• Do you get cavities?

    Posted by Mary Beth Skylis on January 17, 2022 at 8:22 am

    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?

    djn replied 1 year, 3 months ago 7 Members · 7 Replies
  • 7 Replies
  • Ron Lusk

    Member
    January 18, 2022 at 3:39 pm

    I’ve PD for 4.5 Years and have not had a cavity issue.

    • Karla Burkhart

      Member
      January 18, 2022 at 5:21 pm

      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.

  • Mary Beth Skylis

    Member
    January 19, 2022 at 10:26 am

    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.

  • Deleted User

    Deleted User
    January 13, 2024 at 4:10 pm

    My mom had it too, no idea why is that happening

  • Kate

    Member
    January 17, 2024 at 5:07 am

    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.

  • Denise May

    Member
    January 18, 2024 at 3:05 pm

    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

    • djn

      Member
      January 18, 2024 at 10:05 pm

      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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