Periodontal disease and PsA
Hello everyone,
I'm just curious if any of you fine people have had issues with periodontal disease, since being diagnosed? I have read a few papers linking the two, and have been recently diagnosed with both PsA and now periodontal disease.
The periodontal disease caught me by surprise because I have a truly envious set of teeth for my home state of Vermont. Most people in this state are missing some of all of their teeth. I have always performed impeccable dentition care, flossing, brushing and using Listerine daily. I'm really hoping I don't end up losing my teeth over gum inflammation.
I feel like every symptom I've had with my first flare has been directly tied somehow to wide spread inflammation. For example: I also have eustachian tube dysfunction, and during my first flare a month ago, my left eustachian tube completely completely collapsed, causing no air to enter my ear, or fluid to drain from it. (per my ENT). What followed was terrible vertigo, hearing loss and uncomfortable inner ear pressure, which was constant until prednisone therapy reversed it.
Im just curious how many of you are experiencing other potentially weird side effects from systemic inflammation?
Welcome to the community,
. A new PsA diagnosis can be pretty overwhelming, but I am sure the periodontal disease diagnosis made yours even more so. That is a lot to contend with at once. As you notice in your research, there is growing suspicion among researchers that PsA and periodontal disease are linked. Here is an article from our editorial team about it: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/clinical/periodontitis-gum-disease. Hopefully, the dentist caught yours soon enough to treat it and PsA medications will help keep it under control in the future. Have you started on any medication yet? Since you asked about weird symptoms, I thought I would share this with you as well: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/weird-symptoms. There are so many more than are listed here. Hopefully, you'll hear about others from the community. Best wishes. - Lori (Team Member) Yes! Thank you for the literature. I have not had everything accessible in one place, so I greatly appreciate it. Up until this point, I have only been using the medical / rheum literature I have access to through work (I'm a registered nurse). As far as medications go, I did about a month of prednisone, just to break the flare, and am now on week 5 of mtx. I'm hoping that the mtx is sufficient enough, though my rheumatologist says that because my flare started with dactylitis, it might fail and I may need biologics. Only time will tell I guess. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
, you hit the nail on the head with your closing statement - "systemic inflammation" and it can be like a wrecking ball throughout our bodies. Big sigh.
Like Lori mentioned, I have heard of the connection with periodontal issues and disease. You mentioned your ears. People here have talked of hearing loss. In my case its chronic Uveitis.
I am grateful for medications that can tame the inflammation at its source. In addition I try to eat healthy. Like why feed the flame with sugar, right? 😀
Something flipped the switch marked "inflammation" in our bodies and thus begins the battle of keeping the flame at a simmer rather than a full blown boil.
Best of luck to you!
, thanks for your question! I'm not sure if you're on Facebook, but if you are, some community members shared their experiences with periodontal disease & PsA here: https://www.facebook.com/PsoriaticArthritisDotCom/posts/pfbid0KE8VsNkHw5TKYrLiCDYLaHzJKjLGwPYWLx4iwPNtpqNW34aKgg58p8fM862h4ygul. You're not alone in your experiences. Warmly, Minel (Team member) 
@Glssonion1 I saw from another response of yours that you have not been able to get a lot of information. You can contact the Patient Navigation Center of the National Psoriasis Foundation at www.psoriasis.org and be able to obtain whatever information you are looking for from a real person. They might even have information on the periodontal issue as well. Vickie W., Team Member
My own experience with periodontal disease was horrendous. I have a full set of dentures now. I had the occasional tooth become cracked or broken beyond repair over the years, and then the problem came in twos and threes. Eventually, I had so few teeth left, I just went with dentures as a solution. Actually went from partials to dentures in just a few years, and I'm 56. My rheumatologist told me on numerous occasions that PsA greatly increases the risk for periodontal disease, which in turn can worsen the symptoms of PsA. A vicious circle.
It doesn't seem fair that you can take great care of your teeth and still end up with dentures, thanks to PsA. I hope the dentures have at least brought you some relief from the pain and inconvenience of constant dental issues. Warmest of wishes. - Lori (Team Member)
