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Do you get cavities?
My dad recently went to the dentist. He was discouraged to find that he’d developed a cavity. After decades of no issues with his teeth, suddenly the enamel seemed to be failing. He wonders if this could be associated with Parkinson’s. His dentist seemed to think that dry mouth could contribute to the development of cavities. Have any of you experienced oral issues? If so, do you have any theories about why?
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12 Replies
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I’ve PD for 4.5 Years and have not had a cavity issue.
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As I am scheduled for oral surgery tomorrow morning to have another implant, my sixth, I have to say, yes, Parkinson’s causes tooth problems. I began this journey about 20 years ago, long before I knew about Parkinson’s. I had developed a dry mouth and eyes but no one told me that it was a problem to worry about. Then I started having teeth break and suddenly cavities, something I had few of in my whole life to that time. When you have a tooth break off at the gum line when nothing was wrong with the tooth until then, it is quite disturbing. I ended up having a whole rash of crowns. Because of the dryness, I was diagnosed with several different ailments but none really fit. Finally, I developed a slight tremor. I had developed stiffness and balance problems that no one could explain. They were both advancing slowly but surely. The tremor sent me to a neurologist who told me it was Parkinson’s. By now I am left with six teeth that are what I call “real” teeth–no crowns. If you are having dryness, don’t ignore it. There are remedies your doctor could help you with.
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Karla,
I’m so sorry that you’ve had such a difficult time with your teeth. What a frustrating experience! My dad has been dismayed at his own experience with cavities. And neither him nor I had heard about a parallel between cavities and Parkinson’s before.
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My mom had it too, no idea why is that happening
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I didn’t know Parkinson’s can cause tooth problems until my Dad found out about his diagnosis. He has several crowns. Also, we’ve recently addressed ez clip veneers customer service https://ez-clip-veneers.pissedconsumer.com/customer-service.html to get a veneer for him (I didn’t persuade him to get another crown).
But agree that any health issues shouldn’t be ignored, especially if nobody can explain them at once. And I’m sure that teeth issues might be a sign of different problems.
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I have several autoimmune diseases along with Parkinson’s. The roots of my teeth started to resorb and I lost them all, the few I had left. I’ve always been prone to cavities. I’ve had implants on upper and lower, but I’ve also lost three of them probably due to grinding my teeth. Don’t know. My surgeon has never had an implant fail before. I’m just lucky I guess. He says he’ll fix it. I have my doubts. Anyway, autoimmune diseases cause tooth problems. I know I have good bone density, so that’s not an issue.
Denise May
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Denise, I have Celiac Disease in addition to Parkinson’s. My concern is who to turn to for oral health beside my dentist. I know I have both dry mouth and highly acidic saliva. My gums bleed heavily when I brush and my teeth are definitely being affected. I can not find any medical personnel who will measure the level of acidity and bacteria in my mouth or come up with a treatment. I am somewhat sure that I will lose most of my teeth the next few years and may have continuous issues orally. Thanks for sharing your story.
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My dentist said my dry mouth from meds is likely causing more cavities. I started using fluoride rinse and sipping water all day, which seems to help a bit.
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I’ve noticed more plaque and dry mouth since my Parkinson’s symptoms got worse, which probably caused my last two cavities. Someone on another forum mentioned visiting https://jeffreygrossdds.com/ for help managing oral issues linked to Parkinson’s, so I checked it out. Found some helpful info on how they handle patients with tremors and other challenges. Made me feel less anxious about getting dental work done.
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Yes since diagnosed with Parkinson’s I’ve had many more cavities, failing crowns, etc. My dentist says it is caused by dry mouth. Dry mouth is due to the Parkinson’s. Certain medications make the dry mouth worse. My dentist gave me special tooth paste to help with the dry mouth. He also suggested sugar free gum and candies which can help with the dry mouth.
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My wife has gotten cavities really bad due to dry.mouth. if your dad is taking a dopamine agonist it will contribute to dry mouth.
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My wife was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease over 16 years ago. Make sure you are using a doctor that understands the condition and treats the dry mouth.
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