A few years ago, I started thinking carefully about what I could do to improve my smile. I had lived with crooked, yellowed teeth for most of my adult life, and honestly, I just wanted to feel beautiful. I started thinking about working with a cosmetic dentist, and before I knew it, I was in an office getting a complimentary consultation. I learned about a variety of different procedures that could improve my look, and it was really fun. I wanted to create a blog all about making smiles more beautiful, which is why I made this website. Check out this blog for great information about dentistry.
If you have psoriatic arthritis, you may be very familiar with its symptoms, a combination of psoriasis and arthritis. These symptoms typically include joint pain, red plaques over your knuckles and other joints, deformity or misshapen joints. limited mobility, and diminished range-of-motion.
Also, since psoriatic arthritis is a systemic disease, you may also develop extreme fatigue and weakness. Though these are the most common symptoms, those affected by psoriatic arthritis may also develop oral manifestations. In fact, psoriatic arthritis may necessitate the need for additional tooth fillings because of its negative consequences on your dental health. Here are three ways psoriatic arthritis can affect your oral cavity and what you can do about them:
Shifting Teeth
Psoriatic arthritic conditions may heighten your risk for bone deterioration, including the deterioration of the bones in your mouth that help support your teeth. If you have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis or other degenerative bone disorders, visit your dentist who will monitor your oral status. In addition to shifting or loose teeth, having psoriatic arthritis may alter the effectiveness of your tooth fillings, especially if you have silver mercury fillings.
If your teeth shift out of place, become loose, or if your tooth fillings dislodge, your psoriatic arthritis may have already started taking a toll on the bones inside your mouth. Your doctor can prescribe medications to help slow the progression of your illness, however, drug therapy may not reverse existing damage.
Gingival Bleeding
Another potential oral symptom of psoriatic arthritis is gingival bleeding, or bleeding gums. This is because psoriatic arthritis can cause body-wide inflammation. When this occurs, your body expresses chemicals into your bloodstream known as pro-inflammatory cytokines. The same physiological response that causes bleeding gums can adversely affect your dental fillings, causing them to loosen or dislodge.
When too many cytokines are released into your circulation, gum problems, joint pain, and sometimes visual deficits can develop. If you have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, your dental professional will monitor your oral cavity closely so that subtle changes in gum tissue and dental fillings can be recognized and addressed in their earliest stages.
Jaw Pain
Psoriatic arthritis can causes extreme pain and inflammation of you jaw. It may also cause your jaw and dental bones to weaken. When this happens, your tooth structure may change, causing your tooth fillings and other dental restorations to fail. Your dentist can evaluate the health status of your jaw through imaging tests such as X-rays or CT scanning, and if he or she determines that further evaluation and treatment is needed, a referral to an oral surgeon may be recommended.
If you experience severe jaw pain, or if you are unable to open your mouth or chew your food properly, your primary physician may prescribe a medication to help diminish your pain while dampening inflammation.
If you have psoriatic arthritis, work with both your dentist and your medical doctor. When you work with both of these health care professionals, you can better develop an effective treatment plan to ensure that your oral cavity remains healthy.
Share3 June 2018
