a decision that I have taken this far anyway, lightly ....as you say, we have to keep positive and be grateful for all that we do have and recognise that our condition is chronic in nature, so with this in mind we are urged to look after ourselves as best as we are able, to support our physical being. My body is a temple indeed ha ha! Wishing you lots of positivity and love in your health journey, much gratitude to you, thanks.