dental problems

[giddyup]

Hello fellow heppers, I've done two rounds of treatment and still have hep c. I have needed quite alot of dental work since being diagnosed and treating hep c.Yesterday I was told I have severe gum disease. I'm 42 years old. I'm seeing a periodontist tomorrow. I did a quick web check yesteday and found that there is an association between hep c and dental problems. Can anyone here share some expierence or knowledge on this suject? I was also just diagnosed with hep c related osteoarthritus

                                           Thank you

                                             Giddy up

[DoubleDose]

Your comments are encouraging to tx'ers, in that maybe there is a way to avoid the dental issues through aggressive dental care etc.  I congratulate you on the solid dental bill of health!  You are fortunate indeed.  I still tend to think you may be the anomaly, and would like to see more responses from the board from those who share similar background stories to yours.  There must be others out there who have had few dental problems, either from the HCV and/or tx.

Maybe you have some pretty powerful genes when it comes to teeth!
Good luck to you, and good to hear from you.  I trust you are enjoying the summer.

While we are on the subject of dental issues, to everyone out there:  What about problems with mouth sores, chronic cheek eruptions, painful spots in the mouth in soft tissues, etc.???

I had some of this before tx, from time to time, but after tx, the mouth sores have been a chronic, and very irritating issue.  Anybody else dealing with these problems after tx?

DoubleDose

[jmjm530]

I had some significant gum problems around 15 years ago, due mainly to neglect (skipped a several years of dentistry including teeth cleaning LOL). A couple of operations fixed/tightened up the pockets and since then I've been on a 3-month tooth cleaning schedule like Mike. What a world of difference regular dental care/cleanings/home maintenance made in my case. No gum problems since, including treatment and post treatment. As to "mouth sores", "painful spots etc," I did have some minor flares during tx but nothing post treatment.

-- Jim

[mikesimon]

You know I have taken a lot of interferon and ribavirin and have had no dental issues whatsoever. I have been going to the same dentist for 27 years and I see him every 3 months for cleanings and exams. Maybe preventative dentistry has insulated me from these types of problems. BTW, my dentist cleans my teeth himself. He says he gets a chance to see what's really going on in there. He is a genius and an artist. Mike

[Kit-c]

--I too thought I was out to lunch,thinking that my teeth were and are falling apart because of Hep-c,

But it seems in the last 5 ,6 years, since I had really started to feel poorly with the Hep-c,
That I was way more often at the dreded Dentists,with way more bigger  yeeowieez in my
mouth,,,root canels,,,filling falling out and taking half the tooth with,, teeth getting pulled out,,ic.

It was not very smart of me getting a back tooth pulled out on Wensday,and then starting my TX ,and
first shot on thursday,my cheek is still swollen .............................
My Dentsit also has said I have gum disese(sp),,,

Like Meki says,,,I had nice strong teeth too,,,,,,,,at one time,.,.,
Oh well I guess there is always implants,,,,lots of $$$$$$$ tho......

See ya ,Gale

[DoubleDose]

I will just add to the list, that I have had major tooth problems from the time that I developed HCV.  Tx additionally made the gum and bone loss problems much worse, and I will need Perio surgery in the coming year.  In the past I have needed at least six root canals, and had previously lost teeth due to 'odd' infection, pain, and internal decay.  Fixed bridge work and implants have kept me in fairly good shape, but the perio and bone loss seems to have really gone berserk since my two tx'es.  

Almost everyone that I have ever talked with regarding the dental issues, who have also had HCV, all seem to have the same litany of problems.  After tx most seem to need lots of follow up dental and gum work.  I believe that the disease attacks the teeth through the naturally stimulated autoimmune process (just as it causes a Sjogren's like syndrome in many with HCV), and then that the tx greatly accelerates this autoimmune process, so that gum tissue, bone, and tooth nerves and pulp are under heavy attack by our own system.  I think this best explains these dental issues, as well as the host of other post-tx problems that frequently crop up.  Many are sx that we already had ,to some lesser degree,  before tx, as a result of the HCV infection and immune system process.

The other possibility is that the HCV virus itself actually attacks the tissues (tooth, bone, gum) and cause this syndrome.  This makes LESS sense, since the tx often clears the virus out, and the problems only seem to get worse.  Hence my belief that it is truly an autoimmune issue.

I do not buy the idea that everybody without HCV also develops these same problems in their 40's and 50's.  I know way too many people who have never had HCV who have very healthy teeth.  My dental issues are monumental compared to their history of issues.  How many HCV'ers and Tx'ers have had few dental issues???  I bet there aren't many out there!!

It truly is the HCV, and even more so, the tx, that is to blame.  

It is not a good situation, but I guess it is just one more thing that needs to be dealt with aggressively, so that we do not end up in horrible shape years down the road.

DoubleDose

[meki]

I'm hanging out with the tooth fairy.

Seriously - I had almost perfect teeth before HCV tx - and during TX I had to have a tooth pulled, some cavaties filled - and they say I'm going to have to keep coming back.

Sigh ---- I like my teeth ---- or did...

Oh well - the chompers have been chomped.

Meki
Ps. Maybe the interferon kills the good bacteria in the mouth that stops cavities?