Can Tooth Decay Affect Your Mental Health?

[FlourShopGirl]

Although my father claims my mother took me to the dentist very little, I remember going. My teeth these past few years have fallen apart. Thank goodness I have the kind of mouth that hides my teeth.

But 16 teeth have cavities, 1 failed root canal, one broken tooth and lots more that scare me. I am not sure if this is from wheat problems or what but I think every day about my horrible teeth. I am considering getting "Teeth in a day" where they yank them all and put implants in that never rot and I just turned 31.

So to my question, can tooth decay affect mental health? I know Celiac and wheat issues can. I can't find anything on the web about it. I've googled it a hundred times. I guess I am looking for an answer as to why I have extreme anxiety, OCD and depression. I do consider wheat not to help but my parents think it's my tooth decay.

Any thoughts?

Hope everyone is having a good night. I went out with family to The Outback and got a clueless waitress for Gluten-Free even though they have a menu for it. The salad was made different and weird and she got all strange when I questioned it nicely. My husband is sooo amazing. He sticks up for me before I can open my mouth. He even says as I order "And this is from the Gluten-Free" menu. It's so nice to have support which is why I <heart> this board! :^)

[tom]

Although my father claims my mother took me to the dentist very little, I remember going. My teeth these past few years have fallen apart. Thank goodness I have the kind of mouth that hides my teeth.

But 16 teeth have cavities, 1 failed root canal, one broken tooth and lots more that scare me. I am not sure if this is from wheat problems or what but I think every day about my horrible teeth. I am considering getting "Teeth in a day" where they yank them all and put implants in that never rot and I just turned 31.

So to my question, can tooth decay affect mental health? I know Celiac and wheat issues can. I can't find anything on the web about it. I've googled it a hundred times. I guess I am looking for an answer as to why I have extreme anxiety, OCD and depression. I do consider wheat not to help but my parents think it's my tooth decay.

Any thoughts?

I don't think you should go for all implants at only 31, but the real reason I'm posting is to say that I'd been gluten-free for 3+ yrs before finally finding what I call my FINAL food intolerance, and THAT's when the anxiety, depression, and some bits of OCD biz finally went away.

Your mental issues may also clear up just by quitting another food. For me it was soy.

Best of luck to you.

[ravenwoodglass]

It is much more likely that the celiac is causing the OCD and anxiety. Can you get your folks to spend an hour or two here with us and reading others posts? Depression, anxiety, irritability, difficulty with thought processes (we call it brain fog) ataxia, (balance issues), nerve damage and more are all associated with celiac and it's reaction on the brain.

Do Not give up on your teeth. Having them pulled at your age is not a preferred option. Once you have those teeth pulled your jaw bone will begin to deteriorate. Have you ever noticed older folks who look like their jaws have caved in? They had their teeth out at an early age. If you also have celiac caused osteoporosis or osteopenia you could have some serious bone loss after those teeth are gone. Dental work is not pleasent and it can be hard to find a celiac savvy dentist but you should try and get it done. Some dentists will do sedation dentistry where they knock you out and do everything at once. That might be a less stressful way of going than doing them one at a time.

[RiceGuy]

I agree with the others - seems like a bad idea to have all your teeth pulled. That's really not going to help the cause at all either. There is a reason for the tooth decay. My first guess would be nutrient deficiencies. Calcium sounds like a place to start, but calcium doesn't work without other things, such as vitamin D and magnesium, just to name two. Potassium may also play a role, if memory serves. There are numerous contributing factors of course.

And yes, the symptoms you've mentioned can be related to such nutrient deficiencies as well.

One thing I know from experience, is that teeth do repair themselves, just like any other bone. It seems odd to me that this doesn't seem to occur to dentists, or most anyone I know. Anyone who owns a rabbit knows that if it doesn't have things to chew on, the teeth can keep growing, eventually pushing right through the bottom lip. Obviously humans are different in that respect, but with all the chewing we do, our teeth don't get smaller and smaller over time, so they must be rebuilding themselves constantly.

[debmidge]

One thing I know from experience, is that teeth do repair themselves, just like any other bone. It seems odd to me that this doesn't seem to occur to dentists, or most anyone I know. Anyone who owns a rabbit knows that if it doesn't have things to chew on, the teeth can keep growing, eventually pushing right through the bottom lip. Obviously humans are different in that respect, but with all the chewing we do, our teeth don't get smaller and smaller over time, so they must be rebuilding themselves constantly.

If teeth repair themselves, then why must cavities be filled?

My great grand father lived to age 90, in his eighties his teeth were like little nubs, but he did not have tooth decay. He ate very little in the way of sweets and meat, mostly grains and greens. He was from Europe. So teeth do get smaller over time, it's just that you don't see it as it happens it's so gradual and most of us don't live that long. Teeth don't rebuild themselves. You should see my mother in law's mouth: never saw dentist in 50 years and the teeth are rotted into shanks. Doctor says this is what causes blood clots/strokes. She has had a few of them. She's 87

[FlourShopGirl]

I truly appreciate all the replies on this. It has made me think twice about implants. One of the main issues surrounding my teeth is how sensitive they are. I've had several frustrated dentists and one called me "brutal". That was for a root canal and I remember just telling him it hurt and he got really annoyed. I guess I was hoping the implants would solve all my problems. I guess they could create more.

Can someone who is sensitive to wheat also have the same issues with anxiety, etc? I've had two borderline tests (the last one my total IGA was under by 2). I guess I could be allergic to dairy too and I haven't cut that out all the way...

Thank you.

[FlourShopGirl]

I don't think you should go for all implants at only 31, but the real reason I'm posting is to say that I'd been gluten-free for 3+ yrs before finally finding what I call my FINAL food intolerance, and THAT's when the anxiety, depression, and some bits of OCD biz finally went away.

Your mental issues may also clear up just by quitting another food. For me it was soy.

Best of luck to you.

It's funny, you would think Soy would be good for you. That's probably the product I consume the least however I do use those fake sweetners. I know those can't be good. I haven't put too much thought into it being more than just gluten (I have thought about Dairy) and your reply makes me think I should cut more things out...

[FlourShopGirl]

It is much more likely that the celiac is causing the OCD and anxiety. Can you get your folks to spend an hour or two here with us and reading others posts? Depression, anxiety, irritability, difficulty with thought processes (we call it brain fog) ataxia, (balance issues), nerve damage and more are all associated with celiac and it's reaction on the brain.

Do Not give up on your teeth. Having them pulled at your age is not a preferred option. Once you have those teeth pulled your jaw bone will begin to deteriorate. Have you ever noticed older folks who look like their jaws have caved in? They had their teeth out at an early age. If you also have celiac caused osteoporosis or osteopenia you could have some serious bone loss after those teeth are gone. Dental work is not pleasent and it can be hard to find a celiac savvy dentist but you should try and get it done. Some dentists will do sedation dentistry where they knock you out and do everything at once. That might be a less stressful way of going than doing them one at a time.

I always enjoy your posts. I have also thought twice about getting my teeth pulled. My folks are old fashioned in the sense where they think it's a cry for attention or my teeth. I do not want my jaw caved in and I guess I have to work with what I have until it gets to a point I can't work with them.

Your signature says so much. It's amazing how wheat issues are mistaken for IBS. I remember watching Oprah and Dr. Oz was on. A lady got up and talked about having a lot of gas and he said she may be allergic to wheat. I was so shocked he suggested that. I guess I have been seeing all the wrong people.

[ravenwoodglass]

I am glad you have reconsidered the removal issue. Our teeth can be troublesome but they are important. I also have a very sensitive mouth, with defective enamel for some of us it is like the nerve is running right on the surface. (I hope you are not using Sensodyne, that is not gluten-free.) What I have done is I go and the doctor schedules a long block of time for me. They totally numb one side and then the hygenist cleans that side. Then the doctor comes in and does what they need to do. Usually because of my dental phobia, not really celiac related, I use some type of sedative and have someone drive me. If you go with a sedative be careful what they give you. Xantac is a common one but from what I have heard is not gluten-free. For me they use name brand Valium, but there may be other stuff.

There is something that I have found extremely helpful with my mouth pain. It has also had a long term benefit to my teeth grinding. I use accupressure on the point that is in the web between the thumb and the index finger. It is at the bottom of the web to the side and under the index finger. You will know you have found the right spot when it is uncomfortable to the pressure. I just pinch the area with the thumb and index finger of the opposite hand. Apply pressure until the achy feeling in your hand subsides, a minute or two. Then I reverse hands. The hand on the opposite side of the pain will often be the most sensitive. For me the pain relief would happen within just a few minutes and last for up to 6 hours, when it would start to come back I would just do it again. I didn't expect it to work but as I had no other recourse for pain relief at the time I figured I would try it. Just figured I would throw it in there in case you might want to give it a try.