Can RAI affect your teeth?

[Wassabi]

Hello everyone, hope you're all doing great. Wanted to ask the ones who has done RAI. Has it affected your teeth after doing the treatment? I've done my RAI treatment in 2023 and every since I've had constant visit to the dentist due to tooth decay or cavities build up even shortly after doing a cleaning session. I've always done a proper dental routine and never had issues with my teeth before the treatment. So far I've done fillings on most of my bottom teeth and still need to do my top ones. Ugh 😩

[PurpleNails Administrator]

I have read of others wondering about this. Salivary gland are known to absorb the iodine treatment & cause dry mouth. Saliva provides important minerals and proteins that help to keep our teeth strong and healthy. It also helps to flush away food debris that becomes stuck between our teeth.

Could this be what’s happening?

[Wassabi in reply to PurpleNails]

Could be a possibility, I know I've had dry mouth from before the treatment

[Tina_Maria]

This is what came up in a search:

Radioactive iodine treatment, while primarily targeting thyroid tissue, can indirectly affect teeth and oral health due to its impact on salivary glands and the potential for changes in saliva flow and composition.

Salivary Gland Damage: Radioactive iodine (I-131) can damage salivary glands, leading to:

Dry mouth (xerostomia): Reduced saliva flow can cause a dry mouth, increasing the risk of cavities.

Swelling and pain: Salivary gland inflammation can cause swelling and pain in the salivary glands.

Taste and smell changes: Salivary gland damage can also lead to taste and smell changes.

Increased Cavity Risk: Reduced saliva flow and changes in saliva composition can create an environment conducive to tooth decay.

Other Oral Complications: Radioiodine treatment can also lead to:

Oral mucositis: Inflammation of the mouth lining.

Microbial or fungal colonisation: Increased risk of infections in the mouth.

Periodontal disease: Inflammation of the gums.

Metal Restorations:

In some cases, radioiodine can localise in metallic dental restorations, which can be detected on scans.

Dental Care Recommendations:

Patients undergoing radioiodine treatment should:

Maintain good oral hygiene: Brush teeth regularly and gently, using a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Use fluoride toothpaste: Fluoride can help strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities.

Consider alternative mouthwashes: Some mouthwashes can irritate the mouth, so consider using a baking soda solution or a gentle, alcohol-free mouthwash.

See a dentist regularly: Regular dental checkups and cleanings can help monitor oral health and address any problems that may arise.

There is also a publication looking at Iodine-131 and the impact on teeth.

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

Hope this will help!

[PurpleNails Administrator in reply to Tina_Maria]

RAI treatment affect on salivary glands is well acknowledged for the high doses given for cancer, drs say they don’t occur with lower doses to treat hyperthyroid.

Wassabi your recent posts say you currently take an antithyroid so your hyper is still not resolved by treatment?

10% need further treatment but this isn’t usually considered for at least 6 months as the treatment can still make a difference months later.

Antithyroid can also affect salivary glands. Mine became inflamed but settled. You also mention you has this before treatment. It may be to do with your abnormal thyroid levels.

Is your hyper autoimmune?

Do you have dry eyes too? There is another autoimmune condition which causes dryness.

See if your dr / pharmacists can recommend a specialised mouth spray.

[Wassabi in reply to PurpleNails]

Hey, I took the rai in 2023 and I've felt good the doctor even told me my thyroid levels were back to normal a year after the treatment it was only since he gave me levothyroxine in February my body had a bad reaction to it causing my thyroids to react to the pills negative causing it to give me hyperthyroidism symptoms so he prescribed some pills hopefully to reverse these symptoms

[Wassabi]

Hey no I've not joined maybe you can add the link to join.

[pennyannie]

The most rounded of all I researched some years after my own RAI thyroid ablation for Graves Disease in 2005 is that of Elaine Moore's first book - Graves Disease - A Practical Guide where you can read of the potential side effects of RAI -

my book copy was printed in 2001 and there have been further issues found with this treatment option as time has elapsed - so you may well find later editions detailing more side effects and you can still access Elaine's website via the archived records -

web.archive.org/web/2024122...

Details of my own health issues are on my Profile page - as I am not prepared to rewrite everything again here - just press the Icon alongside my username - where you will find all I've ever written on this patient to patient forum and I deeply regret having had this treatment -

and I'm sorry you find yourself in this situation - many people are fine - some are not -

The most recent research we have is detailed below :-

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/338...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/306...

[humanbean]

Elaine Moore's website is no longer available as a normal website but some (or all?) of it can be found in the web archive - the "Wayback Machine".

I don't know what has happened to Elaine or whether her website will be back.