Red, swollen, bleeding gums
 

I'm hoping Bryanna isn't sick of me yet and wants to answer.

I'm on a new medication for Lupus, Cellcept. Normally, when my lupus is flaring my bottom gums are more swollen and recede a little. I noticed my top gums (front teeth) are red and swollen, and bleeding as well. My gums had been doing super well, in fact my last cleaning the person cleaning them commented that I had virtually no bleeding and to keep up whatever I'm doing. I called the pharmacist and swollen, bleeding gums are a side effect of cellcept.

Going off the medicine isn't currently an option. It's protecting my kidneys, and those are harder to replace than teeth/gums.

Do you have any suggestions on what might help? Obviously, I can do salt water rinses, but anything else? Oddly enough brushing doesn't appear to irritate them further.

Socasusie,

Don't be silly..... I am here to help if I can!

Bleeding gums are a nasty side effect of many medications. The best thing to do is to continue to brush and floss thoroughly to keep the bacteria down. Avoid mouthwash because the alcohol and chemicals in these products will worsen the problem in that they reduce the salivary flow and pre dispose you to tooth decay.

There is really nothing you can do to eliminate it because the medication is what is causing it. Your gum tissue can also become enlarged and start to grow over your teeth. Regular brushing and flossing may help prevent that from happening.

Bryanna





QUOTE=socasusie;1018530]I'm hoping Bryanna isn't sick of me yet and wants to answer.

I'm on a new medication for Lupus, Cellcept. Normally, when my lupus is flaring my bottom gums are more swollen and recede a little. I noticed my top gums (front teeth) are red and swollen, and bleeding as well. My gums had been doing super well, in fact my last cleaning the person cleaning them commented that I had virtually no bleeding and to keep up whatever I'm doing. I called the pharmacist and swollen, bleeding gums are a side effect of cellcept.

Going off the medicine isn't currently an option. It's protecting my kidneys, and those are harder to replace than teeth/gums.

Do you have any suggestions on what might help? Obviously, I can do salt water rinses, but anything else? Oddly enough brushing doesn't appear to irritate them further.[/QUOTE]

I feel like I keep taking advantage of your generosity-I know you of this all on your own time, and I really do appreciate it!

Is it ok to still use my waterpik, or is that too harsh? I will stayed way from mouthwash, but I'm assuming that if I want salt water rinses are still ok? Also, I sometimes use something called OraMD. It's a few essential oils in almond oil-I used a drop or two if I want to freshen my mouth, or in water as a rinse (it's supposed to replace toothpaste but I don't use it that way). I don't want to make it worse, but oil is naturally antibacterial.

Thank you again for all your help and support, I appreciate it!

Hi socasusie,

Yes, I volunteer on this site. But I do that willingly :)

You can use a water pik on the light setting. Salt water rinses are always okay.

I am not familiar with OraMD. Their website lists 3 ingredients but that does not mean that is all that is in it. You can call the company and ask for the inert ingredients.. tell them you have allergies and need to know ALL of the ingredients.

Essential Oils can be therapeutic to the oral tissue. However, if too potent they can irritate the oral tissue if it is irritated to begin with.

Have you ever tried organic coconut oil? There is no risk of irritation and you could add a drop of peppermint oil to it if you wanted to.

What toothpaste are you using to brush your teeth?

Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna!

When I think about it, I do oil pulling with organic coconut oil. I love it! That a great idea on calling them, I will do so.

I use plain, old fashioned Crest. The old school formula-it doesn't make my mouth peel like most products do.

My goal is to keep my mouth as health as possible, and try not to irritate. I know it's the medicine, but it feels like I'm neglecting gums with how they're acting (I know I'm being just as good as I was before, but the fact they're bleeding is making mad because I'm putting forth the effort). The other weird part is that there bleeding in weird spots. Like I've never had the gums in front of my front teeth bleed, and yet they are.

I would like to chime in here too....

The symptom of bleeding gums should be reported to your doctor, because low platelets will also cause it.

Many many drugs can cause low platelets in the blood, including
genetic errors you may have inherited.

All warnings to patients, who take certain drugs (even Calan for blood pressure!), may develop bleeding gums. It is a serious side effect and should be reported to the doctor.
more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrombocytopenia

I know a young woman with NO medication or lupus history who just started to hemorrhage in the dentist's chair suddenly... she had ITP and was hosptialized!

So please discuss this with your doctor and have some blood work done to verify your platelets are okay. They can tend to go down in lupus patients, anyway... It might not be just the new Cellcept.

Thanks mrsD, I actually just had lab work 3 weeks ago and am good. She's keeping an eye on it all considering both the disease and medication. Thank you for keeping an eye out for me though!

Socasusie,

Mrs. D is right...... there are other things that can cause bleeding gums, even sudden onset that may not have obvious symptoms until the problem has become severe. I would assume that your dr will be doing frequent blood work while you are on this medication. It would be important to keep track of that :)

Regarding the tooth paste... there are better alternatives to crest and others like it because they contain chemicals, dyes and preservatives that are irritating to the oral tissue and digestive tract. Homemade toothpaste is easy to do.... on a wet toothbrush put a few drips of melted coconut oil, a slight sprinkle of baking soda and a small drop of peppermint oil! Works great! If you wanted to you could make a small batch of it ahead of time, stir it up really well, keep it in a closed glass jar in the bathroom and use each time you brush. The coconut oil will harden so you will need to use a little spoon to scoop some out each time. But it's really no big deal!

Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna, I tried the homemade toothpaste last night and this morning. It works great and nothing has been peeling either. I make my own skin care products so I have a ton of those tiny spatulas-prefect for coconut oil based products. My teeth are as smooth as when I get them cleaned, and I didn't even overt the baking soda either!

Socasusie,

Great! Glad you liked the toothpaste!

You make your own skincare products... very cool!!
I assume they are food based and chemical free???

Bryanna