Have You Seen Dental Enamel Defects From Celiac?

[chrissy]

my youngest daughter, nearly 3, has terrible teeth. her little mouth is filling with cavities and she has brown lines on her front teeth. 9 months ago she tested negative for celiac, but i know the tests are not accurate at her age. i saw a picture of celiac dental enamel defects recently on a site that someone on here posted----the picture looked exactly like sylvia's front teeth. i'm a little dismayed by this. the ped gi says it could have been caused by the fact that she had so much trouble growing the first 2 years, but that we can run the test again. have any of you seen marks like this on your children's teeth?

[tiffjake]

(I don't have kids...so I dont know if this information would help you or not, but I wanted to let you know anyway)

I have enamel problems because of 23 years of undiagnosed Celiac Disease. I have had several problems with my teeth, including abcessed teeth and cracked teeth. I had terrible cavities as a child, and I do now, but things are getting better!

Don't know if that helps...just wanted to share...

[lonewolf]

I technically don't have Celiac (don't have the main genes), but had horrible cavities as a child and into adulthood until I stopped eating wheat/gluten. So even if your daughter tests negative for Celiac, it might be good for her to be gluten free in case she has a different problem with gluten.

[Ursa Major]

Christine, there are several possible causes for a young child having teeth like that:

Celiac disease is definitely one possibility. Fluoride is another one (yes, it can cause that, despite claims that young children 'need' it). The third possibility is called 'bottle mouth' I think, which is caused by a baby/toddler being allowed to go to bed with a bottle of milk/formula/juice, and falling asleep with the sugary liquid pooling in the mouth and around the teeth, while the child is sleeping (it is recommended to only put water into bottles of children who are allowed to use a bottle as a soother for falling asleep).

I have no idea whether the third possibility applies to you, as I don't know you. If that is totally off the mark, I would definitely investigate the possibility of celiac disease. Especially since Sylvia hasn't grown well, which could also be a symptom of celiac disease.

[chrissy]

we have a well, so no fluoride. sylvia is not on a bottle and we brush her teeth every night. when she was failure to thrive (really bad reflux, fundo, and then obstructive sleep apnea) we had her on pediasure, so i had her on a bottle longer than normal. her teeth started looking a little rough then, but it has been a long time since she has been on the bottle (and i didn't put her to sleep with it) and her teeth are continuing to deteriorate. sigh........ we already cook gluten free meals, so dealing with celiac has become fairly routine at home------i just don't want another one of my kids to have to live with it.

[Ursa Major]

Right, now that I finally read your signature I realize who you are. Well, you must know that failure to thrive, reflux, sleep apnea and bad teeth are ALL possible celiac disease symptoms! Since you are cooking gluten-free already anyway, I say you better bite the bullet and make Sylvia gluten-free, too. She won't care, it's you who doesn't want her to have to deal with it!

I'm sorry that you have another celiac kid, really. But it's a fact of life, don't feel sorry for her, just feed her gluten-free from now on and be very matter of fact about it.

[TCA]

My son has TERRIBLE teeth. Some of his teeth just had big holes where enamel should me. He finally had dental surgery this summer and got 7 caps and 4 fillings. The dentist said there just wasn't any emamel to protect his teeth and it looked like major malnutrtion. I am diligent about flossing and brushing. He is 3 and had 2 negative endoscopies and inconclusive bloodwork. I tried the diet and the difference is amazing. He was FTT and tested for everything before. He's now wearing a 4T where last Dec. he was in a 24 mos. It was a miracle for us to try the diet. I hope you have a good ped. dentist. We had to go through a couple before finding his. Good luck!

[Guest ~jules~]

I have a water cooler, and I order the flouridated (sp, even a word?) water for that very reason. Just a thought. I also make the kids rinse with the childrens act with flouride every day after they brush, they had some pretty nasty teeth problems for a few months, so I learned my lesson well...

[CarlaB]

I have two minor dental enamel defects that my dentist told me a long time ago to watch because they would be prone to problems -- to be sure to keep food out of them.

I had a cavity in every single molar growing up.

I don't have celiac, I have gluten intolerance.

Don't know if that's a help! I'd like to see those pics you mentioned, do you remember where they were?

[TriticusToxicum]

I don't have any defects per se, but I do have terribly sensitive teeth. I have a feeling it is because of the whole malabsorption thing. If I remember correctly too much floride can also have a negative impact on a child's teeth. If the child is swallowing toothpaste it can result in problems down the road. We live in the sticks and have a well, and I seem to remember our pediatrician making the point that while our youngest is on the chewable vitamins with flouride she shouldn't brush with regular toothpaste because if she swallows the toothpaste it could lead to enamel issues.

I just searched and found this:

"While fluoride is very beneficial in strengthening teeth and preventing tooth decay, parents need to be concerned about the levels of fluoride their children are ingesting. Too much fluoride from fluoride supplements, toothpaste and other sources can lead to a condition in young children called fluorosis. The difficulty in evaluating the level of fluoride that your child is getting comes from the lack of knowledge of the fluoride content of not only your municipal water source, which can easily be obtained, but also from the fluoride content of the drinks your children consume. Often time's fluoride is not added as an ingredient to the beverage so its concentration is not listed on the package. However the municipal water sources that are used at the manufacturing site or the reconstitution site often have their own intrinsic and or manipulated fluoride content.

Fluorosis causes discolored teeth and in some cases will cause pitting in the enamel surface of the teeth. While fluorosis damage tends to be cosmetic in most cases, excessive fluoride intake can be harmful. The teeth can develop white decalcified spots and dark brown areas due to the excessive amount of fluoride ingestion. This can leave teeth unsightly and cause a cosmetic catastrophe for anyone concerned with their or their child's aesthetic appearance. If excessive pitting and demineralization take place the strength of the teeth can be compromised. This can be a more severe and extensive problem than just a cosmetic concern and may require extensive restorative treatment to remedy.

Fluorosis appears more often in young children whose developing teeth are more vulnerable. Children are also the most numerous recipients of the "halo effect" - well intentioned over exposure to fluoride from a multitude of sources. Fluoride is in toothpaste, fluoride supplements, and fluoride mouth rinses and, in some areas, fluoride is added to the municipal water supply. Fluorosis is not caused by fluoride in the municipal or city water systems but by over-exposure through an accumulation of sources. Since most beverages are made with water that contains fluoride and the amount is not specified on the package it becomes very difficult to know exactly how much fluoride your child is consuming. The good news is that the fluoride in most municipal water supplies are very well controlled if it is added so that it should not become a problem unless your child is taking a fluoride supplement because your local water supply has less than the recommended optimal level of fluoride. In rare cases a water supply can naturally contain more than the optimal level of fluoride, so if you live in such a an area or a beverage is manufactured in such an area then your child is going to be exposed to levels of fluoride that are more than optimal.

The best way to prevent childhood fluorosis is know if your public water supply contains fluoride and to then monitor your children's intake accordingly. If your children use toothpaste that contains fluoride, be sure they are using only a pea size amount of toothpaste and not covering all the bristles like a TV commercial. Be sure they try not to swallow toothpaste-containing fluoride because the level of fluoride in toothpaste intended to be used topically and not ingested is many many times greater than is recommended for consumption. Before giving your child fluoride supplements, confirm with Dr. Preziosi whether or not additional fluoride is needed. Exposure to normal levels of fluoride is definitely beneficial, but too much fluoride can be harmful."

a link to the site:

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[LaurieAnn13]

I work at a dentist's office, and in the past two years I have seen about three patients with celiac disease, none of whom have had significantly bad dental problems. I have always had really good teeth also (knock on wood!)and I was not diagnosed until I was 21.

But as we all know, this disease affects everyone different so you never know.

I agree, it can't hurt to have her follow the gluten-free diet, seems like her chances are pretty good of having it since at least several of your other children have it. Good luck getting it figured out!!!

Laurie

[Tori's Dad]

My 4 year old's cavities were the first sign (looking back) of problems. I and my older child have no cavities at all. It is merely a result of the malnutrition. Celiac affects bone strength for sure.

I am wondering if my daughters permenant teeth will be OK now that she is gluten free. Hope so....

[mommida]

My celiac disease diagnosed daughter chips her teeth every time she falls and hits her mouth. She is 3, she hasn't had any cavaties yet. The chips haven't been serious yet.

My son who was not officially diagnosed, has had numerous cavaties and enamel problems. He reacts to gluten and is on a gluten free diet. The dentist has applied sealants, and told me he applied it extra thick because of the amount of grooves his teeth have from the missing enamel.

I was not officially diagnosed, but most definately can not tolerate gluten. I had numerous cavaties, teeth that never came in (a fifteen year molar, three wisdom teeth never came in - just one bud of a wisdom tooth) I chipped both of my adult front teeth. One of the front teeth required numerous root canals and two apicodectomy (sp) (basically a root canal through the jaw bone) There must have been a fracture which has caused these repeated problems, but it has not been found.

So, yes Celiac causes problems for your teeth as well as a person's bones. Tell the dentist about the added concerns and use consider sealants, and possibly MAJOR dental coverage. I have also heard about too much flouride causing major problems.

L.

[beaglemania]

I had too much flouride when I was a kid, I think before they changed the formula or something, my tetth are stained from it. I don't know what this would have to do with anything, but for some reason two teeth in my mouth never came. I don't know why.

I also knocked out my 2 front teeth in kindergasrten by falling on the floor. Mabye it was because I had Celiac Disease or beginning to have it. I've only been diagnosed for a little over a year though.