Losing teeth: B12 related ?

[Cherylclaire]

I have experienced teeth becoming loose, painful to bite on, and hot swollen and sometimes bleeding gums- as if an abcess is forming. Sometimes, affects tongue which goes numb down one side. This often goes on its own, but have lost one tooth and now looks like I'm going to lose another- this time a wisdom tooth (so at least it won't show). Last time I had tooth extracted and developed bone infection in jaw requiring stitches- gum here still gets painful. Is this anything to do with B12 deficiency, or just another thing to put up with ? Anyone else get/had this?

Otherwise, outwardly GOOD and improving condition: nails, hair etc much improved after 1 year of self-injecting every other day. Inwardly, not too shabby either: happy about that.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

I've always had bad teeth but lost a few teeth around the time I was diagnosed as B12 deficient and until I managed to get my treatment right. Lots of us seem to have problems with teeth and gums so could be a B12 thing or could just be co-incidence.

Just had a quick look on pubmeds and came up with this

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

study in India and some shocking stats on B12 deficiency but seems to be a definite correlation between dental problems and low B12 ... but also quite a small study.

[Gigi216]

Yes I have developed several bad cavities while b12 deficient. I brush and floss daily

[deniseinmilden]

I lost 4 teeth like that before I got the treatment I needed because the nerves in my teeth were dying and therefore they were going rotten from the inside.

It was my dentist who initially referred me to the hospital for testing because with a past dx of CFS the Drs weren't interested!

I'm surprised that you are getting the problems now, especially as other things are improving (great - well done you!), and I just wonder if your extra B12 is being optimally effective? Could you get better results still by tweaking the balance of your supporting supplements? I think you are taking a broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement plus extra folate, potassium, magnesium and iron as required, aren't you? Could there be anything else that may help? Vit D3 and K2, more folate, maybe methylfolate instead of folic acid, more heme iron from red meat and fish, possibly extra multivitamin and mineral supplement or extra of one of the others are all things that come to mind to try. I know you are good at researching these so will be careful. If you add anything in do it one at a time for a few days and see if it makes any difference. If it does and you take it out again and see a return to how you were you can be fairly sure it is having an effect.

I hope you find something that works well for you.

[Peepsdog]

Please make sure to have your vitamin C checked. I found out that I have a significant vitamin C deficiency in addition to my b12 deficiency. They actually diagnosed me with clinical Scurvy and now I am getting vitamin infusions weekly with a good dose of vitamin C. All my gum problems and where my skin is falling off is completely healed up. I also had really severe bone pain at times and that has resolved with the treatment. I hope this helps have a good week.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

Thanks everyone:

I will do my printing off and reading when I leave the library, Gambit62 : even libraries these days are too noisy for reading (!?)- at least for me.

Since I have been SI every other day for a whole year now, I was also surprised that I have been starting to get teeth/gums problems again. I thought at this point anyway I would get GP to check that other supplementation (lots of folic acid, multivits & minerals etc) was having desired effect in raising levels. Always had problems with keeping levels of folate and ferritin out of lower end of range despite healthy diet. Also Dexascan for osteoporosis of spine due soon (1 year), which will tell me if Risedronate and Vit D tablets have been effective, too. Thanks, deniseinmilden . Again.

At the same time, will ask about Vitamin C, Peepsdog - since I seem unable to hold onto anything much dietwise, why not ? What a nightmare for you.

Then only waiting for results from Inherited Metabolics Diseases consultant (also 1 year on : May next year ?)

Always end on a positive: as of yesterday- now doing 2 days a week at work instead of 1. Might sound like a very slow phased return, but on the other hand, has doubled !

[Ashweb901]

Cherylclaire did your teeth settle down? I have had sensitive teeth and irritated gums (no visible bleeding or redness) for a month now. I’m peri- or meno- pausal, and I understand that’s “a thing” that can happen when estrogen dips low. But I also suspect B12, as I struggle to keep it despite a good diet, including iron. Folate and B12 are always within range serum-wise, but that’s not a whole picture, I know. I switched at Christmas to transdermal 5-MTHF, hydroxo, methyl, pyroxidal-5-phosphate (B6?), D3. (I get my D3 orally too.). Wondering if transdermal route, considering I’m 50% compliant, just isn’t quite enough.

Anyway, interested in your journey related to your teeth!

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

Latest on teeth: wisdom tooth was getting much worse: more wobbly, more painful, also unbearable jaw pain.

Read Risedronate leaflet -which said tell GP if jaw pain and wobbly teeth, so decided to just stop taking Risedronate. Jaw pain stopped, tooth still wobbly though.

Dentist's opinion was that I probably had infection that had spread along gum, so took antibiotics, then had extraction. She also seemed very concerned that I hadn't let them know about taking Risedronate in the first place.

For some reason, the anaesthetic was having no effect on me- tongue still not going numb at all after 3 injections, so she had to use something else (can't remember name): injection directly into affected area, then plenty of massage. This time, procedure was fine, tooth came out like a dream and no pain or blood after leaving, none at all. Questioned dentist about why the initial anaesthetic did not work: she believes this to be a very healthy sign. Healthy ? Could I finally be reaping benefits from all those B12 injections, deniseinmilden ?

I really think so.

Eventually told GP that I'd stopped the Risedronate and why, and asked for alternative treatment - she said all the treatments had the potential to cause jaw necrosis, but that it was very rare. By which she meant one case to her knowledge in that practice: not rare enough for me to want to resume prescribed drug. She is sending me to an osteoporosis consultant- appointment soon. My latest Dexascan showed improvement in bone density in spine, but still not keen to return to Risedronate.

Currently, ferritin level fine- but would like it to be a bit higher, and would like that to be a natural raise. Folate now a little high (finally !) so halved my supplement to just that recommended daily , see how that goes. B12, as ever, likely to be through the roof, and now trying Kombucha - without any miracles so far.

Dentist quite pleased with teeth, too !

Now I've reread this, I'm wondering about poor Peepsdog ,too.