Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Where Your Contribution Counts!
    eNewsletter
    Support Us!

Campbells Soup And Swanson Broth Alerts


LDJofDenver

Recommended Posts

LDJofDenver Apprentice

Just FYI, to all my fellow Celiacs.......I just saw a notice on the Cecilia's Marketplace website, under Product Alerts stating that Campbells has recenty changed ingredients and products that were OK now contain gluten. I didn't trust any of their soups anyway, but I do use some of the Swanson's broths in cooking and soup making. If anyone is using products in either of those categories, you should probably verify that yours is not on the forbidden list now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ptkds Community Regular

Here is the actual letter. I got it from my Celiac support group. Note that Pace and Prego are no longer gluten-free. And my family loves Prego speghetti sauce! :(

Dear Gluten-Free Friends & Family,

Today we received many emails regarding the recent Product Alerts concerning

Campbell's brands; Pace, Prego and Swanson. We would like to confirm that

Campbell's states that due to recent ingredient changes no Pace and Prego

products are gluten-free.

In regards to Swanson, we would like to clarify which broths should be REMOVED

from your guide and which broths are gluten-free.

Contains Gluten! (REMOVE From Guide):

Swanson:

REMOVE: Lower Sodium Beef Broth (14 oz can ONLY)

REMOVE: Organic Broths (All)

REMOVE: Ready To Serve Beef Broth (14 oz can ONLY)

Gluten-Free (SAFE):

Swanson:

Natural Goodness Chicken Broth (All)

Chicken Broth (All)

Vegetable Broth (14 oz can)

Chicken Broth Roasted Garlic (new product)

We have updated our website and 'Product Alerts' to reflect the correct

information. Please check our 'Product Alerts' to make sure the correct products

have been removed from your guide.

Please remember to always double check labels as product ingredients change. If

you have specific ingredients questions about these products please contact

Campbell's 1-800-257-8443

We wish you the best.

Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,

Cecelia's Marketplace

Link to comment
Share on other sites
flourgirl Apprentice

So I found out......we used the chicken broth. It was ok, so I stopped checking the label. After getting ill I started checking labels on everything again....as I should have been doing all along. No more swansons chicken broth for us! :angry: Now we use the vegetable broth only. I find I like it as well if not better than the chicken. :D You can bet I won't relax about labels again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Juliebove Rising Star

This is odd. I haven't bought any Swanson's broth in years. I think it contained soy and we avoid that. But I recently bought a case of the chicken at Costco. I think it was organic. It appeared to be safe. They also had beef and it was not safe, but once again, I think it was soy.

I normally buy Pacific or Imagine. I only bought the Swanson because I didn't see any of the Pacific. I found it after I put that case in my cart and didn't feel like taking it back to the other aisle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lisa Mentor

Just a note here - Campbell's US and Campbell's Canada have TOTALLY different gluten free listings.

I believe this change is for Campbell's US gluten free products.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
larry mac Enthusiast

Anyone know what gluten ingredients we're talking about here? I'm surprised there's wheat in salsa. I don't use Pace often (I make my own), but I eat it frequently at get togethers. It's very popular and they have many varieties. Is there gluten in all the different kinds?

Same goes for Prego. I don't ever recall wheat being in spaghetti sauces.

Or is this just a CYA type of thing?

best regards, lm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LDJofDenver Apprentice
Anyone know what gluten ingredients we're talking about here? I'm surprised there's wheat in salsa. I don't use Pace often (I make my own), but I eat it frequently at get togethers. It's very popular and they have many varieties. Is there gluten in all the different kinds?

Same goes for Prego. I don't ever recall wheat being in spaghetti sauces.

Or is this just a CYA type of thing?

best regards, lm

I don't know what specifically is now an ingredient in each of the product lines, but I'd sent Campbell's an email asking about one of their ready-to-serve soups in the boxes - the V8 Butternut Squash one - and they replied that their modified food starch could be derived from wheat. All other ingredients listed looked safe, but that one (modified food starch) didn't name the source so I questioned it. So that ended that.

Here's the quote from Cecilia's

....We would like to confirm that Campbell's states that due to recent ingredient changes NO Pace and Prego products are gluten-free....

I've been at restaurants whose chefs told me they use flour in their marinara sauces, so I guess it's not that uncommon. But it isn't always wheat (or flour) that's the culprit. In my former favorite salsa (before diagnosis) they add barley malt for flavor and/or color, so in that case it's not wheat but something else just as harmful to us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Lisa Mentor
they replied that their modified food starch could be derived from wheat. All other ingredients listed looked safe, but that one (modified food starch) didn't name the source so I questioned it. So that ended that.

If their modified food starch IS derived from wheat and it is not listed, they are in violation of the law. I think that their customer service rep is not informed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruelshoes Enthusiast
Anyone know what gluten ingredients we're talking about here? I'm surprised there's wheat in salsa. I don't use Pace often (I make my own), but I eat it frequently at get togethers. It's very popular and they have many varieties. Is there gluten in all the different kinds?

Same goes for Prego. I don't ever recall wheat being in spaghetti sauces.

Or is this just a CYA type of thing?

best regards, lm

None of the Pace products are gluten free anymore. All have been removed from the gluten-free list that Campbells will provide.

Prego contains undisclosed barley in the natural flavors. Open Original Shared Link

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Juliebove Rising Star

I have checked my broth again and can't see anything that looks like it would be gluten. Could it be cc?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LDJofDenver Apprentice
If their modified food starch IS derived from wheat and it is not listed, they are in violation of the law. I think that their customer service rep is not informed.

Who enforces this? Next time you're at the grocer, read the ingredients on their V8 ready to serve Butternut Squash Soup -- it looks safe, but like I said it didn't name the source of the Modified Food Starch. And when I questioned them, they sent this rambling reply and never directly answered my question:

...we received your message and appreciate your taking the

time to contact Campbell Soup Companyregarding the use of modified food

starch in our products.

Modified food starch helps give our products a smooth texture without

adding a starchy taste. The starch can be derived from corn, potato,

wheat or tapioca and is modifed in order to retain its quality from the

time it is added until the product is enjoyed.

The Campbell Soup Company follows all government regulations regarding the

labeling of our products. In the case of the top 8 allergens (peanuts,

tree nuts, dairy, eggs, fish, wheat, soy and shellfish) we list those

ingredients in the product ingredient statement, no matter how small the

amount might be. We do not include any of those items under the broader

listings of "spices" or "natural flavors". We recommend that consumers

always check the ingredient statement and evaluate the product based on

the statement.

We appreciate your interest in our company. Please contact our Consumer

Response Center or visit Campbell's website if we can be of further

assistance.

Thank you for visiting the Campbell Soup website.

- - - - - -

WHile they say they are complying in listing allergens, the paragraph regarding Modified Food Starch never tells me what the source is in the soup I inquired about. And they direct me back to reading the label -- which didn't tell me! SHeez. I'll be steering clear of their product lines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lisa Mentor

I would assume, if the Butternut Squash Soup does not list wheat, then the modified food starch in NOT derived from wheat. Remember, barley, malt and rye CAN hide in "natural flavors". That's when you call.

Campbell's has such limited option for those gluten free (except V-8 and Splash), that I just don't go there. They could do better, but don't. Their answer to you was a bit of mombo jumbo, but they did state their allergen statement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ksymonds84 Enthusiast
Anyone know what gluten ingredients we're talking about here? I'm surprised there's wheat in salsa. I don't use Pace often (I make my own), but I eat it frequently at get togethers. It's very popular and they have many varieties. Is there gluten in all the different kinds?

Same goes for Prego. I don't ever recall wheat being in spaghetti sauces.

Or is this just a CYA type of thing?

best regards, lm

I called Cambells and they told me that because of an ingredient change ALL pace and prego are no longer gluten free. I agree with you about the wheat but perhaps its barley in the natural flavorings? Prego is a sweeter sauce, just guessing here. Or maybe they just decided not to deal with saying they are gluten free (not smart on their part). They said for my inconvenience they would send me some coupons, I don't feel I can trust them anymore to use them. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
larry mac Enthusiast

Sounds like a CYA thing. They probably don't have a clue what's in their modified food starch. They just buy it from a supplier. So it's safer from a liability standpoint to state that it's not considered to be gluten-free.

Big deal. I don't worry about modified food starch.

Now as far as their product lines go. I think it goes without saying that we don't even go there as far as Cambells soups are concerned. Almost all of their soups contain actual wheat flour. And most Celiacs would get the mental heebie jeevies just thinking about one of their soups that didn't have wheat listed on the label.

Salsa and spaghetti sauce. I personally wouldn't worry about it if it didn't list wheat, barely malt, or some other gluten ingredient. That's just me. Of course if I got sick, I'd reconsider.

best regards, lm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mommida Enthusiast

I've gotten sick from three bites of salsa on gluten free chips before. It is a concern. Your body does not really care if it was wheat, rye, or barley, it was just enough for your immune system to recognize and start the attack.

Take Prego and the others off the safe list and move on.

It appears the Swanson regular Chicken broth is still safe? Just not the natural organic any variety and all the beef broths are not safe anymore!!? Right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LDJofDenver Apprentice
I've gotten sick from three bites of salsa on gluten free chips before. It is a concern. Your body does not really care if it was wheat, rye, or barley, it was just enough for your immune system to recognize and start the attack.

Take Prego and the others off the safe list and move on.

It appears the Swanson regular Chicken broth is still safe? Just not the natural organic any variety and all the beef broths are not safe anymore!!? Right?

According to the Cecilia's Marketplace info:

Contains Gluten! (REMOVE From Guide):

Swanson:

REMOVE: Lower Sodium Beef Broth (14 oz can ONLY)

REMOVE: Organic Broths (All)

REMOVE: Ready To Serve Beef Broth (14 oz can ONLY)

Gluten-Free (SAFE):

Swanson:

Natural Goodness Chicken Broth (All)

Chicken Broth (All)

Vegetable Broth (14 oz can)

Chicken Broth Roasted Garlic (new product)

And they also listed a toll free number for Campbell's:

1-800-257-8443

I, too, have had reactions to some salsas and other sauces, and fairly quickly after ingested. Now, if in doubt, I just pass it by. Not worth the risk.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MNBeth Explorer
Salsa and spaghetti sauce. I personally wouldn't worry about it if it didn't list wheat, barely malt, or some other gluten ingredient. That's just me. Of course if I got sick, I'd reconsider.

best regards, lm

But barley malt can be in a product *without* being named in the ingredients list. Since barley isn't one of the "big 8," they can just call it "natural flavors" in the ingredients list.

BTW, I am not saying that Pace has barley malt. But I'm pretty sure there's something in there, as my son and I just got over two weeks of misery after eating Pace salsa for a couple of days. (We experience delayed reactions, so we don't know right away.) So here we are with a big Costco jar of salsa that we can't eat any more.

And another big jar of Kirkland Signature Organic Salsa that I called about 3 weeks ago and haven't received a return call on. Argh. I hate making phone calls. I really hate making them twice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rio Newbie

And another big jar of Kirkland Signature Organic Salsa that I called about 3 weeks ago and haven't received a return call on. Argh. I hate making phone calls. I really hate making them twice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MNBeth Explorer
I actually recently called about the Kirkland Salsa as well and just got a reply. Sure enough, it's gluten free!

Oh, yea!! I still haven't called them again, and now I don't have to. :D Thanks for letting me know!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
debmidge Rising Star
I've been at restaurants whose chefs told me they use flour in their marinara sauces, so I guess it's not that uncommon.

Everyone who knows me knows my husband has celiac, not me. This being said I have to add I

have an Italian background. My Italian grandmother never put wheat (nor sugar or corn syrup) in her sauce - and I'd never eat sauce with wheat in it - yuck! As my grandmother would exclaim "Amerigan!" If sauce is made correctly, it does not need thickener agents. So you're on the right track (no wheat in sauce, please!).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
mama23 Newbie

I just got sick after accidently using the Pace Salsa, I only ate a few bites.

It was not my full blown gluten reaction, but it was there. Just an FYI for others who may be wondering. None of the ingredients are obvious except distilled vinegar (which most list as safe anyway) and the natural flavorings, which I thought that manufacturers could not hide gluten under "natural flavorings".

Frustrating! <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...
aklap Newbie

Susan Baranowsky - the Director of Consummer Affairs emailed me the newly updated Campbell's Gluten-free List.

Susan happened to join another board to clear up some of the confusion that surrounded their Prego and Pace products.

Thank you so much for your continued patience. I am glad you are interested in our Gluten-Free List. I would like to clear up any confusion that may have resulted from the information you have received.

After FDA issued its proposed regulation about "gluten-free" food labeling, Campbell had temporarily removed some products, such as our Prego and Pace brands. We did this to ensure that we could provide consumers with the most accurate and up-to-date information.

We are in the process of updating and confirming the gluten-free status of all our products. We have completed our analysis of our beverage, broth, stock and Prego products. Please send me your email address and I will attach our most recent list so that you can make it available to others.

Again thanks for your patience,

Susan Baranowsky

Director Consumer Affairs, Campbell Soup Company

If you'd like to follow the entire conversation Open Original Shared Link.

Ms. Baranowsky asked me to distribute this list.

Here is the Open Original Shared Link

Here's the plain text -

Campbell's GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS - FEBRUARY 2009

Because we are constantly improving our products, please check the ingredient statement on the label of every product. We will make every effort to keep this list up-to-date.

Gluten is a protein found in rye, barley, oats and wheat (including atta, bulgur, couscous, durum, einkorn, emmer, farina, kamut, seitan, semolina, spelt, triticale and triticum aestivu).

Every effort is made to avoid cross-contact with our ingredients and products that have gluten ingredients. This includes sanitation controls, storage controls, manufacturing controls and product rework controls.

The following list contains products in which every ingredient in each product was verified as being gluten-free. As a further safeguard, we analyzed each product to ensure compliance with our strict gluten-free standards.

Swanson Broth & Stock (Aseptic)

Natural Goodness Chicken Broth

Chicken Stock

Chicken Broth

Beef Stock

Swanson Broth (Canned)

Natural Goodness Chicken Broth

Chicken Broth

Vegetarian Broth

Chicken Broth with Garlic

Prego Heart Smart Italian Sauce

Heart Smart Mushroom

Heart Smart Onion & Garlic

Heart Smart Ricotta Parmesan

Heart Smart Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic

Heart Smart Traditional

Prego Italian Sauce

Chunky Garden Combo

Chunky Garden Mushroom & Green Pepper

Chunky Garden Mushroom Supreme with Baby Portobello

Chunky Garden Tomato Onion & Garlic

Flavored with Meat

Fresh Mushroom

Italian Sausage & Garlic

Marinara

Mushroom & Garlic

Organic Mushroom

Organic Tomato & Basil

Roasted Garlic & Herb

Roasted Garlic Parmesan

Three Cheese

Tomato Basil Garlic

Traditional

V8 Splash Smoothies

V8 Splash Smoothie Strawberry Banana

V8 Splash Smoothie Tropical Colada

Campbell

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...
bittykitty Rookie

Susan Baranowsky - the Director of Consummer Affairs emailed me the newly updated Campbell's Gluten-free List.

Susan happened to join another board to clear up some of the confusion that surrounded their Prego and Pace products.

If you'd like to follow the entire conversation Open Original Shared Link.

Ms. Baranowsky asked me to distribute this list.

Here is the Open Original Shared Link

Here's the plain text -

Update on Prego-

I made a pizza using Rustic Crust,cheese, and Prego last night.. few hours later, my feet are covered in a DH rash..think I know a jar of sauce that is hitting the trash can.Natural flavors my butt. :angry:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...
Newings Newbie

So I wanted to be sure that the Swanson 100% Natural Beef Broth I had in the cupboard (purchased before I went gluten free) was OK. It said it had no MSG, but nothing about Gluten. I was wary of the discussion about "yeast extract" so I called the "1-800 #" provided above.

She was great, she took the UPC code and then let me know that this container of Beef Broth was NOT gluten-free.

RATS!!

Just wanted to share that there were other "Natural Goodness" from Swanson for Beef Stock that was gluten free (per the lady at Campbells).

guess I'll be going shopping before I finish my Beef Stroganoff for tonight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kareng Grand Master

So I wanted to be sure that the Swanson 100% Natural Beef Broth I had in the cupboard (purchased before I went gluten free) was OK. It said it had no MSG, but nothing about Gluten. I was wary of the discussion about "yeast extract" so I called the "1-800 #" provided above.

She was great, she took the UPC code and then let me know that this container of Beef Broth was NOT gluten-free.

RATS!!

Just wanted to share that there were other "Natural Goodness" from Swanson for Beef Stock that was gluten free (per the lady at Campbells).

guess I'll be going shopping before I finish my Beef Stroganoff for tonight.

Just for your info....The posts you are reading are over 2 years old. Ingredients and manufacturing practices change. The posted info should be re-checked before eating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,506
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    NanaA
    Newest Member
    NanaA
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.2k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • powerofpositivethinking
      I haven't been on this forum for a long time, but it was absolutely wonderful during the diagnostic process!  My path for celiac disease diagnosis was the following: -Had normal IgA level, and my only serology positive test was the DGP IgG -Deficiencies in both Vitamins D and K that did not increase at first despite massive supplementation -Diagnosis of fat malabsorption both total and neutral -Diagnosis of severe exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) -Testing was completed to rule out causes of EPI, and the only one not ruled out was celiac. -Both traditional endoscopy and pill capsule endoscopy yielded negative results for biopsy confirmation, but my GI doctor said that both procedures simply could have missed the damaged spots. -EPI and fat malabsorption resolved after taking Creon for 6 months since my EPI was caused by celiac -23 and Me said I don't have either of the two prominent genes for celiac disease   Remember that you might not have 'textbook' symptoms, but you still may have celiac disease.   Also, I am SO incredibly grateful for this site for all the learning it has allowed me to do. I have a senior dog, and these last few weeks with her were very scary! After two hospital stays, she finally received an IBD diagnosis after having gastroenteritis and pancreatitis. I know that celiac disease is not IBD, however, through reading this site, I learned more about it. I was relieved when I found out she had IBD and not cancer this past Wednesday. I know IBD can be managed thanks to what I've learned here!  So celiac.com, not only did you help me, but you helped my pup too! Thank you ❤️  
    • SuzanneL
      It was tTG IGG that was flagged high. I'm not sure about the other stuff. I'm still eating my normal stuff. 
    • cristiana
      Thank you for your post, @Nedast, and welcome to the forum. It is interesting to read of your experiences. Although I've not had TMJ, from time to time I have had a bit of mild pain in my jaw, sharp stabbing pains and tingling in my face which appears to have been caused by issues with my trigeminal nerve.  I read that sometimes a damaged trigeminal nerve in coeliacs can heal after adopting a gluten free diet.  I try to keep out of cold winds or wear a scarf over my face when it is cold and windy, those conditions tend to be my 'trigger' but I do think that staying clear of gluten has helped.  Also, sleeping with a rolled up towel under my neck is a tip I picked up online, again, that seems to bring benefits. Thank you again for your input - living with this sort of pain can be very hard, so it is good to be able to share advice.
    • Julie Riordan
      I am going to France in two weeks and then to Portugal in May   Thanks for your reply 
    • Nedast
      I made an account just to reply to this topic. My story resembles yours in so many ways that it is truly amazing. I also suddenly became lactose intolerant, went a little under 10 years attributing all my symtoms to different body parts, never thinking it was something systemic until much later. I had the same mental problems - anxiety, depression, fatigue, etc. In fact, the only real difference in our story is that I was never formally diagnosed. When I discovered that my myriad symtoms, that had been continuous and worsening for years, all rapidly subsided upon cessation of consuming gluten, I immediately took it upon myself to cut gluten out of my diet completely. I live in America, and had lost my health insurance within the year prior to my discovery, so I could not get tested, and I will never willingly or knowingly consume gluten again, which I would have to do in order to get tested now that I have insurance again. But that is not the point of this reply. I also had extreme TMJ pain that began within months of getting my wisdom teeth out at - you guessed it - 17 years old. I was in and out of doctors for my various symptoms for about 5 years before I gave up, but during that time I had also kept getting reffered to different kinds of doctors that had their own, different solutions to my TMJ issue, an issue which I only recently discovered was related to my other symptoms. I began with physical therapy, and the physical therapist eventually broke down at me after many months, raising her voice at me and saying that there was nothing she could do for me. After that saga, I saw a plastic surgeon at the request of my GP, who he knew personally. This palstic surgeon began using botox injections to stop my spasming jaw muscles, and he managed to get it covered by my insurace in 2011, which was harder to do back then. This helped the pain tremendously, but did not solve the underlying problem, and I had to get repeat injections every three months. After a couple of years, this began to lose effectiveness, and I needed treatments more often than my insurance would cover. The surgeon did a scan on the joint and saw slight damage to the tissues. He then got approved by insurance to do a small surgery on the massseter (jaw) muscle - making an incision, and then splicing tissue into the muscle to stop the spasming. It worked amazingly, but about three months later it had stopped working. I was on the verge of seeing the top oral surgeon in our city, but instead of operating on me, he referred me to a unique group of dentists who focus on the TMJ and its biomechanical relationship to teeth occlusion (i.e. how the teeth fit together). This is what your dentist did, and what he did to you was boderline if not outright malpractice. There is a dental field that specializes in doing this kind of dental work, and it takes many years of extra schooling (and a lot of money invested into education) to be able to modify teeth occusion in this manner. Just based on the way you describe your dentist doing this, I can tell he was not qualified to do this to you. Dentists who are qualified and engage in this practice take many measurments of your head, mouth, teeth, etc., they take laboratory molds of your teeth, and they then make a complete, life-size model of your skull and teeth to help them guide their work on you. They then have a lab construct, and give you what is called a "bite splint." It looks and feels like a retainer, but its function is entirely different. This is essentially a literal splint for the TMJ that situates on the teeth. The splint is progressively modified once or twice per week, over several months, in order to slowly move the joint to its correct position. The muscles spasm less, stress is taken off the joint, as the joint slowly moves back into its proper position. The pain reduces each month, each week, sometimes even each day you go in for a visit. The joint has to be moved in this manner with the splint BEFORE the modification to the teeth begins. They then add to your tooth structure with small bits of composite, to keep the joint in its proper place after it has been sucessfully repositioned. Subtracting from your teeth, by grinding down bits of your natural tooth structure, is done very conservatively, if they have to do it at all. This process worked for me - after six months, my face, jaw, neck all felt normal, and I had no more pain - a feeling I had not had in a long time. It also made my face look better. I had not realized the true extent that the spasming muscles and the joint derangement had effected the shape of my face. The pain began to return after a few months, but nowhere near where it had been before. This immense reduction in pain lasted for a little over two years. The treatment still ultimately failed, but it is not their fault, and it is still the treatment that has given me the most relief to this day. Later on, I even went about three years with very, very good pain reduction, before the joint severely destabilized again. This field of dentistry is the last line treatment for TMJ issues before oral surgery on the TMJ. There aren't as many denists around who practice this anymore, and the practice is currently shrinking due to dentists opting for less espensive, additional educations in things like professional whitening, which have a broader marketability. Getting this treatment is also very expensive if not covered by insurance (in America at least). My first time was covered by insurance, second time was not, though the dentist took pity on me due to the nature of my case and charged like a quarter of usual pricing. Most cases seen by these dentists are complete successes, and the patient never has to come back again. But occasionally they get a case that is not a success, and I was one of those cases. A little over a year ago, I began seeing the second dentist who keeps my TMJ stable in this manner. The first dentist retired, and then died sadly. A shame too, because he was a truly amazing, knowledgable guy who really wanted to help people. The new dentist began to get suspicious when my joint failed to stay stable after I was finished with the bite splint and his modifications, so he did another scan on me. This is ten years after the first scan (remember, I said the surgeon saw "slight" damage to the tissue on the first scan). This new scan revealed that I now no longer have cartilage in the joint, on both sides - complete degeneration of the soft tissues and some damage to the bone. The dentist sat me down and had a talk with me after these results came in, and said that when he sees damage like this in cases like mine, that the damage to the joint is most likely autoimmune, and that, in his experinece, it is usually autoimmune. He has sent patients with cases like mine to Mayo Clinic. He said he will continue to see me as long as the treatment continues to offer me relief, but also said that I will probably have to see a dentist for this type of treatment for the rest of my life. He is not currently recommending surgery due to my young age and the fact that the treatment he provides manages my symptoms pretty well. I still see this dentist today, and probably will see this kind of dental specialist for the rest of my life, since they have helped with this issue the most. I did not inform him that I am 100% sure that I have celiac disease (due to my complete symptom remission upon gluten cessation). I didn't inform him because I thought it would be inappropriate due to not having a formal diagnosis. I was disappointed, because I had believed I had caught it BEFORE it had done permanent damage to my body. I had never suspected that my TMJ issues may be related to my other symptoms, and that the damage would end up complete and permanent. Luckily, I caught it about 6 months after my other joints started hurting, and they stopped hurting right after I went gluten free, and haven't hurt since. I of course did the necessary research after the results of the second scan, and found out that the TMJ is the most commonly involved joint in autoimmune disease of the intestines, and if mutliple joints are effected, it is usually the first one effected. This makes complete sense, since the TMJ is the most closely related joint to the intestines, and literally controls the opening that allows food passage into your intestines. I am here to tell you, that if anyone says there is no potential relationship between TMJ issues and celiac disease, they are absolutely wrong. Just google TMJ and Celiac disease, and read the scientific articles you find. Research on issues regarding the TMJ is relatively sparse, but you will find the association you're looking for validated.
×
×
  • Create New...