# Gums



## cheeky (Sep 19, 2009)

hey... 

it's been months since i've had this symptom...  but as of a couple days ago, i developed a small sore lump on the roof of my mouth, and my gums looked generally swollen...

now the soreness is worse, the inflammation in my gums directly lining my teeth is worse and super sore.... hurts to eat... feels like it'll bleed if i rub the gums with food the wrong way.

when i had problems before (prior to my crohn's diagnosis pretty much whilst things were going downhill and the symptoms connection came a few months into the treatment cuz i was finally diagnosed and it all made sense), i went to the specialist and they did major cleaning under the gum line (scraping),,,,  seemed to help improve things but i'm not sure if it's likely the medication that i had eventually started ...or the was it flareup/inflammation calming down on it's own. 

 don't get mouth ulcers *knock on wood*  just very inflamed, sore gums, and friable gum tissue ... anyone else get this?  what's the deal with mouth ulcers?  should i call my dentist for an urgent referral to my gum specialist???  i have a wedding to go to tomorrow (edit* make that today lol).... hope i feel better at least enough to eat.


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## kello82 (Sep 19, 2009)

yep  oh joy.

for a long long time my mouth was like that. my dentist was the one who noticed as i always thought it was just normal for me, and she said it looked like severe gigivitis or something? but then i saw a doc who specialized in crohnic mouth things and she said its really typical for crohns.

do your gums bleed when you brush? mine did a lot.

idk if a dentist/gum specialist will do much good...like, the normal docs dont really ahve any idea about special conditons like this.
maybe your GI will know of someone who specializes in the oral manifestations of crohns and stuff? theyre out there!

ooo one more idea, ive read from a few people on here that they use orajel for their mouth 
ulcers....maybe slap some of that one your gums? it might take the pain down a bit.
never used it myself, but if my mouth ever gets worked up again im definitly gonna try it


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## bruscar (Sep 19, 2009)

Hi Cheeky,

My experience was very similar to this but it all happened much quicker.

I t turned out that i had Candida / Oral thrush .....a complete and utter nightmare that hospitalised me for over three weeks.  I was the worst case they had seen and it came up OVERNIGHT..........it went on for months and months.

Sorry if i have put the frighteners on you but please dont hesitate in getting it seen to by your consultant gastro guy, honestly it is your worst nightmare.

It is linked directly to the Crohns.

I wish you well Cheeky

Bruscar


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## Procyon (Sep 19, 2009)

Every time I go to the dentist, they tell me that my gums don't look right. Of course they try to blame it on me, and tell me I don't brush my teeth enough, which is a little insulting, because I have good dental hygiene. Who do these dentists think they are? They're making me go anti-dentite. But anyway, yeah, I seem to have a bit of the gum inflammation thing as well.


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## katiesue1506 (Sep 19, 2009)

anti-dentite (seinfeld reference... liking it!)


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## imisspopcorn (Sep 20, 2009)

It's a crap shoot for me. One visit my gums look great, the next visit I bleed like crazy.
 I don't do anything different in between visits. It has to be related to Crohn's. Explaining it to them is like telling your GI doctor your molars are bothering you. (Can you tell I am tired of feeling like a dental hygeine criminal?...)

Just be vigilant with brushing and flossing and visit the dentist regularly....I sound like a public service announcement now!!! It's time for me to go to sleep....


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## cheeky (Sep 20, 2009)

thanks for the replies people... 

kello - yes, i think i will call my GI, and get a referral to someone who specializes in crohn's gums... great advice thanks.  the brushing hasn't caused bleeding YET... but that's what happened before... it's weird, this is so sore. i did manage to eat @ the wedding, but it didn't feel pleasant. 

bruscar - no, i thank you for your honesty..it just encourages me to get this checked out asap 

shantel - i haven't actually started the remicade yet, i'm supposed to start it soon... but first i had problems getting my benefit stuff sorted out, then i had a cold, and now i have this gum problem.... i also still need to get my chest xray and blood work completed before i can wrap up things and get going on the remi treatments. 

you guys i am going nuts trying to fit in appointments! it's the busiest time of year at my work (i'm at a college) and everytime i think i'll be able to leave early, something comes up... i'm just swamped with work!


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## cheeky (Sep 20, 2009)

here's an overview of my dental experiences 

what happened to me with my first gums experiences were: 

first - i had a big swelling under my tongue (this was maybe almost 2 years ago?) so i made an urgent appt with my dentist (who is super awesome btw, been seeing her since i was a kid).... anyway, she said it was a blockage, and to gargle with salt water and it should help... it did go away within a couple days. 

next - i had a regular dentist checkup.... she was VERY concerned.... she said my gums were very inflamed and i have 'friable gum tissue' (the gums were basically loose around my teeth and lots of bleeding)....she was puzzled... she brought in another dentist... they couldn't figure it out...thought maybe i was allergic to something.... she gave me an antibiotic.... no help.  told me to stop eating certain foods... no difference. 

but she did agree with me that it might be related to an autoimmune thing (at the time i didn't know i had crohn's but thought i had an autoimmune joint condition called palindromic rheumatism as my rheumatologist previously diagnosed me)... 

so she referred me to a gum specialist, who was also super awesome...and figured it was autoimmune too....so we did the gum work to see if it would help...and it seemed to....

but half way through the treatments i was diagnosed with crohn's.... and so, like i said, could've been that my flareup calmed down on it's own. 


dental problems = very uncomfortable.  to me, it's sort of worse than the abdominal cramping cuz i've gotten used to that lol.


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## Jerman (Sep 20, 2009)

Hi cheeky hope you are feeling better really soon.  When you are able could you pm me with some info on your cool program, I will be beginning some skills development classes and would like to chat with you and share some ideas about program development.


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## AshleaM (Oct 6, 2011)

I know this post is old but I also have problems with my gums. They swell all the time and hurt. It also makes my teeth hurt. I floss all the time and brush all the time. My dentist said that it is due to Crohn's. If I bite down on food like a sandwich or snickers it makes it "flare up". She prescribed me a mouthwash called Miracle Mouthwash. It is made at specialty pharmacies. It works wonders. I still have problems from time to time but when I do I just use the mouthwash that day.


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## Honey1601 (Nov 2, 2011)

Hi im so glad to have found something that actually talks about mouth problems, I have an undiagnosed autoimmune disorser, personally I think its Cohns as my daughter has it & is h same as me.   My dentist isnt so good unfortunately & told me I have peridontal disease, from not brishing my teeth!! Outrageous as  I brush my teeth & Tongue as regularly as the next person, I wish I could get some help with my mouth problems  Hope you guys are all feeling better x


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## DeeNJai (Aug 17, 2012)

Hi
I havent been diagnosed with crohns yet but I can agree with what everyone has said about teeth problems.  My teeth bleed lots when i brush them.  It doesnt matter how well I clean my teeth they bleed and they are always sore and have been like that for years and years.  Even as a teenager my teeth would bleed.

I have had bowel problems most of my life but most of the time I havent been able to go at all.  at times I would go upto 23 days without opening my bowels but I would have diarhoae seven days before they would open. 
dee


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## AlisonR (Sep 14, 2012)

Hi all,

I also frequently get sore and swollen gums as well as an excessive build up of bacteria on my tongue.  For years, before I was diagnosed my dentist was telling me I had a bacterial imbalance and needed to check that out (thankfully I have a great, observant and understanding dentist).  Eventually, I was diagnosed with Crohn's and it all made sense.  While he understands what is going in and thankfully doesn't blame the problems on me, he also says that there isn't much he can do from his position.  However, I regularly see an acupuncturist to help with symptoms management.  She has been extremely successful at keeping down the gum swelling and managing the bacteria build up.  If you are open to alternative treatments (on top of traditional of course) I would really recommend acupuncture.  They are much better at treating the whole body as opposed to individual symptoms.

Alison


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## CrohnsChicago (Sep 14, 2012)

You know, I had a similar lump on the roof of my mouth a few years ago. No one could figure out what it was (nor could they figure out why I had uveitis, or certain pains). Finally after going to so many docs they realized I had crohn's. I suspect I've had it all along over these past few years.

While I haven't experienced the "lump" since that one time, I have noticed that when I am in a flare (or about to begin a bad flare), my gums get a bit puffy and they bleed a lot and very easily for a few days, especially when I brush my teeth. Then all the gum situations fade away as if it never happened.

It's so crazy how our body works (or doesn't).


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## Earnellzwifey (Sep 14, 2012)

I also have severe gum problems. About 6.  months ago my gums were so bad they pulled all my teeth except 5. I can not wear dentures cause I get ulcers everywhere. My Behcet's also cause mouth ulcers so I am hit double bad. It's just sad to be 34 and only have 5 teeth left. It is su imbarassing to talk to people. I also keep reg appt with my dentist and followed all advice. Nothing helped but yanking them all out. Needless to say I have learned to eat steak with my gums. Lol.


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