I've read that the two could be related.. but I don't think there's clarity as in which one causes the other. I started having pain in my root canal treated tooth then a month later I developed RA like symptoms. It makes me think my tooth created the problem and I'm considering pulling the tooth. Please let me know whether you have a root canal tooth/teeth along with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Thank you.
Do you have Rheumatoid Arthritis AND root canal treat... - NRAS
Do you have Rheumatoid Arthritis AND root canal treated teeth??
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JaggedPill
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I had root canal treatment but many years ago. So I don't think it's connected as diagnosed with RA 18 months ago
I think it could take years for the bacteria to infiltrate your system. My root canal was like 18 years ago.
I suddenly developed a crippling diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis a few years ago. I had a ten year old root canal removed and have been completely free of pain with no meds ever since. I have absolutely No doubts that the root canal caused my autoimmune disease.
Yes in total about 5 over the past 20 years. In my honest view its rubbish and RA is not related to root canal treatments. Anyway the alternative is presumably false teeth or implants ? And implants mean screws in the jaw how can that be better !
Yeah implants can't be any better. False teeth also have their own toxic materials. It's a lose lose.. were you diagnosed with RA before or after the root canals? The reason I'm leaning toward the connection is Bc my pain in both areas arosed at around the same time .. however I haven't yet been diagnosed with RA. Will be seeing doc next month.
in reply to JaggedPill
If a root canalled tooth is done properly by an endodontist (root canal specialist) then I would say no connection....but if your root canal was done by a dentist or your bus driver, ( they have the same credentails to do root canals) I will scream from the mountain top YES there is a connection.
Do you know why some root canals fail after many years? The answer is that your dentist didn't remove all infected root. My dentist left some infected roots in 2 root canals. These infected roots turned gangrene. Then she cemented the crown on so well, that all that bacteria had no way to escape but through my blood stream.
Neonkittie17 in reply to
My guy is a specialist in root canal. Sorry you had some problems. 😣
I had the first root canal done at age 20 when I lost a front tooth due to an accident and it had to be a fixed bridge put in. `I have a great dentist the same one for over 30 years ! All my root canals are old along with a fixed bridge, two crowns and amalgum fillings which are being replaced when needed over time. I believe RA is genetic so not a lot can be done to prevent it, if you've got the gene then your predisposed to it but it may not develope. I was diagnosed several years ago and have a number of other auto immune conditions so was'nt suprised.
I'm in the UK and our dentists do root canals routinly and are qualified ! of course anywhere in the world can have duff dentists just like snake oil doctors.
in reply to medway-lady
I did not mean to offend you, and I do not know what causes RA. Genetic or not, that's best for the scientist to figure out.
This is my story about my RA & root canals. If you claim your root canals are done properly, then who am I to argue? I will not and do not claim your root canals caused your autoimmunity.
Sadly in Canada dentists do root canals routinely too. I'm glad your root canals havent failed, but root canals do fail. They fail because product is left in the tooth.People pay out of pocket to have them redone because insurance only pays one time per tooth. There should be no reason to pay twice. Endodontist are trained root canal specailist world wide.
medway-lady in reply to
You did not offend me at all and I'm sorry if you thought I was offended. But here inthe UK our dentists do root canals routinely, some do implants and a bad dentist is a bad dentist wherever you live. My point was that in the vast majority of people with root canals only a tiny minority might go on to get RA. Some might even have had it before a root canal. But the experiance in Canada is very different to here as our dentist in my experiance are good and you'd need a hge amount of data to prove root canals cause RA. Here the NHS would have that sorted - no meds just take out their teeth?
in reply to medway-lady
Yes you do need a lot of data to prove RA is caused by root canals. That is not what I am claiming. What I am claiming is that I & hubby were both diagnosed seropositive RA. He is now symptom free & drug free after extraction. I will let the scientist discover what causes RA, or if it is genetic.
I am claiming my hubby's RA symptoms disappeared after a failed root canal got extracted. His rheumy now believes he had
Septic Arthritis that mimicked RA+ . Septic Arthritis usually kills you if left untreated. He is lucky he is alive.
I hope this does not happen, but Just put yourself in my shoes Midway lady. What if in the next 6 months your20 year old root canal failed & you needed an extraction. So imagine going in to have an extraction and durring the proceedure you feel your joints "drain" and your RA pain almost gone. You would be stunned.. . I sure was because this is what happened to me. Hard to believe? Yes it is hard to believe, even for me. This is why I am so angry at my dentist.
All the best to you
Needforname in reply to
It appears you are no longer a user, but if anyone else can chime in I'd love to hear your thoughts. What I don't understand is with this person's claim that septic arthritis was misdiagnosed for RA. Septic arthritis apparently typically doesn't effect all joints, doesn't work in pairs, etc.
I have a tooth that was root canaled many years ago. My dentist said that in an x-ray it appears there is an infection near that tooth and my sinus cavity. Now I'm torn on what to do. Get the tooth pulled and risk a new infection, or leave it and continue being in pain. The MTX and Enbrel don't work and it's been many months. 16 years of untreatable pain. This tug of war between possible culprits I read about online and the stuff my doctors tell me is making me crazy.
I would certainly have the tooth pulled out. Nothing more stressful for the immunesystem than infection in mouth. There is unfortunately no other way to get rid of the infection
Good luck. Simba PS. Might even have an immediate effect on your symptoms.
Hey Simba. Yeah, my pain doctor told me I'm crazy if I start getting teeth yanked. He says he has patients in chronic long term pain after getting teeth extracted. Since my dentist suspects possible infection though, I'm torn.
Part of me wonders if I would feel better getting the tooth removed. It seems though if I had an infection, it would have showed up in blood tests or my tooth would be swollen. My dentist wants me to see a specialist to verify infection, but I can't afford to do so. And if I get tooth yanked, I may have to stop Enbrel and Methotrexate. I'm still waiting for those drugs to work and don't want to delay their possible effectivness... even though it's now been 4 months on the Enbrel and 6 months on MTX with no luck.
It's all so confusing. These doctors are making me crazy.
The infection in the tooth does not necessarily show up on blood results. I had a very iow key infection in two of my molars. No pain no nothing, but now afterwards I am quite sure this infection contributed to my RA breakout. I had them finally removed. Removing teeth is no big deal if you go to a good dentist. Mine drew them out and packed the holes neatly. No pain or discomfort afterwards. A silent infection in a tooth is really a health hassard. Do have a talk with a dental surgeon. Good luck😊
Interesting. Thank you as always 
She is still around Needforname, she's changed her username to Cherub198889 so I'm sure if she's able to help she'll be along.
Wow...I'll have to reach out to her. Thank you!
You're welcome.
I was in your situation and had a life threatening bleed from mtx may 2015, in Dec 2015 I had infected root canal and infection pulled. The dentist used packing and completely cleaned out all the infection. I got better immediately!
Rheumies now say I had reactive arthritis and I love the gap in.my mouth it reminds of being cured.
Pull the tooth.
Best of luck
Wow. Glad you made it through the life threatening episode. That's amazing you felt better after getting the infected tooth removed. I ended up getting the infected tooth pulled. I found out the tooth was infected for years (botched root canal procedure).
Unluckily removal of the tooth didn't help with my pain. The antibiotics helped slightly, but the pain came back full force when I went back on Methotrexate and Symponi Aria. Anyway... thanks for the reply. I hope you experience continued relief.
Ok this is very important.
You got relief from the antibiotics.
Google the roadback foundation....itis the antibiotic approach to arthritis. You take low doses of minocin ( antibiotic) the website gives doctors who prescribe it. A rheumi will give it too but for a different reason. I went on it from June 2015 to june 2016. Dr sean dunphy carrigaline cork ireland is a genius.
Yes I attend rheumatology once a year and they confirm no ra since tooth pulled.
I was very ill prior to tooth being pulled.
No wrist strength, unable to move one finger, pains in hands knees and shoulder.
Leave no stone unturned.
Best wishes.
That's great you're RA free. Thanks for recommending the Roadback Foundation website. I am familiar with that site, as well as antibiotic therapy. Apparently it use to be a more common RA solution, but doctors no longer prefer it over MTX or biologics.
I've suspected for years, possible lyme due to tick bites, or infection since none of the RA drugs work for me. Now I'm currently on my 4th RA drug and like the others, it only makes things worse.
I'm eternally confused because of conflicting info between many physicians I speak to and what I read online.
I've now requested antibiotics from 3 rheumatologists, and they all claim that it's not the best approach, and I'm left continuing with these autoimmune suppressing drugs that don't help a bit. The doctors always tell me that antibiotics are meant for early onset, they aren't safe, take too long to work, etc. Which is odd considering the RA drugs they recommend take forever to work, tear up the gut, and cause other problems.
I do agree with them though that antibiotics are not good to take long term. They do wreak havoc on gut health, which is also tied to the immune system.
When I talked to my pain management doctor about how the antibiotics seemed to help very slightly with my pain, he said what I've read online.... that antibiotics can ease pain because they have anti-inflamatory properties.
I'm not sure what to do anymore. One rhuemi says I may not even have RA because limited swelling and no results from meds. My other rheumi thinks I do have RA because of very high anti-ccp levels (2,400).
It seems that if I had a bacterial infection, it would have showed up in blood tests, no? I didn't notice much relief while on them, but it was maybe a 15% reduction in pain...enough for me wanting to continue with them, but I'm also concerned about the damage to my gut from long term therapy, especially since I've had severe gut issues for nearly 15 years now. Actually, that's when all my pain started (chronic achy gut, then back, then all over body pain).
Anyway... thanks for your feedback. If you don't mind my asking... do you still take antibiotics? How long do you plan on taking them? How long were you sick? Did you have seropositive RA? Did you also try numerous RA drugs that didn't help? Did you have swelling in joints? I'm just trying to gain an understanding of how your situation compares to mine. Thanks.
Hi! Sorry for the delay in replying.
Rheumatologists and the road back Foundation differ in their use of antibiotics. Reumatologists use antibiotics to lower inflammation and do not believe antibiotics to be very effective. The road back Foundation uses antibiotics at very low doses over a long period of time to Kill the underlying infection it is important to use one of their doctors, as I've mentioned before Dr Dunphy Cork Ireland is excellent. I too had concerns about antibiotics, the immune system and the gut. Dr Dunphy explained the antibiotics were like a second Army going in to help my immune system. I will ask him when I see him next week about the gut and antibiotics as he too is very interested in the gut. I took minocin for one year from June 2015 to June 2016.
Okay my history
Okay my history
I had a botched job of a root canal in 2012.
The upper third of my Root was not root canaled as a file broke during the procedure, the dentist never told me.
That's when my health problems started, sinus infections, chest infections, no energy, aches and pains.
By 2014 my left wrist was weak, two fingers on my left-hand didn't close and the joints were swollen I could no longer wear rings.
By February 2015 I had a flare I could hardly walk. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in March 2015, bone erosions on x-ray and high rheumatoid Factor.
I was commenced on Methotrexate, steroids and anti-inflammatories. I was very ill for 10 weeks, the swelling and pain lessened, but sick stomach and fatigue were horrendous.
In May 2015 I had a life-threatening bleed. They had difficulty in accident and emergency stopping me from vomiting blood. I was hospitalized and given blood transfusions.
After this I refused more demands and biologics I was lucky enough to find Dr Dunphy and start the antibiotic approach in June 2015.
Like you the antibiotics lessen the pain a little but I no longer had the horrendous side effects on methotrexate.I used ice and heat for the pain. in December 2015 I had said culprit tooth removed and thus was cured I remained on the antibiotics until June 2016 to be certain.
You asked about zero positive rheumatoid arthritis I don't know what this is but I did have a high rheumatoid Factor.
I still attend Dr Dunphy who applies paccaine, homeopathy drops once a month to my arm.
I hope I'm of some help.
I also know when I was sick with rheumatoid arthritis doctor dunphy mentioned giving me intravenous antibiotics daily for a week at very high doses to kill the underlying infection, at that stage neither of us even knew about the root canal but it's part of the antibiotic approach to arthritis.
Best of luck, I hope I've been of some help.
Don't give up and remember the roadback and rheumatologist s use antibiotic s very differently.
Wow. I just read your story. You are telling me my story.
It's been 11 months since my botched root canal got extracted & 11 months since an endodontist pulled out a 9 year old piece of gangrene root out of my 2nd root canal. I am now almost back to normal. I saw my rheumy yesterday and he couldn't find one RA joint. I now have " islands of swellings" all over my body. The islands of swelling over my joints are now "superficial"...meaning in my tissues.
My rheumy was "over the moon " to see me yesterday. He told me so. He had never heard of root canals causing symptoms of RA before....but here I am.
Love to talk to you & hear your story
Sue
Hi Sue
Eileen here. Can you get a recommendation of a doctor near you from theroadback foundation? and perhaps go on the antibiotic protocol...I think it will mop up the last of the infection. Also look up the work of weston A price a dentist who made the connection between ra and root canals. Like you I've been told its reactive arthritis. Are the islands of swellings sore? Did these happen after you got the tooth out?
Kind regards Eileen
Hi Eileen,
Thanks for responding. No the "islands of swellings" are not sore. I saw my rheumatologist yesterday and he said something along the lines of, " It looks like your body is clearing up the swellings..." .....so I assume my body is clearing up the swellings unevenly? Does that make sense? It's like I was so swollen for years and now 11 months after the extraction, I have normal skin surrounding swollen patches...not a pretty sight. I just started noticing these "islands" since xmas.
I live in Vancouver Canada and there is no Roadback doctor here. I live close to the Washington State boarder, the city of Blaine, Washington is just on the other side of the boarder. Seattle & Tacoma are only a 3-4 hour drive from me. I wonder if I could find a doctor there that would except me?
These are 2 of my posts under my old user name of Suzannedale
healthunlocked.com/nras/pos...
healthunlocked.com/nras/pos....
Mine also was a botched root canal procedure....
Its early days and its interesting thevantibiotics helped you, I really believe they will help you.
Roadback foundation
Hello Needforname,
It's been 11 months since my botched dental work fiasco. My rheumie was and is still speechless at how I am improving. No sign of RA as of yesterday. He had told me last summer/fall that I may have reactive arthritis, but only time will tell.
I assumed I would be all better by now, but I'm not quite there yet.Almost, but not yet as I have "islands of swelling" all over my body in my tissues, not my joints.
I was given no antibiotics even though I spent last year begging for them. I even crossed the boarder and went to Seattle. I walked into a clinic complaining of an abscess tooth while on vaction. There was obvious inflammation in my mouth where the extraction was so I was given a 10 day course of antibiotics.
I got a script of antibiotics and it helped. Anyways I came home (Vancouver BC) and the script ran out. My doctors said that the antibiotics and me feeling better was a coincidence. I didn't agree then & I don't agree now...but I live in Canada and antibiotics are not used for RA symptoms here. ( I assume because everyone thinks the dental profession does not make mistakes...they do.,)
Anyways I am not claiming RA is caused by botched root canals, but I think it can mimic RA. If you live in the States, then go to the Roadback foundation and try antibiotics. It's not about what causes RA or RA symptoms, it's about if a dental infection is mimicking RA....then what have you got to lose? Otherwise you may have to spend a 1 to 1.5 years slowly recovering as your body's immune system fights the infection. I wish I never had to suffer these last 11 months.
Please keep me informed
Hey there. Sorry for the late reply. I ended up having my infected root canal removed a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I don't feel any better. Still ache from head to toe.
The 12 days of antibiotics I was on did help some with my pain, which was surprising since prednisone, enbrel, methotrexate and simponi aria have done nothing for my pain.
The doctors here in the United States also will not consider putting me back on antibiotics. They say it's only good for early onset, or that it isn't any more effective, or that it takes too long, or that it's too dangerous.
I do agree that taking long term antibiotics is not good for one's health, and may be just as bad as the other drugs they put us on. Though, it was the only thing that offered some relief.
The doctors say the reason I experienced some relief is because antibiotics offer some anti-inflammatory effects. That may be true, but it sure would be nice to know if longer term use could help eliminate more pain.
Since much of our immune system is in our gut, destroying the good bacteria is not a good thing, so I do agree that antibiotic usage is not a good thing, but when nothing else works, it seems logical to try. The alternative is more pain.
Anyway... that's where I am at. I understand your situation isn't ideal either. It's definitely frustrating that we are unable to choose the meds we take, but instead have to go with whatever the doctors or insurance companies tell us to take.
Please update with any new news. Thanks.
A few months ago I woke up with a stiff JAW and hands. 3 Rheumies have been puzzled because my pain levels don't match the bloodwork. In other words, though I do have a positive RA factor, the level of pain and stiffness I am in doesn't match what they think possible early RA. I had a root canal 2 years ago. My dentist never checked it in between. I had no pain. I cracked the molar where i had the root canal done and it cracked. The tooth cracked too and when the dentist saw the xray he said the root canal was infected and the molar has to be extracted asap. My hands been stiff for 3 months. I'm getting the molar extracted tomorrow. I'll post if on here if there are any improvements with my hand and wrist stiffness and pain. My question to anyone reading this, is will I need to get on any antibiotics or will the removal of the infected molar drain the infection???
Isabellamarie in reply to
This is exactly the same I am going thru at the moment. May I ask how did they manage to diagnose septic arthritis? My “arthritis” symptoms started at the same time my root canal tooth infection got worst. I just had it extracted so time will say. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I'm also in this position. Getting infected tooth removed today or tomorrow. Have had stiff hands and wrists for 3 months. Didn't know molar had infected root canal until i broke it and had an x ray done. So symptoms that it was infected that I could tell. That's probably because the root is dead. Did they give you oral antibiotics?
smokey76 in reply to
I'm glad that your condition and your husbands improved!! I had a big flare 3 months ago and have had stiff hands and wrists since. Rheumys didn't rule out reactive arthritis because typical joints have not been affected and there is no synovial fluid. In other words, my bloodwork says positive for RA factor and CCP igg but the level of pain and stiffness all over my body doesn't match what they see as possible very early RA. I just cracked a molar that has a root canal. Just found out root canal has an infection that could be as old as 2 years. Having molar extracted and will post here if I see any changes!! My question is, do i have to get on oral antibiotics as well or will getting rid of the tooth just drain the infection? Thanks!!
lh63 in reply to
Same story here… after having my root canal removed, IMMEDIATELY felt better within a day or two. I was bed ridden and could barely wash myself in the shower. Now I am on zero meds, not even alieve. Bad root canals are making millions of people sick. Dental exrays don’t detect the infection.
You can be predisposed but other environmental elements can trigger the development of RA. We all have different beliefs and maybe we are all right (or wrong lol). What's important is to respect everyone's thoughts and opinions. Thank you both
Agree! I had quite a heated exchange with a woman wanting to "save me" as I'd got root canals a few years ago. I lost my patience with her and withdrew as she was scaring people. Who knows if they cause or contribute but without having those done you have implants or gaps as you rightly say! x
Who did your root canal? A dentist or an endodontist? My dentist left gangrene product in my 2 root canals. In feb I had one extracted and immediately felt better. I also had the other root canal redone by an endodontist and immediately when he pulled the gangrene piece of root out of my tooth, my ankle reattached itself to my foot.
It is not about being right or wrong about what can cause RA. That should be left up to the scientist of the world and our rheumatologist. I sell beer for a living, so no medical knowledge...but I can tell you that I was close to death when I had my extraction. I was helped to the oral surgeons table. & I walked off the oral surgeons table all by myself. A root canal was ripped out of my skull & I immediately felt a rushing "water fall" feeling leaving my joints & body.
My RA seems to be slowly disappearing. My rheumy wont say if my RA was caused by a root canal yet, but he is leaning that way.
I was diagnosed RA in June 2014
My first root canal was Nov 2006
My 2nd root canal was Jan 2008
JaggedPill in reply to
Thank you, this was extremely helpful. I also understand that there probably are more than one causes for RA (or anything else for that matter) so what helps one person may not necessarily help another. My guts tell me it's the tooth.. just very hard to make the decision to remove it.. and if I do, I have to ready myself for disappointment as well. I need to convince myself that regardless, I would have removed a toxic thing from my body.
How did gangrene get into ur teeth? It formed Bc he didn't do a good job? Mine was done by a regular dentist I think. So long ago I don't remember. I have resorption idk if I have gangrene or any other infection that's visible.
I'm very happy for you that you appear to be resolving your RA.
Lucy11 in reply to
Hi Suzanne! Happy to read things are looking up for you!
One quick question! What on earth do you mean that your ankle immediately reattached itself to your foot? This suggests that it was somehow unattached?? Can you explain more?
in reply to Lucy11
I had my daughter drive me to the endodontist because when I woke up my left ankle was so swollen & my foot was twisted. I couldn't put any weight on it. My left foot was pigeoned toed , my leg was normal & my ankle was so swollen that it protruded out almost touching the floor. It wasn't touching the floor, it just looked like it was. It looked & felt detached from my foot.
On the 14 of Feb , I hobbled to the endodontist with my 21 yr old daughter helping me. My hubby didn't come with me because I was feeling so good the night before since I had the extraction on Feb 8.
Anyways, the endodontist didn't know anything about RA, but he got notes from my oral surgeon about the abscess. My endodontist didn't see the abscess as he worked on me. I think he thought having this root canal redone was a waste of time. He was laughing and talking about xmas and then I put my hand up indicating pain. He was almost finished cleaning out the old root canal stuff. He gave me a shot and it stopped my pain. I had my eyes closed. Suddenly I opened my eyes because the "draining waterfall" feeling was coming from my ankle. My foot went back to normal & my swollen ankle went down. The endodontist was looking & studying what was on his instrumment. He finished my root canal. He then said my dentist missed the end of a canal 8 yrs ago. This piece of infected root was poisoning me. He said I was lucky that the infection caused by this root didn't infect my brain.
I walked normally to my car. At home my knees started to drain. That was almost 5 months ago and the healing process has slowed down. I was house bound for 18 months. I am now back to work, albeit part time. I still take sulfa 4x aday. No more mtx or hydroxy for a while now. I'm scared to give up the sulfa.
Lucy11 in reply to
That's some kind of crazy for sure!
Bleakin in reply to
I've just seen the chain of comments re root canals. I have Seropostive RA diagnosed in 2015, and had a root canal in 2006, and 2009 both completed by an expensive London endodontis, and I'm experiencing a fare in the root canal from 2006, and also have a bad RA fare today, for this first time, in a MCP joint along with the previous wrist pain, swollen ankle and DIP joint osteoarthritis. Going back for a checkup.
in reply to Bleakin
A flare in the 2006 root canal done by an endodontist? Please keep us informed.....just a suggestion, Maybe see another endodontist and have it retreated. Just to see if the second endodontist finds something your first one missed.
Needforname in reply to
I really wish you were still a user on this forum so that I could ask you questions.
I don't want you to hold out hope that if you get an extraction, you will be RA free. You might not be....I can only guarentee you will be RA free if you saw my dentist. Maybe botched root canal treatment doesn't cause RA, but it can mimic it.
This is my story, and I'm only sharing it My rheumy is leaning towards my botched dental work for my RA diagnosis, but he says we need more time to see.
Eiram50 in reply to
Really?? With respect sue, you can guarantee someone "will " be RA free if they see your dentist? I'm not confident that can be claimed as a fact?
No one made any claims. I think she meant if you had an incompetent dentist do ur root canal, then it's possible that your RA may be related to an oral infection.
in reply to Eiram50
Lol Marie, I was only being sarcastic. What I was trying to say was that if you hopped on a plane and flew to Surrey BC Canada to have my dentist do a root canal, ...well you should go back home and have your dental work she did looked at. My dentist wont cure your RA symptoms, my dentist will leave infected roots in your root canal & give you RA symptoms.
She botched my dental work. I believe she caused my symtoms of RA.
My hubby is RA free now d in January. He didn't have RA as bad as me. We shared the same dentist. He went from seropositive to seronegative to drugfree within a month. He has been RA free now for 5 months...I'm still waiting...
Eiram50 in reply to
Omg! Sorry!!
I missed the sarcasm altogether . I know your back story therefore couldn't make sense of the comment- brain fog moment, sincere apologies sue x
in reply to Eiram50
No apology needed Marie. I do understand how absurd my "ra & root canal' story is. Completely absurd.
Eiram50 in reply to
I don't think the potential connection absurd? It certainly seems causal in terms of you and your husband. Who knows - hopefully research will lead to definitive answers, in time.
in reply to Eiram50
I do think the connection is absurd. I am a science-fact based person to my core. Theories need to be scientificly proven for me to be a believer.
What has happened to me & hubby is true and I still do find it hard to believe. So how can I expect anyone else to believe this could happen? It is completely absurd, yet it is happening to me.
Eiram50 in reply to
I hear you but I think it's no more absurd than certain other theories/ connections etc. It's your truth? That's the
Nub of it.
I'm just happy, for whatever reason, things have greatly improved for you and your husband.
Long may it continue !
lrees in reply to
I Agree completely . Glad I found this sight . I keep saying . I get inflamed and then need a root canal ... I know it is connected . How ..what ..where ..and when dk... But it is connected in a baterial type RA . My RA was 14 ..my Ana was neg ..but my Aunts Ra was neg for years and showed on xray ..... So my md said .. neg results .dont get your hopes up .. it is all inherited autoimmue so . runs on both sides of my family ...I guess I got a double dose ...Good Luck to Yall. I am from Florida
I was digonised with RD two yrs before I had a root canal filling. My dentist wouldn't do it, he said although he was qualified to he preferred that I had it done by an endodontist as they had specialist equipment. I put mine down to stress shock & trauma after having four yrs of hell with one trauma after another but who knows, certainly no-one else in the extended family have it. Although a non blood aunt had it & she was in a bad way, not able to do anything for herself so I guess I'm lucky with all the effective treatment now.
Common things occur commonly. Doesn't mean they cause each other.
I've had a root canal done. I think he might of been a butcher. All I could think of when sitting in his chair was Marathon Man!
Don't know if it caused the inflammatory arthritis, but I had to have tooth pulled a year later.
Yes. I've had many problems with my teeth since starting Biologics (currently on Rituximab). I've had several root fillings and crowns fitted, and occasionally feel as though that tooth still hurts, yet x-rays with the dentist show nothing. I now try to ignore it because I do not want to end up toothless! I am, however, sure that RA and the meds we take have a negative effect on our teeth. 😭
in reply to KayEP
My rheumy says it's the same as the chicken & egg. What came first the chicken or the egg? RA meds can effect our teeth.
Yup. I've had loads of dental work done including root canals and crowns. Some done at a top dental hospital and others at various dentists. I've also had some very high stress times in the past. There is no history of auto-immune disease in my family. I reckon that looking for a cause for RD in my case would not help. Let's face it I need to cling to whatever sanity I have left. I feel I'm hanging on by my eyelashes at times. Thank goodness for a warped sense of humour!
J
Hi,
I too think the meds play havoc with teeth. I lost two since starting on mtx and benepali- never had any problems before.
I have had 2 root canal treatment long before RM so don't think they're related. Must be a coincidence x
I said I didn't know if it caused arthritis. Who knows what causes what?
I put it all down to a shed load of stress.
Actually I think there might be something in physical trauma as a trigger for autoimmune issues. This could be something like nasty dental work, accident or an operation.
My inflammatory issues really kicked off after I had an operation on both knees. I never really recovered properly, and then went down hill.
It might be that I was susceptible, and the operation just triggered it.
in reply to Nettac
Yeah, who knows/ It's best left to the scientist to discover what causes what.
Hi jagedpill, yes I have a mouth full of root canals and RD. There is a lot of data on periodontal disease and RD. I currently have an abscess under my itooth . It has two roots and when the root Cana was done the dentist left a piece of file in the root. Now that it is abscessed the orthodontic specialists says it requires surgery or extraction. I have refused to do either. Although it is clearly still present but with recent job change my husbands plan does not come into force until August. I am not paying 660. To correct a mistake.
The good news is it is staying calm.
Good luck. I wonder if just re doing the root canal can help you...
in reply to JaggedPill
It may only help if your redo root canal is done by an endodontist. Not your dentist.
I don't think it is connected as I have had r.a. for 10 years and I already had root canal treatment and have just had another one. I lost my mum 10 years ago and I seriously think the shock started it off - who knows what triggers these things off.
Thanks, Lucy. What did you end up doing?
I've also thought about whether it would help if the disease has already been planted. Based on Sue's story, hers resolved but not completely. The other thing I think about is whether keeping those teeth or tooth will lead to further health issues..so say you get rid of the teeth but u didn't get rid of the current ailment .. yet if you had kept the teeth maybe you would have developed more health problems.. who knows... wish we had a glass ball to tell us the future...
I haven't been diagnosed w RA.. will see doc later this month.
Hello there,
i have my story here, my tooth pain started 10 months ago it was upper front tooth, it was a root canal treated tooth years ago and the tooth was more less ok for these years, then 10 months ago i started to have a dull pain (possibly an implant next to it caused a trouble, who knows),went to dentist she decided to do re root canal treatment, it didn't work, i had 2 courses of antibiotics, then she said i needed to go to a professional, by then the tooth was worse than it was at first place i came to see dentists.
Waiting time to see the specialist were another 2 months, i came to first consultation the tooth was in pain made me jump to touch, the specialist agreed to re root canal, waiting time one more month, when i finally came to see him in April, my knees and wrist already have been in pain, feeling unwell and feverish and i was on Naproxen.
the treatment had been started, two sessions, 1.5h each, two months later the tooth still in pain, dull pain, im on anti inflammatory drugs.
the specialist and myself gave up, the tooth was pulled out 4 days ago...hoping for a change in my joints symptoms, reumatoligist says it is reactive arthritis...
my tooth was examined very well, it appeared to be a crack in there.
it took me 10 months of trying to rescue the tooth, plus expansive treatments and i ended up with no tooth and signed off work for 3 months.
its just my story with no conclusions,
everything is possible but bare in mind that millions of people have problems with teeth and dont have arthritis make me think it is just kind of lack of luck to develop arthritis with teeth problems.
best,
My RA was diagnosed in 2010 and I've only recently had root canal treatment x
I had a root canal treatment about 10 years before I developed RA. About 10 yrs after developing RA I invested in having all my amalgam fillings replaced and the root canal treated tooth extracted, hoping to see some improvement in my RA. There was no improvement.
Thx for sharing! Did any other health issues improve?
No, there was change at all, just a bit of a dent in my bank balance, lol.
I've never had any dental work. I've never even had a cavity.
I had a root canal in June, then almost immediately started have symptoms of RA. I went to the Dr. a month ago, my ANA was elevated, sent me to a Rheumy and had lots of bloodwork last week, still waiting for a diagnosis. Im wondering if the root canal started my problems also! I think it takes something like this to trigger an auto immune response. Im thinking of removing my tooth, it's worth a shot anyways!!
Yeah but scary! Wat if problems persist after extraction? I wish I knew if it's the darn tooth
I had two previous root canals, the last one about 20 years ago. Have had aches and pains for years, even pre-dating the dental work. As my condition has worsened over time, I went to a rheumy back in February, and the blood panel came back all within normal ranges. In May 2017 I came down with a tremendous toothache and had a root canal done on this third tooth, followed by two rounds of antibiotics. The infection seems "mostly" resolved, although the endodontist is only too happy to perform more work on the tooth. A visit to a new rheumy in October showed for the first time a very positive result on the anti-CCP. Could the root canal issue have sparked the RA for which I am currently on Plaquenil? Was there an underlying autoimmune condition burbling all these years that led to the root canals, vice-versa, or a combination thereof? Is it the chicken or the egg?
Every solution has its own problem as a consequence, it would seem.
Here is a link that I found very VERY interesting because I too am a victim of RA ever since my back molar chipped due to it rotting. Here is the link: arthritis-cure.co.uk/my-rhe...
Also, I went to the dentist today to get that molar pulled out and my dentist did confirm there was an infection. And believe it or not, just in the short time that the tooth was pulled and I was given antibiotics...the swelling and aches in my hand and fingers are noticeably better. Tomorrow morning will be the big test since my hands and shoulders ache sooo much in the a.m. Also, soon after my tooth chipped due to years of rotting, I also started to suffer from a dry cough and short of breath. And I am a very healthy person who can run 3-4 miles easy. And never had short of breath. Waiting on results on my chest x-ray as well as blood tests. If the infection did effect my lungs and trigger my RA, I pray and hope that it did not do any damage to my lungs. Good luck.
If you just Google the following you will see lots of studies on this subject matter: tooth infection linked to rheumatoid arthritis
Did you remove them? I am about to remove three root canaled teeth in hopes of remission. Please let me know what happened! Thanks
I do. And I am sure mine are related. Removing them one by one.
Just wondering if this thread can open up again. I'm experiencing similar problems and having my root canaled tooth removed tomorrow, praying it makes a difference and I get some relief.
in reply to kmjaxn
I writ this I’m in the dentist waiting room due to have this done 🤕
kmjaxn in reply to
Please keep me posted on your results. I'm having my root canal molar removed tomorrow and prep work for a bridge done. I had the root canal done approximately 30 years ago. I began shortly thereafter with TMJ symptoms and a few years later RA symptoms. Over the past 25 years I've endured various treatments, been diagnosed seronegative RA and even resorted to autoimmune injections.
Back to the root canal. Shortly after the root canal my dentist started noting some deterioration on one root of the tooth. We've kept an eye on it for 25 years now and just recently my new dentist has noted what he says looks like has been a "chronic infection" in that tooth. It's never bothered me over the years, as the tooth is dead, and therefore it's been listed as a "watch". After some research and discussion with several of my doctors, they're removing the tooth tomorrow. I'm praying for some positive results. I pray you receive them too.
in reply to kmjaxn
I’m just back what was supposed to be just the one tooth. The decay was extensive in canal very deep and covered 3 teeth. I can’t afford to loose these teeth so decided to clean out decay and fill . The teeth themselves have no decay all in the roots. He can’t believe I wasn’t screaming in pain but I only just got the odd sensation now and again admittedly for years . I had been referred to the dental hospital fir gum problems and they never picked it up even with all the X-rays. So 2 hours later and the dentist swearing in his Darth Vader mask I’ve still got 3 teeth will see how things go.
I too am s- negative diagnosed 4 years ago and from having healthy teeth and gums no fillings to an unending problems mainly beneath the gum line. I was told RA related 😞🥺
kmjaxn in reply to
Wow, I hope you do okay with this. My procedure is tomorrow morning at 8 am CST. The plan is to pull the root canaled tooth and prep the two beside it for a bridge. It's a three hour total procedure. I hope I see some changes soon.
It's taken me doing research on my own to link the root canal with the RA. Neither my doctors or dentists have ever mentioned this before I began asking questions and doing my own research. I don't understand why dental health and medical health are separate? Why don't they link your entire body as your "health history", eyes, teeth, ears and all?!
in reply to kmjaxn
Now thats called common sense.. as my mother use to say ... highly educated but no common sense.. The dental hospital was doing research with a rheumatologist . Even though I mentioned these odd sensations on both sides it didn’t ring any alarm bells( 3 years ago ) with them. I saw a new dentist in December and had one side of my mouth done just before Christmas.. again extensive decay in the root . He thought this was the worst but today’s was by far worse . X-rays don’t really show the severity or even the start of it ..
Good luck tomorrow.
kmjaxn in reply to
I'm very worried about the xrays not showing the extent. We'll see what happens when he gets in there I guess. 🤞
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