Gluten Free & Going To The Dentist

[LittleZoe]

Something just crossed my mind as I need to book a dentist appointment. Do I need to find out if the products they use in my mouth at the dentist are gluten free?! Things like the white stuff they use to polish, the flouride treatment (some are liquid others are a paste) etc.

Has anyone ever thought about this before or looked into it?

[zansu]

Yes. Some people report having no problems, others report getting glutened. So you need to go over what's in the stuff, especially the tooth polish. After all, you're going to swallow some of that nasty stuff

[Karen B.]

I think I'd call the dentist ahead of time and find out what they use and manufacturer info. When I asked my dentist the first time, they were clueless.

[kbtoyssni]

I always ask my dentist to use the flavourless tooth polishing stuff. It's made from plain ground up pumice and should be something most dentists have on hand. You never know what the flavoured stuff is made from! I also like the taste of the plain - I never liked the flavoured so this works to my advantage.

[ravenwoodglass]

Yes you do need to be concerned. The biggest risks are the toothpastes and the numbing agent they use before they give you novacaine. Meds are not covered under any of the FDA labeling guidelines, and this applies to the dental products they will use also. Good luck, I have not had dental work done since diagnosis that did not make me sick for 3 weeks. Hard to believe that in other countries dentists are some of the most common doctors to notice celiac effects and advise testing. American dentists never learn a thing about it. I even had one jerk who in the first appointment thought that I was full of it and rubbed a glutened finger across my gums to see if I would react. Unfortunately I didn't get blisters till after I left his office, never to return. I learned then not to just ask if they had celiacs treated in their office but also if they had looked up products for them.

[bklynceliac]

Yikes. Sounds awful. Anyone know any celiac-friendly dentists in NYC?

[JNBunnie1]

Lord, if there was doctor that did that to me I'd take dated pictures, I'd tell everyone who would listen, I'd take out a radio ad, maybe even a commercial! I'd go and put a notice on his front door after they were inside every day so people would know, I can't believe how awful some doctors have been to some people! I might write to HIS insurance agent. Put an ad in the paper. I'd probably take pictures and threaten him with a lawsuit just to scare him.

[Tim-n-VA]

Does anyone have a link or list of common dental products that have gluten?

[loraleena]

I just told my dentist a head of time and they told me to bring in my own toothpaste. I brought Toms of Maine.

[Karen B.]

Does anyone have a link or list of common dental products that have gluten?

I know at the time of my diagnosis (in 2003) AIM toothpaste had gluten in it. I use plain Crest cavity protection and it's gluten-free but I tried one of the newer types of Crest (Pro-Health and Sensitive) and they broke my mouth out. So apparently, even though Crest says it's gluten-free, something bothers my system.

Doing a Google search, I found this previous conversation...

Open Original Shared Link

[oceangirl]

I know at the time of my diagnosis (in 2003) AIM toothpaste had gluten in it. I use plain Crest cavity protection and it's gluten-free but I tried one of the newer types of Crest (Pro-Health and Sensitive) and they broke my mouth out. So apparently, even though Crest says it's gluten-free, something bothers my system.

Doing a Google search, I found this previous conversation...

Open Original Shared Link

Hi, Everyone-

I AM having deep dental work done for first time on Wed. (two fillings that were old and are leaking) and I really need novocaine- should I ask them to skip the pre-novocaine proceedure? Thank you anyone.

lisa

[LittleZoe]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm still worried about going in for a cleaning because I can't afford to get glutened and miss a few days of work! I still need to give them a call to see how accommodating they'll be to my needs. I'll let you know what happens when I finally get the courage to go.

[Worriedwife]

I would also ask if they use powdered drugs. You never know what could be in the powder.

[Worriedwife]

Sorry, I meant to say powdered gloves.

[Gentleheart]

Hi, Everyone-

I AM having deep dental work done for first time on Wed. (two fillings that were old and are leaking) and I really need novocaine- should I ask them to skip the pre-novocaine proceedure? Thank you anyone.

lisa

One other time on this board somebody recommended Carbocaine as being fairly free from everything (I have multiple allergies). I just had an extremely deep filling and crown done. Seemed to go well using Carbocaine. I also chose the plain pumice for teeth cleaning. Choose plain dental floss and I agree on the unpowdered gloves. My dentist was very accomodating.

[Cherry Tart]

Hi! I went to the celiac conference in LA and they had a dentist speak on different anomalies that effect the enamel. Such as, ridges/ripples, white or yellow splotches, unexplained yellow caste, shrinking gums, blisters/lesions, etc. He said that there are such tell tale signs that he can now recognize a celiac just by looking in their mouths...very interesting. His name is Ted Malahias, DDS...he's located on the east coast if I remember correctly.

Also, if you are going to the dentist please be sure to request gluten-free polishing paste. I know the brand KOLORZ has gluten-free polishing paste, fluoride and anesthetic gel. I'm sure there are other brands out there too. I'm lucky to have a celiac friendly DDS in California. I hope you find one too! Good luck to you!