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Are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Gluten Free Or Not?


jebby

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22Tsuji22 Newbie

Those who can't eat Reese's Cups you can always make your own!

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 cups confectioners' sugar

4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Mix together the butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar

2. Once that is all mixed, start making 1inch balls(or whatever size honestly. Place them on a wax paper

3. Once you are done with that put them in your refrigerator for 12hrs or so, I usually make them at night and then the next night do the dipping

4. Once they have cooled and are harder, melt your chocolate! and dip away!

This is a recipe for buckeyes, so they usually look like this Some people like to put wax in their buckeyes to give them a glossy finish but I personally think this ruins the taste.

I hope this is useful! I couldn't imagine not eating Reese's cups!!

Just make sure to buy all gluten-free items and you should be okay!

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  • Replies 53
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Mama Melissa Enthusiast

I eat them all the time and have no ill effects i was told they have no gluten ingridients even tho there is not a label stating gluten free

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ruubato skies Newbie

I eat Reese's cups occasionally, and Reese's Bites all the time! I never have a reaction (besides too much sugar ;))

I am not as sensitive as some, however, and it is good to hear that this is the general consensus on these products ^^

Has anyone ever made home-made cups with almond butter instead? This sounds like a phenomenal idea, and I'm drooling just thinking of it. I think a cooking adventure awaits me :)

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takeiteasy Rookie

Thank you all for your responses and comments. I called Hershey's because I have had my usual celiac symptoms after eating a regular sized peanut butter cup on two separate occasions in the past year (and no, I am not lactose intolerant, soy intolerant, or have any problems with emulsifiers or any of the other ingredients in them). I am extremely sensitive to cross-contamination, though, and have had reactions to other products which manufacturers have stated have "no gluten ingredients,'" but I have later found out are produced on shared lines after I have had reactions, i.e. Tostitos.

I agree that, per the packaging, that there are no gluten-containing ingredients in Reese's peanut butter cups.

When I called Hershey's main phone number to speak with a customer service regarding gluten, the rep who I spoke with had much more knowledge about gluten than I expected. The three Hershey's candies which are "gluten free" are the only ones which are produced on dedicated lines and do not risk coming in contact with gluten-containing products during manufacturing.

It would be interesting to see if others who call Hershey's get conflicting information.....

I am envious of those of you who do not get sick from cross-contamination and are able to use and trust ingredient labels. Unfortunately, that is not the case for all of us!

Hi. I'm reading with interest all of these posts and I am with you on this subject. I've had a terrible reaction to a rice cake, which actually did note on the package "made in a facility that uses wheat products". I missed the note on the label and only saw it after my reaction. Because I am extremely sensitive to cross contamination, even if the ingredients listed are non gluten, I call the manufacturer to check whether they make other gluten containing foods on the same line. I'm always, without fail, told that they do a thorough cleaning between product production, but I know that this does not mean that there won't be contamination. Its amazing how some reps at the companies I've called know almost nothing about gluten.

Regarding Hersheys I spoke to one of their reps about a year ago, and from what I recall, was told that the only gluten free products are the three listed above. This rep also told me that they can not provide me with a list of gluten free products. At that time I was not aware of my sensitivity to contamination so I was a much less educated consumer. I was just calling because the kisses I had were a gift and did not have a label with ingredients. I do recall being frustrated with them, but was happy to hear that I can eat the kisses.

I'm writing to encourage celiac patients who are sensitive to contamination to call manufacturers when in doubt. I also believe that the more we call them the closer we will be to a world where labeling ALL ingredients on ALL food & medicine products is mandated. I want them to be sick of hearing from us.

I recently called the company that makes GAS-X and when the guy on the phone told me he can't confirm whether there is or is not gluten in any of their products I almost lost it on him. He was very nice and told me that he is happy to hear from me & wrote down the fact that I am a celiac patient with a complaint about their insensitivity to our need for labeling ingredients because, he said, "we are very close to starting to label our products with ingredients and the more complaints we get the closer we get to it. We as consumers do have the power if we use it."

All the best to all of you,

Sarah

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  • 1 month later...
bincongo Contributor

I know this topic has been around awhile and I sure it has because Reece's peanut butter cups are so good that we don't want to give them up. I LOVE the dark chocolate ones. I ate the full sized ones and have not had any problems but then I do not have a lot of symptoms to began with. Lately I tried the small dark chocolate ones and for some reason I seemed to have some symptoms with them. I can't be certain but since the dark chocolate ones are new I am wondering if they are different. The label does not indicate any gluten ingredent. Has anyone noticed this or is it in my head.

Also I am finding it difficult to get the full size ones. It seems all my stores only stock the small ones now in the dark chocolate.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Coolclimates Collaborator

does anyone know if the small size regular ones are safe? I seem to be very sensitive to CC, but don't have any instant reaction (it just seems to wear down my immune system over time). Really conflicted as to whether I should eat it or not...

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Lisa Mentor

does anyone know if the small size regular ones are safe? I seem to be very sensitive to CC, but don't have any instant reaction (it just seems to wear down my immune system over time). Really conflicted as to whether I should eat it or not...

Don't waste your time being in conflict!

When in doubt, don't! A particular *treat* is not really important if you can find an alternative. I love Dove candies. The good thing is....that LIFE IF FULL OF OPTIONS! :D

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love2travel Mentor

Don't waste your time being in conflict!

When in doubt, don't! A particular *treat* is not really important if you can find an alternative. I love Dove candies. The good thing is....that LIFE IF FULL OF OPTIONS! :D

I agree. No treat is worth the possibility of inviting trouble. When I last spoke with the company they told me that none of the Reese's peanut butter cups could be guaranteed to be gluten-free (and she admitted that the lines are not cleaned as well as they should be!). That was enough for me. I handed them over to my husband.

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Coolclimates Collaborator

Ok, thanks for letting me know. I won't eat any in the future until they are more clear about their policies. I can't stand companies who are so vague and unhelpful!

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  • 2 months later...
jami9050 Newbie

I was looking through google for information on if this product was gluten free and of course came across this forum again first. I'm starting to really enjoy this! I was reading about the poster that has a sever sensitivity to even cross contamination (sp?) and I feel for them. I also have this problem. I'm not officially told that I have wheat intolerance but I made a change to eat gluten free about 5yrs ago and KNOW I have it from testing out even just eating a sandwich... mostly end up with stomach flu type stuff from bathroom issues to being tired to stomach aches and what not.

I was also reading the one post mentioning about not giving up the wonderful goodness of these treats. I'm American born and raise but I moved to Belgium just a bit over 10years ago. I've been eating gluten free for about 5yrs now (roughly). English is not my first language any more so bare with me on spelling errors please.

For those that are as sensitive as me to even stuff like CC... I have made HOME-MADE peanutbutter cups that I think can far out weigh these if you really love chocolate + peanut butter as much as I do. I've even posted it in a new gluten free blog that I started a couple months ago and intend to do them again soon (have all the ingredients at hand ready for it too) as I've found myself a mini muffin pan to make them in instead of the beast of a normal muffin pan (1 will kill a horse with as big as they are when they are made with a full sized pan!).

Recipe for home-made peanut butter cups (only thing to remember is to keep them in the fridge for storage as the chocolate won't keep set if left to sit... it'll become all soft and not pretty).

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Filling Mixture

♥ 1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (see tip #6)

♥ 5 tsp butter, softened/room temperature

♥ 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Mixture

♥ 2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

♥ 1 cup (6oz) milk chocolate chips (pure milk chocolate candy bars will work too)

♥ 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (see tip #7

Directions

Prepare peanut butter filling mixture by simply whisking together the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar until lighter in colour and combined well. Set aside for now.

In a double boiler, place both kinds of chocolate and the creamy peanut butter and melt slowly. Please see tip #8 for information on why NOT to use a microwave for this part.

Now comes the messy but fun part. Grab your muffin tin (mini or regular sized), make sure you have them lined. Fill each spot about 1/2 way up and stop. Get that peanut butter filling mixture and place a nice spoonful right in the centre of that chocolate. What you are looking for is a nice yummy drop of peanut butter filling to land right in the centre so that you see a bit of chocolate sticking out the sides. Then cover with more chocolate mixture just until you have covered up that yummy peanut butter filling *licks off fingers*.

Stick the finished pan in the fridge for about 1 hour or until firm enough to remove them from the pan and then rinse and repeat with the remaining filling and chocolate mixture.

There is more to the recipe in the way of tips and photos (I'm a photo-hollic) on the blog! I loved this recipe the first time I made it and if you have a spare hour or 2, I'd very much recommend making these. They do stay for a while in the fridge but they do NOT freeze well! It's chocolate remember, it's even good that they stay well in the fridge without an issue.

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love2travel Mentor

I was looking through google for information on if this product was gluten free and of course came across this forum again first. I'm starting to really enjoy this! I was reading about the poster that has a sever sensitivity to even cross contamination (sp?) and I feel for them. I also have this problem. I'm not officially told that I have wheat intolerance but I made a change to eat gluten free about 5yrs ago and KNOW I have it from testing out even just eating a sandwich... mostly end up with stomach flu type stuff from bathroom issues to being tired to stomach aches and what not.

I was also reading the one post mentioning about not giving up the wonderful goodness of these treats. I'm American born and raise but I moved to Belgium just a bit over 10years ago. I've been eating gluten free for about 5yrs now (roughly). English is not my first language any more so bare with me on spelling errors please.

For those that are as sensitive as me to even stuff like CC... I have made HOME-MADE peanutbutter cups that I think can far out weigh these if you really love chocolate + peanut butter as much as I do. I've even posted it in a new gluten free blog that I started a couple months ago and intend to do them again soon (have all the ingredients at hand ready for it too) as I've found myself a mini muffin pan to make them in instead of the beast of a normal muffin pan (1 will kill a horse with as big as they are when they are made with a full sized pan!).

Recipe for home-made peanut butter cups (only thing to remember is to keep them in the fridge for storage as the chocolate won't keep set if left to sit... it'll become all soft and not pretty).

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Filling Mixture

♥ 1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (see tip #6)

♥ 5 tsp butter, softened/room temperature

♥ 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Mixture

♥ 2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

♥ 1 cup (6oz) milk chocolate chips (pure milk chocolate candy bars will work too)

♥ 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (see tip #7

Directions

Prepare peanut butter filling mixture by simply whisking together the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar until lighter in colour and combined well. Set aside for now.

In a double boiler, place both kinds of chocolate and the creamy peanut butter and melt slowly. Please see tip #8 for information on why NOT to use a microwave for this part.

Now comes the messy but fun part. Grab your muffin tin (mini or regular sized), make sure you have them lined. Fill each spot about 1/2 way up and stop. Get that peanut butter filling mixture and place a nice spoonful right in the centre of that chocolate. What you are looking for is a nice yummy drop of peanut butter filling to land right in the centre so that you see a bit of chocolate sticking out the sides. Then cover with more chocolate mixture just until you have covered up that yummy peanut butter filling *licks off fingers*.

Stick the finished pan in the fridge for about 1 hour or until firm enough to remove them from the pan and then rinse and repeat with the remaining filling and chocolate mixture.

There is more to the recipe in the way of tips and photos (I'm a photo-hollic) on the blog! I loved this recipe the first time I made it and if you have a spare hour or 2, I'd very much recommend making these. They do stay for a while in the fridge but they do NOT freeze well! It's chocolate remember, it's even good that they stay well in the fridge without an issue.

You think like me. If there is something I want I find a way to make it gluten-free! :D Homemade is always better.

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pricklypear1971 Community Regular

I was looking through google for information on if this product was gluten free and of course came across this forum again first. I'm starting to really enjoy this! I was reading about the poster that has a sever sensitivity to even cross contamination (sp?) and I feel for them. I also have this problem. I'm not officially told that I have wheat intolerance but I made a change to eat gluten free about

5yrs ago and KNOW I have it from testing out even just eating a sandwich... mostly end up with stomach flu type stuff from bathroom issues to being tired to stomach aches and what not.

I was also reading the one post mentioning about not giving up the wonderful goodness of these treats. I'm

American born and raise but I moved to Belgium just a bit over 10years ago. I've been eating gluten free for about 5yrs now (roughly). English is not my first language any more so bare with me on spelling errors please.

For those that are as sensitive as me to even stuff like CC... I have made HOME-MADE peanutbutter cups that I think can far out weigh these if you really love chocolate + peanut butter as much as I do. I've even posted it in a new gluten free blog that I started a couple months ago and intend to do them again soon (have all the ingredients at hand ready for it too) as I've found myself a mini muffin pan to make them in instead of the beast of a normal muffin pan (1 will kill a horse with as big as they are when they are made with a full sized pan!).

Recipe for home-made peanut butter cups (only thing to remember is to keep them in the fridge for storage as the chocolate won't keep set if left to sit... it'll become all soft and not pretty).

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Filling Mixture

♥ 1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (see tip #6)

♥ 5 tsp butter, softened/room temperature

♥ 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Mixture

♥ 2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

♥ 1 cup (6oz) milk chocolate chips (pure milk chocolate candy bars will work too)

♥ 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (see tip #7

Directions

Prepare peanut butter filling mixture by simply whisking together the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar until lighter in colour and combined well. Set aside for now.

In a double boiler, place both kinds of chocolate and the creamy peanut butter and melt slowly. Please see tip #8 for information on why NOT to use a microwave for this part.

Now comes the messy but fun part. Grab your muffin tin (mini or regular sized), make sure you have them lined. Fill each spot about 1/2 way up and stop. Get that peanut butter filling mixture and place a nice spoonful right in the centre of that chocolate. What you are looking for is a nice yummy drop of peanut butter filling to land right in the centre so that you see a bit of chocolate sticking out the sides. Then cover with more chocolate mixture just until you have covered up that yummy peanut butter filling *licks off fingers*.

Stick the finished pan in the fridge for about 1 hour or until firm enough to remove them from the pan and then rinse

and repeat with the remaining filling and chocolate mixture.

There is more to the recipe in the way of tips and photos (I'm a photo-hollic) on the blog! I loved this recipe the first time I made it and if you have a spare hour or 2, I'd very much recommend making these. They do stay for a while in the fridge but they do NOT freeze well! It's chocolate

remember, it's even good that they stay well in the fridge without an issue.

I used to make pb cups at home for myself when my son was a baby and had milk and soy problems. Yummy!

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  • 5 months later...
gluten-freeK Newbie

Greetings, everyone! This thread is a bit old, but I thought I'd update everyone on its topic. The Hershey Company has put out a gluten-free list of candies and candy bars. Check this website, and enjoy life with a little less worry.

http://www.thehersheycompany.com/brands/special-nutrition.aspx#/Gluten-Free

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kareng Grand Master

Greetings, everyone! This thread is a bit old, but I thought I'd update everyone on its topic. The Hershey Company has put out a gluten-free list of candies and candy bars. Check this website, and enjoy life with a little less worry.

http://www.thehersheycompany.com/brands/special-nutrition.aspx#/Gluten-Free

This is great! Thank you!

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birdie22 Enthusiast

Hmmm...I wonder what excludes the seasonal shaped RPBCs? I know I've eaten an xmas tree and a heart in the past 4 months and looked at the ingredients first. Maybe just cc risk if processing on a different line?

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  • 6 months later...
MadisonDupras Newbie
A frank Newbie

YES they are! Www.the hersheycompany.com has a detailed gluten free list and Reese's peanut butter cups are gluten-free, all except for seasonal items. Go to home page, search for Reese's, and then click on peanut butter cups. The page will come up and on the bottom left side is where you can click for a gluten-free list. Enjoy your candy!

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  • 2 months later...
chronicbabejenni Newbie

update: i just saw on the hershey's website that they ARE gluten-free. here's their most updated list:

http://www.thehersheycompany.com/brands/special-nutrition.aspx#/Gluten-Free

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  • 2 weeks later...
atbama Newbie

As of March 29, 2012, all Reece's peanut butter cups are gluten-free EXCEPT seasonal-shaped ones.

Hershey now has a special section on their website for gluten-free diets at http://www.thehershe...px#/Gluten-Free and I'm copying the information I found there which includes other Hershey products that are gluten-free. However, go to the link to ensure you're getting the most updated list and always double-check the packaging for a change as an extra safe-guard.

Hershey is committed to providing products that meet your dietary needs, and many people today are interested in gluten-free foods.

A food bearing a gluten-free claim does not contain the protein from wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, triticole, farina, vital gluten semolina, malt vinegar or protein derivatives of these foods.

For your convenience, the current products listed below have been fully evaluated and qualify as gluten free using standards proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Please note this list is not all inclusive as we have other gluten-free confections.

The best way to determine if our products contain a gluten ingredient is to read our product label. This label includes an accurate, current listing of the ingredients in our products. Because, on occasion, the list of ingredients can change, we strongly encourage you to check the ingredient label on the package each time before you make a purchase.

Last updated March 29th, 2012

ALMOND JOY and MOUNDS Bars - ALL

HERSHEY'S - BAKING Chips

HERSHEY'SButterscotch Chips

HERSHEY'SCinnamon Chips

HERSHEY'SKISSES MINI KISSES Milk Chocolate

HERSHEY'SMilk Chocolate Chips

HERSHEY'SMINI CHIPS Semi-Sweet Chocolate

HERSHEY'SPremier White Chips

HERSHEY'SSemi Sweet Chocolate Chips

HERSHEY'SSPECIAL DARK Chips

HERSHEY'SSUGAR FREE Chocolate Chips

REESE'SPeanut Butter Chips

HERSHEY'S - Baking Bars

HERSHEY'SSemi Sweet Baking Bar

HERSHEY'S - Cocoa

HERSHEY'SCocoa

HERSHEY'SSPECIAL DARK Cocoa

DAGOBA Baking and Beverages - ALL

HEATH Bars - ALL

HERSHEY'S KISSES and NUGGETS

HERSHEY'SKISSES Milk Chocolate

HERSHEY'SKISSES Filled Chocolates - ALL

HERSHEY'SNUGGETS Candies - ALL

HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Bar

HERSHEY'SMilk Chocolate Bar (1.55oz only)

HERSHEY'SMilk Chocolate with Almonds Bar (1.45oz only)

HERSHEY'S Syrup and REESE'S Toppings

HERSHEY'SCaramel Syrup

HERSHEY'SChocolate Syrup

HERSHEY'SChocolate Syrup with Calcium

HERSHEY'SChocolate Sugar Free Syrup

HERSHEY'SLite Chocolate Syrup

HERSHEY'SSPECIAL DARK Syrup

HERSHEY'SStrawberry Syrup

REESE'SChocolate Peanut Butter Topping

REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups – ALL Except Seasonal Shaped Items

SCHARFFEN BERGER – ALL

SKOR

SKORToffee Bar

YORK Peppermint Pattie - ALL

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  • 1 month later...
kaywheels Newbie
bubbleelise Newbie

I was just on the website for Heshey and yes Reese Peanut butter cups are gluten free. Here is the link for the page that I was on. http://www.thehersheycompany.com/brands/special-nutrition.aspx#/Gluten-Free

I just got off of the phone with a customer service representative from Hershey's. They do have a gluten free list, but do not post it on their website and are unable to email a printed copy because it changes so often. As of today, the only Hershey's candies which are gluten free are:

1. Hershey's kisses

2. Hershey's 1.55 ounce chocolate bar

3. Hershey's chocolate bar with almonds

I specifically asked about Reese's peanut butter cups, and was told that they are not gluten free. Just wanted to get the word out.

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psawyer Proficient

The last four posts all shared the same link (which had been provided in some older posts as well).

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  • 3 months later...
Snlane40 Newbie

Yes it's very unfortunate that some people are extremely sensitive to very small amounts of gluten. I feel for you as it must make life even more difficult.

For practical purposes however, we need some way to identify products that contain gluten ingredients, and those that don't. An additional (but separate) category are products that do not contain gluten ingredients, but are made on shared lines, or in a facility that also processes wheat.

The regular and snack size RPBC would be in the first category. They do not contain gluten ingredients and therefore should be safe for most celiacs. If the phone representative is to be believed, they potentially could be risky for extremely sensitive Celiacs due to being processed on shared lines.

Potential cross contamination. Now that's a whole nuther subject!

best regards, lm

I'm new to this whole celiac & gluten free thing. Thankfully mine is just mild at this point. I haven't gotten sick from eating Reese's cups before & I've been eating them often. I mostly get sick when I eat a lot of things with flour or wheat in them. For example, cake makes me sick & bloated. Mine didn't start until after I had my addendum taken out. I usually look at the label & if it doesn't state there's gluten in the product I can get by with eating it with getting very sick. I've been hospitalized several times with these symptoms but it took them years to figure it out. I'm glad I found this forum.

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  • 2 years later...
Nancynancy Newbie

It's on their web-site as gluten free.  Some of the unwrapped specialty items are not gluten free but the regular cups are.

 

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kareng Grand Master

It's on their web-site as gluten free.  Some of the unwrapped specialty items are not gluten free but the regular cups are.

 

This thread is from 2011.  I think they were gluten free even then & there was a big discussion as you can see.  However, info that is this old should be re-checked as ingredients change over time.

 

I eat Reeses pb cups with no problem.

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      I made an account just to reply to this topic. My story resembles yours in so many ways that it is truly amazing. I also suddenly became lactose intolerant, went a little under 10 years attributing all my symtoms to different body parts, never thinking it was something systemic until much later. I had the same mental problems - anxiety, depression, fatigue, etc. In fact, the only real difference in our story is that I was never formally diagnosed. When I discovered that my myriad symtoms, that had been continuous and worsening for years, all rapidly subsided upon cessation of consuming gluten, I immediately took it upon myself to cut gluten out of my diet completely. I live in America, and had lost my health insurance within the year prior to my discovery, so I could not get tested, and I will never willingly or knowingly consume gluten again, which I would have to do in order to get tested now that I have insurance again. But that is not the point of this reply. I also had extreme TMJ pain that began within months of getting my wisdom teeth out at - you guessed it - 17 years old. I was in and out of doctors for my various symptoms for about 5 years before I gave up, but during that time I had also kept getting reffered to different kinds of doctors that had their own, different solutions to my TMJ issue, an issue which I only recently discovered was related to my other symptoms. I began with physical therapy, and the physical therapist eventually broke down at me after many months, raising her voice at me and saying that there was nothing she could do for me. After that saga, I saw a plastic surgeon at the request of my GP, who he knew personally. This palstic surgeon began using botox injections to stop my spasming jaw muscles, and he managed to get it covered by my insurace in 2011, which was harder to do back then. This helped the pain tremendously, but did not solve the underlying problem, and I had to get repeat injections every three months. After a couple of years, this began to lose effectiveness, and I needed treatments more often than my insurance would cover. The surgeon did a scan on the joint and saw slight damage to the tissues. He then got approved by insurance to do a small surgery on the massseter (jaw) muscle - making an incision, and then splicing tissue into the muscle to stop the spasming. It worked amazingly, but about three months later it had stopped working. I was on the verge of seeing the top oral surgeon in our city, but instead of operating on me, he referred me to a unique group of dentists who focus on the TMJ and its biomechanical relationship to teeth occlusion (i.e. how the teeth fit together). This is what your dentist did, and what he did to you was boderline if not outright malpractice. There is a dental field that specializes in doing this kind of dental work, and it takes many years of extra schooling (and a lot of money invested into education) to be able to modify teeth occusion in this manner. Just based on the way you describe your dentist doing this, I can tell he was not qualified to do this to you. Dentists who are qualified and engage in this practice take many measurments of your head, mouth, teeth, etc., they take laboratory molds of your teeth, and they then make a complete, life-size model of your skull and teeth to help them guide their work on you. They then have a lab construct, and give you what is called a "bite splint." It looks and feels like a retainer, but its function is entirely different. This is essentially a literal splint for the TMJ that situates on the teeth. The splint is progressively modified once or twice per week, over several months, in order to slowly move the joint to its correct position. The muscles spasm less, stress is taken off the joint, as the joint slowly moves back into its proper position. The pain reduces each month, each week, sometimes even each day you go in for a visit. The joint has to be moved in this manner with the splint BEFORE the modification to the teeth begins. They then add to your tooth structure with small bits of composite, to keep the joint in its proper place after it has been sucessfully repositioned. Subtracting from your teeth, by grinding down bits of your natural tooth structure, is done very conservatively, if they have to do it at all. This process worked for me - after six months, my face, jaw, neck all felt normal, and I had no more pain - a feeling I had not had in a long time. It also made my face look better. I had not realized the true extent that the spasming muscles and the joint derangement had effected the shape of my face. The pain began to return after a few months, but nowhere near where it had been before. This immense reduction in pain lasted for a little over two years. The treatment still ultimately failed, but it is not their fault, and it is still the treatment that has given me the most relief to this day. Later on, I even went about three years with very, very good pain reduction, before the joint severely destabilized again. This field of dentistry is the last line treatment for TMJ issues before oral surgery on the TMJ. There aren't as many denists around who practice this anymore, and the practice is currently shrinking due to dentists opting for less espensive, additional educations in things like professional whitening, which have a broader marketability. Getting this treatment is also very expensive if not covered by insurance (in America at least). My first time was covered by insurance, second time was not, though the dentist took pity on me due to the nature of my case and charged like a quarter of usual pricing. Most cases seen by these dentists are complete successes, and the patient never has to come back again. But occasionally they get a case that is not a success, and I was one of those cases. A little over a year ago, I began seeing the second dentist who keeps my TMJ stable in this manner. The first dentist retired, and then died sadly. A shame too, because he was a truly amazing, knowledgable guy who really wanted to help people. The new dentist began to get suspicious when my joint failed to stay stable after I was finished with the bite splint and his modifications, so he did another scan on me. This is ten years after the first scan (remember, I said the surgeon saw "slight" damage to the tissue on the first scan). This new scan revealed that I now no longer have cartilage in the joint, on both sides - complete degeneration of the soft tissues and some damage to the bone. The dentist sat me down and had a talk with me after these results came in, and said that when he sees damage like this in cases like mine, that the damage to the joint is most likely autoimmune, and that, in his experinece, it is usually autoimmune. He has sent patients with cases like mine to Mayo Clinic. He said he will continue to see me as long as the treatment continues to offer me relief, but also said that I will probably have to see a dentist for this type of treatment for the rest of my life. He is not currently recommending surgery due to my young age and the fact that the treatment he provides manages my symptoms pretty well. I still see this dentist today, and probably will see this kind of dental specialist for the rest of my life, since they have helped with this issue the most. I did not inform him that I am 100% sure that I have celiac disease (due to my complete symptom remission upon gluten cessation). I didn't inform him because I thought it would be inappropriate due to not having a formal diagnosis. I was disappointed, because I had believed I had caught it BEFORE it had done permanent damage to my body. I had never suspected that my TMJ issues may be related to my other symptoms, and that the damage would end up complete and permanent. Luckily, I caught it about 6 months after my other joints started hurting, and they stopped hurting right after I went gluten free, and haven't hurt since. I of course did the necessary research after the results of the second scan, and found out that the TMJ is the most commonly involved joint in autoimmune disease of the intestines, and if mutliple joints are effected, it is usually the first one effected. This makes complete sense, since the TMJ is the most closely related joint to the intestines, and literally controls the opening that allows food passage into your intestines. I am here to tell you, that if anyone says there is no potential relationship between TMJ issues and celiac disease, they are absolutely wrong. Just google TMJ and Celiac disease, and read the scientific articles you find. Research on issues regarding the TMJ is relatively sparse, but you will find the association you're looking for validated.
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