T3 and oral health

[Mefy]

Hello, I have suffered from a load of symptoms over the past years including bleeding gums (despite being meticulous about cleaning and visiting my dentists for scaling every 3 months and taking probiotics) and an enlarged swollen tongue with lots of cracks. I have recently started taking T3 and found my gums are bleeding less and less each day. In fact, they didn’t bleed at all today. And my tongue feels so much better and isn’t as swollen. I can only assume that these symptoms had always been due to an underactive thyroid! Has anyone else experienced anything similar? All this pain and suffering and no health care practitioner or dentist even looked into this.

[SlowDragon Ambassador]

As explained in detail in previous post why it’s far far too soon to consider adding T3

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

TSH will drop significantly with adding any dose of T3 and then you can’t get prescribed necessary increases in levothyroxine

Swollen cracked tongue is frequently low B12

[Mefy in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for this.

[Noelnoel in reply to Mefy]

You may need to monitor ferritin too. My husband’s got extremely low because of bleeding gums. It took us a long time to realise why his got so low and even noticing the blood-stained pillow case, the penny still didn’t drop. Duh!

[Buddy195 Administrator]

I understand you are taking 20mcg of Liothyronine per day Mefy. Can I ask if you previously tried Levothyroxine?

As others have said, it’s useful if you can share actual blood test results both prior to starting medication and 6-8 weeks after being on a consistent dose.

[Mefy]

Hello, no I haven’t but will do soon. My TSH is 2.4. Have many of the clinical symptoms of hypothyroidism.

[humanbean]

Personal anecdote :

I have found that taking high dose vitamin C will reduce and eliminate oral bleeding from my tongue and gums. It doesn't take long before I see a difference - perhaps 2 or 3 days.

[Mefy in reply to humanbean]

Thank you for this. I will certainly start taking vitamin C too.

[jacobite33]

Hi Mery I have bleeding gums and use an irrigator to wash them then brush.It helps.My gums bleed at night mostly and I am on Amlodipine for high blood pressure.I am made to believe by a dentist that this could be the cause.Just can’t be bothered with the rigmarole involved dealing with the docs

[Mefy in reply to jacobite33]

Thank you for this.

[Litatamon]

The signs you are explaining are also symptoms of b12 deficiency. Please check your levels, to cross it off.

[Mefy in reply to Litatamon]

Thank you. I will as I’m sure I’m properly not optimised,

[Mefy in reply to Mefy]

Sorry I meant to write that I’m sure I don’t have optimised levels.

[CoeliacMum1]

As soon as I started Levothyroxine for my hypothyroidism my tongue shrunk somewhat… I had started almost getting a swallowing anxiety type reaction all this stopped once on thyroid medication ..however regarding gum bleeding, I and my husband now have found the foaming agents (possibly flouride) in regular toothpaste a culprit they irritated my gums and chemicals stripped the natural oral microbiome.

We both have sensitive skin and husband has eczema, so assuming we had sensitivity to chemical in toothpaste.

I switched to anon flouride toothpaste its one that helps oral microbiome no nasties but it’s expensive but not as expensive as repeat deep cleaning at the dentist costs, so has worked out cheaper in the long run… and it lasts quite a while, and cheaper on subscription, which I alter accordingly to our needs.

I had a deep clean 18months ago and I put dentist off doing more, as I hated the process and thoughts of the chemicals pumping into gums etc and every 6 months I was having a basic clean before every visit with her moaning another was required as gums weren’t great.

I had a chronic sinus issue in June and although she looked over my mouth due to teeth on edge I asked if she wouldn’t clean and she put me down for a clean in January.

I started the new regimen with this toothpaste in November after my mouth felt irritated after brushing with the regular toothpaste.

Wwe went last month to dentist and my gums best they’ve been in few years and ironically husbands were too… can only put down to toothpaste unless she was in a good mood!

I do believe we get drip fed too many things in things like modern toothpastes, mouthwash in our water etc we are getting too much for some of us to cope with, so I drink filtered water (it takes some impurities out although can also remove good stuff eg minerals, so be aware) but have for some years now used filtered where possible and use a non flouride and no sls or foaming agent toothpaste now.

Maybe it’s too early to tell if it’s this toothpaste and is as good as it seems …my teeth bone are strong and have always told that, it’s been my gums that are inflamed but don’t bleed when brushed now or before …so I’m not worried about going fluoride free, the toothpaste I use has same mineralisation our teeth are made up from … I don’t have sensitive teeth anymore which the harsh cleaning started to give me. I found I also got paranoid about not being clean enough and brushing too hard 🫣

[Mefy in reply to CoeliacMum1]

Thank you for this.

[andyjs2]

Understanding that AI can definitely be wrong, here is what ChatGPT says:

Yes, low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism) can contribute to both a swollen tongue and bleeding gums.

• Swollen tongue (macroglossia): Hypothyroidism can cause fluid retention (myxedema), which may lead to tongue enlargement. This can make speech and swallowing difficult.

• Bleeding gums: Hypothyroidism can lead to dry mouth (xerostomia) and reduced saliva production, which increases the risk of gum disease, irritation, and bleeding. It may also slow wound healing, making the gums more prone to inflammation and infection.

If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it would be a good idea to check your thyroid levels and see a doctor or dentist for evaluation.

[Mefy in reply to andyjs2]

Thank you for this. It confirms my suspicions.