Jump to content
  • 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:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

First Trip To The Dentist


e&j0304

Recommended Posts

e&j0304 Enthusiast

We are going to take dd for her first trip to the dentist now that she's three. I am wondering if anyone has ever had a problem with the flouride or anything containing gluten. I haven't had a problem yet with her toothpastes or anything, but I'm not sure if I've just been lucky!

Just wondering what I can expect. I'm hoping she does ok. I think it may be a little scary for her but we've been talking about it and trying to get her excited! :)

Thanks for any tips!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Merika Contributor

Call the office ahead of time and ask what they will be using. Ask for phone numbers or manufacturers names (which will be printed on the product and easily given to you). Then call the places and ask about gluten. I've done this for myself and everyone was very helpful.

Merika

Lisa Mentor

make sure that they use UN-powdered gloves when they do their work.

elfkin Contributor

We take our own toothpaste for the cleaning, as my dentist suggested. Then I get manufactoring info. and call. I carry medical files and safe lists with me.

e&j0304 Enthusiast

Thank you all for the suggestions. Have you found that the stuff they use usually contains gluten? I have yet to come across a toothpaste that does have gluten in it, so that's why I'm wondering.

I will definitely get their product info so I can call about it before we go in. I don't think they use the flouride at the fist appointment at this office. It's more to just get the child used to going and get an overall idea of how their teeth are doing.

Again, thanks for the advice.

judy05 Apprentice
Thank you all for the suggestions. Have you found that the stuff they use usually contains gluten? I have yet to come across a toothpaste that does have gluten in it, so that's why I'm wondering.

I will definitely get their product info so I can call about it before we go in. I don't think they use the flouride at the fist appointment at this office. It's more to just get the child used to going and get an overall idea of how their teeth are doing.

Again, thanks for the advice.

Don't let them use the mint flavored liquid that they rub on your gums before the injection. I found out the hard way, I was so sick by the time I got out of the chair that I couldn't make out a check or walk out on my own. I have a new dentist who checks all of the ingredients and even calls the manufacturers. I wish I could remember the gluten free name of products that he uses. He has had celiac patients before but I am the only one who reacts to the topical anesthetics.

tpineo Rookie
Thank you all for the suggestions. Have you found that the stuff they use usually contains gluten? I have yet to come across a toothpaste that does have gluten in it, so that's why I'm wondering.

I will definitely get their product info so I can call about it before we go in. I don't think they use the flouride at the fist appointment at this office. It's more to just get the child used to going and get an overall idea of how their teeth are doing.

Again, thanks for the advice.

The fluoride treatment for kids that our dentist uses has gluten in some of the flavors but not all. I call and re-check before my daughter's visits and he uses the gluten-free one. Also, we just have them use Crest to do her cleaning so I don't have to check that.

The fluoride treatment is Biotrol 1 minute APF gel. 1-800-822-8550. As of 8-05 the peppermint and marshmallow favors were NOT gluten-free. The bubblegum, vanilla, blueberry, strawberry, and grape were gluten-free.

Tania


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



jenvan Collaborator

I called before my last appt, and will again before my next one. My dentist was able to verify all the products used on me were gluten-free...they had a manual and ingredient list which helped them identify allergens in their products.

taweavmo3 Enthusiast

So far, we haven't had any problems. At Emmie's appt. the receptionist was able to call and get an ingredient list faxed over and verified that everything they were using at the time was gluten free. I got lucky in that our dentist knew exactly what celiac was, b/c for a while he thougth his son had it. I haven't found a toothpaste with gluten yet either. At Emmie's first appt. all they did was look around and did a quick little clean. We just went again yesterday, and they just did her first set of x-rays and another quickie clean. No flouride for her yet, since she can't spit all that well yet. I have to bring the baby in next, this doc likes to see kids beginning at 12 months, which is new for us. That should be an interesting visit.

Hope all goes well, I'm sure she'll do fine! My kids love our dentist, they get so excited when it's time for a checkup. Cracks me up.....dentists sure weren't like that when I was a kid!

e&j0304 Enthusiast

Thanks everyone! I did call the office today and they were very knowlegable about celiac disease and say they have several patients with it. The receptionist knew exactly what I was talking about, so that's a good step. Ella goes tomorrow morning, but they will basically just count her teeth and brush them. No flouride this time.

I hope it all goes well!

Jen H Contributor

I'm heading to the dentist next week for my first appointment post-diagnosis. Thanks for sharing this info!

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,390
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Salt14
    Newest Member
    Salt14
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
    • Clear2me
      Thanks for the info. I recently moved to CA from Wyoming and in that western region the Costco and Sam's /Walmart Brands have many nuts and more products that are labeled gluten free. I was told it's because those products are packaged and processed  in different  plants. Some plants can be labeled  gluten free because the plant does not also package gluten products and they know that for example the trucks, containers equipment are not used to handle wheat, barely or Rye. The Walmart butter in the western region says gluten free but not here. Most of The Kirkland and Members Mark brands in CA say they are from Vietnam. That's not the case in Wyoming and Colorado. I've spoken to customer service at the stores here in California. They were not helpful. I check labels every time I go to the store. The stores where I am are a Sh*tshow. The Magalopoly grocery chain Vons/Safeway/Albertsons, etc. are the same. Fishers and Planters brands no longer say gluten free. It could be regional. There are nuts with sugar coatings and fruit and nut mixes at the big chains that are labeled gluten free but I don't want the fruit or sugar.  It's so difficult I am considering moving again. I thought it would be easier to find safe food in a more populated area. It's actually worse.  I was undiagnosed for most of my life but not because I didn't try to figure it out. So I have had all the complications possible. I don't have any spare organs left.  No a little gluten will hurt you. The autoimmune process continues to destroy your organs though you may not feel it. If you are getting a little all the time and as much as we try we probably all are and so the damage is happening. Now the FDA has pretty much abandoned celiacs. There are no requirements for labeling for common allergens on medications. All the generic drugs made outside the US are not regulated for common allergens and the FDA is taking the last gluten free porcine Thyroid med, NP Thyroid, off the market in 2026. I was being glutened by a generic levothyroxin. The insurance wouldn't pay for the gluten free brand any longer because the FDA took them all off their approved formulary. So now I am paying $147 out of pocket for NP Thyroid but shortly I will have no safe choice. Other people with allergies should be aware that these foreign generic pharmaceutical producers are using ground shellfish shell as pill coatings and anti-desicants. The FDA knows this but  now just waits for consumers to complain or die. The take over of Wholefoods by Amazon destroyed a very reliable source of good high quality food for people with allergies and for people who wanted good reliably organic food. Bezos thought  he could make a fortune off people who were paying alot for organic and allergen free food by substituting cheap brands from Thailand. He didn't understand who the customers were who were willing to pay more for that food and why. I went from spending hundreds to nothing because Bezo removed every single trusted brand that I was buying. Now they are closing Whole foods stores across the country. In CA, Mill Valley store (closed July 2025) and the National Blvd. store in West Los Angeles (closed October 2025). The Cupertino store will close.  In recent years I have learned to be careful and trust no one. I have been deleberately glutened in a restaurant that was my favorite (a new employee). The Chef owner was not in the kitchen that night. I've had  a metal scouring pad cut up over my food.The chain offered gluten free dishes but it only takes one crazy who thinks you're a problem as a food fadist. Good thing I always look. Good thing they didn't do that to food going to a child with a busy mom.  I give big tips and apologize for having to ask in restaurants but mental illness seem to be rampant. I've learn the hard way.          I don't buy any processed food that doesn't say gluten free.  I am a life long Catholic. I worked for the Church while at college. I don't go to Church anymore because the men at the top decided Jesus is gluten. The special hosts are gluten less not gluten free. No I can't drink wine after people with gluten in their mouth and a variety of deadly germs. I have been abandoned and excluded by my Church/Family.  Having nearly died several times, safe food is paramount. If your immune system collapses as mine did, you get sepsis. It can kill you very quickly. I spent 5 days unconscious and had to have my appendix and gall bladder removed because they were necrotic. I was 25. They didn't figure out I had celiac till I was 53. No one will take the time to tell you what can happen when your immune system gets overwhelmed from its constant fighting the gluten and just stops. It is miserable that our food is processed so carelessly. Our food in many aspects is not safe. And the merging of all the grocery chains has made it far worse. Its a disaster. Krogers also recently purchased Vitacost where I was getting the products I could no longer get at Whole Foods. Kroger is eliminating those products from Vitacost just a Bezos did from WF. I am looking for reliable and certified sources for nuts. I have lived the worst consequences of the disease and being exposed unknowingly and maliciously. Once I was diagnosed I learned way more than anyone should have to about the food industry.  I don't do gray areas. And now I dont eat out except very rarely.  I have not eaten fast food for 30 years before the celiac diagnosis. Gluten aside..... It's not food and it's not safe.  No one has got our backs. Sharing safe food sources is one thing we can do to try to be safe.        
    • Mmoc
      Thank you kindly for your response. I have since gotten the other type of bloods done and am awaiting results. 
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      I wanted to respond to your post as much for other people who read this later on (I'm not trying to contradict your experience or decisions) > Kirkland Signature Super Extra-Large Peanuts, 2.5 lbs, are labeled "gluten free" in the Calif Costcos I've been in. If they are selling non-gluten-free in your store, I suggest talking to customer service to see if they can get you the gluten-free version (they are tasty) > This past week I bought "Sliced Raw Almonds, Baking Nuts, 5 lbs Item 1495072 Best if used by Jun-10-26 W-261-6-L1A 12:47" at Costco. The package has the standard warning that it was made on machinery that <may> have processed wheat. Based on that alone, I would not eat these. However, I contacted customer service and asked them "are Costco's Sliced Almonds gluten free?" Within a day I got this response:  "This is [xyz] with the Costco Member Service Resolutions Team. I am happy to let you know we got a reply back from our Kirkland Signature team. Here is their response:  This item does not have a risk of cross contamination with gluten, barley or rye." Based on this, I will eat them. Based on experience, I believe they will be fine. Sometimes, for other products, the answer has been "they really do have cross-contamination risk" (eg, Kirkland Signature Dry Roasted Macadamia Nuts, Salted, 1.5 lbs Item 1195303). When they give me that answer I return them for cash. You might reasonably ask, "Why would Costco use that label if they actually are safe?" I can't speak for Costco but I've worked in Corporate America and I've seen this kind of thing first hand and up close. (1) This kind of regulatory label represents risk/cost to the company. What if they are mistaken? In one direction, the cost is loss of maybe 1% of sales (if celiacs don't buy when they would have). In the other direction, the risk is reputational damage and open-ended litigation (bad reviews and celiacs suing them). Expect them to play it safe. (2) There is a team tasked with getting each product out to market quickly and cheaply, and there is also a committee tasked with reviewing the packaging before it is released. If the team chooses the simplest, safest, pre-approved label, this becomes a quick check box. On the other hand, if they choose something else, it has to be carefully scrutinized through a long process. It's more efficient for the team to say there <could> be risk. (3) There is probably some plug and play in production. Some lots of the very same product could be made in a safe facility while others are made in an unsafe facility. Uniform packaging (saying there is risk) for all packages regardless of gluten risk is easier, cheaper, and safer (for Costco). Everything I wrote here is about my Costco experience, but the principles will be true at other vendors, particularly if they have extensive quality control infrastructure. The first hurdle of gluten-free diet is to remove/replace all the labeled gluten ingredients. The second, more difficult hurdle is to remove/replace all the hidden gluten. Each of us have to assess gray zones and make judgement calls knowing there is a penalty for being wrong. One penalty would be getting glutened but the other penalty could be eating an unnecessarily boring or malnourishing diet.
    • trents
      Thanks for the thoughtful reply and links, Wheatwacked. Definitely some food for thought. However, I would point out that your linked articles refer to gliadin in human breast milk, not cow's milk. And although it might seem reasonable to conclude it would work the same way in cows, that is not necessarily the case. Studies seem to indicate otherwise. Studies also indicate the amount of gliadin in human breast milk is miniscule and unlikely to cause reactions:  https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/gluten-peptides-in-human-breast-milk-implications-for-cows-milk/ I would also point out that Dr. Peter Osborne's doctorate is in chiropractic medicine, though he also has studied and, I believe, holds some sort of certifications in nutritional science. To put it plainly, he is considered by many qualified medical and nutritional professionals to be on the fringe of quackery. But he has a dedicated and rabid following, nonetheless.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.