Hi everyone

as many of you know, my son has Tourette Syndrome and Crohn's Disease.
He has been doing really well in both areas until a sudden flare up of everything last week which really puzzled us!

well, yesterday one of his physicians noted that there is swelling in the wisdom tooth zone of his gums!! No tooth problems yet tho

Now the extraordinary thing about this is that, since infancy, my son has always had health issues (specifically digestive system, tho also temprament and tics) whenever a tooth is coming out or in, and also whenever he has had dental work. When he was a baby, I could usually predict a tooth coming thru long before it appeared, just by his tummy changes

I realise this is not unique to my son, and that our teeth and gums have a lot of impact on the rest of our system....
It just struck me again yesterday how much impact this can be in especially sensitive people like my son, considering the intensity of the flare up in both tics and Crohn's symptoms that he has had these past few days.

So I am now spending a bit of time researching just how and which teeth impact the organs, tissues etc and it is fascinating stuff. Had I not experienced this so directly with my son I would likely have been sceptical

I would be interested to hear any other experiences and viewpoints on this

it was not my teeth it was my gums that would swell but they though it was my teeth before they found out i had lupus

w/ many folks on different meds.

I've PN/Cidp for a while and am on anti-eleptic/seizure meds. I've also an Auto-I aspect for which I receive IVIG monthly [thank goodness!!!!!].
In the last 6 months or so after 3+ years from diagnoses, teeth have gone down the tubes!

Asked the dental tech after the last round of 'treatments-7 cavities + a crown', about my or other's epilepsy meds. Answer was OH YES! Folks w/lots of problems! The many pain meds we all take are tested mainly for the short term...there's no f/u on such long term effects. Soo, keep your brain on alert...things like dry mouth, the sugars you intake in either solid or liquid forms CAN affect your teeth a lot. Also, many meds [steroids in particular] affect calcium loss...while focus is on osteo...one place you can 'lose it' first can be your teeth. I am proof.
A super flouride toothpaste from the dentist helps, but is truly no cure...

I've googled up a storm trying to find any research in this quarter ... practically zilch found so far -got any new ideas for 'key words'? I WORK it if I get it... The issue's been brought up in PN I think...w/o BT-original, I get confused as to what's been discussed where...

Let's keep slogging on thru the quagmire! At least-for now, we are able to!

Good thoughts to all! - j

For the interim

With your son's history..has he been checked for Gluten Sensitivity? I remember vaguely some research into Gluten Sensitivity, Chrohn's and possibly Tourette's. Sorry, I don't have more. But things slosh around in my brain now.

Billye

hi Billye

yes, he had testing done for gluten/celiac and other food allergy/intolerance but all negative

Of course now we are in the circle of dicussion with the various physicians as to what we do about the wisdoms....taking them out could alleviate the flare ups and be better for him....but then again, taking them out could aggravate the flare ups and be bad for him, especially as part of his medication sensitivity issues include anaesthetics

oy vey!

Interesting thread. i just went to the dentist this week due to sores that have developed since an increase in imuran. The dentist said that I had moved from a low risk for dental disease to a moderate risk. The combination of medications, swallowing issues etc.. have changed the "climate" of my gum tissues. He said the stronger toothpastes with tarter control and whitening can actually exacerbate the issues. His advice was to drink alot of water, use mouth moisturizing gels, increase the # of times I go in to 4 times a year...use a balancing mouthwash, etc.

I know there is a direct link to gum disease and heart issues. It will be interestng to find out what you learn about teeth and other organ involvement.

I work with children and adults with mental retardation and related conditions, traumatic brain injury and mental illness. Anytime there is a change in behavior the first thing we rule out is medical or dental issues. Good luck.
Gabrielle

Interesting topic!! I've noticed something curious about myself I've always wondered about, and it kinda fits in with this topic about interconnection between the teeth and other organs, etc. Whenever I smell a bad smell, like a dead animal type smell, it makes my front teeth ache. Of course, that's a case of another organ affecting the teeth rather than vice versa, but thought I'd throw it into the discussion. If any of you has an explanation for it, I'd enjoy hearing it.
Hugs, Lois

Here is an interesting chart I found online that details what our physician was explaining to me

http://www.drwolfe.com/html/Teeth-chart.html

Thanks for the link, Chemar. I noticed the chart connects the front teeth with the frontal sinus. But still odd that only dead animal smells make my front teeth ache. Often times I'll feel the ache before I actually notice the smell.
Lois

Hi Lois

I am thinking that maybe it is a specific chemical smell associated with decomposition and emanating from the carcass that you are particularly sensitive to.

My son has experienced a similar thing when he smells chlorine or ammonia, where he gets a specific Tourette tic of tapping his front top and bottom teeth against one another

strange but true