Celiac And Dental Enamel

[Sugar]

Hi. I was wondering if anybody knows much about the effects of celiac disease/gluten intolerance on dental enamel. I heard they were related. I was even reading that damage to dental enamel could be used by dentists to suggest a patient be tested for celiac disease. When I was younger I had brown spots on my teeth, even though I brushed well and regularly. The dentists didn't know what to make of it. Since I got a Sonicare toothbrush a few years ago, they have disappeared, but I still have white spots that are actually part of the enamel and my teeth are sort of ridged. Does anyone know about this? Thanks.

[Gemini]

You are absolutely correct about the dental enamel problem and it's a direct result of having celiac disease. It's called hyperplasia and it causes ridges and defects and sometimes yellowing of the teeth. The yellowing can be from a total lack of enamel on the affected tooth.

My 2 front bottom teeth came in without enamel on them and were that way until I had them capped. I also have ridges on the back molars and now they are starting to self destruct because of weak enamel. I am having 2 of my molars replaced with implants in the near future. Luckily, it's just 2 but I have had a ton of dental work done over my adult lifetime so my teeth look good. I also have Sjogren's Syndrome, which added to the problem and is another autoimmune disease caused by celiac disease. If your dental problems are severe and you suffer from dry mouth, you may want to be tested for it....blood draw. The dental problems can be managed well but it requires discipline and money. Another fun time courtesy of celiac disease!

[darlindeb25]

My sister and I were talking about teeth and celiac disease this last weekend. We were wondering if celiac + calcium deficiency could cause problems with teeth and cavities. well with the teeth just falling apart--we both have problems with that. I know as a teenager, I had a mouth full of fillings and I recall always being a tooth brusher.

I can't really go back and say when I think celiac actually may have hit me, but we do know that my sister was vitamin deficient at at least 7 or 8 years old, if not younger. We remember her having to take this liquid vitamin, which we lovingly called "bug juice" back then and she hated. My mom caught her eating stones, which we all know now is a vitamin deficiency.

Doctors tell us that celiac disease often has a trigger, but can we be living with silent celiac and the trigger just, so to speak, opens the floodgates and turns the monster loose? I know I always have had a nervous stomach. My mom said she always had to take my outfit with us wherever we were going because I often got carsick on the ride and that stayed with me until I went gluten free. I know that anything with oatmeal always gave me an upset tummy, yet the worst issues didn't start until I was pregnant with my 2nd son 31 yrs ago and then, even worse 26 yrs ago. I have been gluten free for 7 yrs and am 52. That is alot of years of sick.

I really do not think doctors or scientist know enough yet about celiac to understand fully what it's all about, what it can do, what it has done.

[wowzer]

I do know the white spots can be caused from taking a certain antibiotic when the teeth are coming in. This happened to my daughter's two front teeth.

[Dandelion]

I have white spots on my teeth too and ridges. My former dentist actually told me that the ridges were caused by me brushing too hard! My gastro. had a good laugh about it when we were discussing tooth enamel defects and celiacs. I was really young when I went to this dentist so I believed her. Went out and bought the softest toothbrush I could find and was paranoid about "scrubbing" my teeth.

The edges of my front teeth are uneven too. Has that happened to anyone else?

[ENF]

I've had a few brown spots on my teeth my entire life. Before being diagnosed several years ago with celiac disease, I was constantly in the dentist's chair as a child and adult. I have three bridges due to extractions, several crowns, and numerous root canals. Many of my teeth grew in at an angle, sort of sloped inward, and when I had bridges put in these areas one dentist shaped the fit to correct this.

In one instance, a few weeks after a tooth was extracted, a large mass of tissue grew in the space where the tooth had been. I had to have oral surgery to have it removed, and the reason was found to be a severe vitamin A deficiency. This was probably due to my not eating enough food, because I felt better when I ate next to nothing. This was over 30 years ago.

Don't hold your breath waiting for dentists to consider celiac disease a cause for dental problems.

[Sugar]

Hey, thanks guys. I was curious about it. Has anybody else been able to brush the brown stuff away off their teeth? You know, like after using a good electric toothbrush for awhile? I still have the white spots and ridges, but not the brown anymore, so I wonder whether they were caused by celiac disease or something else. Thanks, guys!

[justanotherday]

My front tooth chipped way too easily recently because of weak enamel. My son's molars came in when he was 2 with no enamel on them at all. He had to have crowns at 2 years old! IMHO, there's definitely a link.

[bakingbarb]

My teeth have spots on them, discoloration, soft spots, cavaties, yellowing,uhm what else is there?

Oh and I always had sores in my mouth which I just read is related (dn't know where I read it tho).

My oldest son has bad teeth, spots on his and sores in his mouth, he throws up all the time BUT he doesn't want to deal with Celiac right now so he is ignoring this for now.

I always used to wonder why my teeth were(are) so bad if I brushed and flossed so much. Now I know.