Crohns disease in my gum

[Laura1988]

Hi there,

I have noticed since Feb that an area above top tooth has become very inflammed and red. It is localised to the one area but noticeable enough to cause questions from family/friends/colleagues.

I went to the dentist who looked at the area, photographed and x-rayed it, he confirmed it wasn't a dental issue and suggested it may be crohns.

I was due in the IBD clinic anyway and mentioned it, the doctor just looked at it and said "yep, that's crohns" but didn't suggest any treatments etc.

It continues to look red, angry and inflamed. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Or has any tips/suggestions on how to manage it!

I was diagnosed 5 years ago, on 6 weekly inflixmab IV and imuran tablets (125mg).

Thanks,
Laura

 

[Jennifer]

If it's a canker sore then I usually treat it with salt. You can rinse with it or what I do is apply salt directly to it which seems to help it heal faster in my opinion. It burns but seems to work. There are over the counter products you could try as well.

Crohn's can cause inflammation anywhere from your mouth to anus and can even affect your eyes and skin. If you're having new symptoms then I would wonder if your current treatment plan is enough. Try salt or an over the counter product for now and see if it helps at all. If it's not going away or it comes back then I would talk to your GI about possibly trying another treatment or adding something.

Before you do that though have your doctor test your folic acid, calcium, zinc, and iron levels. Being low or deficient in any of those can cause canker sores.

 

[CrohnsChicago]

Hi Laura, you're definitely not alone when it comes to your experiences. Getting your crohn's under control is definitely one way to try and help to alleviate some if not all of your other non-intestinal inflammation issues. Having the right team of doctors and being your own best advocate is what's going to help you get some relief.

In my flaring stages I would get red, puffy gums and sometimes canker sores. All of those symptoms stopped once I got my crohn's managed. Talking to your GI about all symptoms, including those outside of the intestines, is important because crohn's that is left untreated can manifest in different areas such as your skin, eyes (I also had iritis/uveitis that comes and goes with a flare) and mouth.

Managing stress levels is important too with inflammation. Even now in remission, if I get severely stressed out (which is not uncommon for me ), my gut may become aggravated or some other part of my body will start to show inflammation (skin rashes, iritis/uveitis, sinusitis, IBS). I have a number of specialists that I rely on to help me monitor symptoms and keep things under control. My GI understands my symptoms most, and my dentist, ophthalmologist and now allergist have become vital partners in my everyday care. Even my therapist is important because she helps keep my stress levels down.

I also agree with Jennifer, have your GI run thorough blood tests (vitamin deficiencies, CRP, and anything else he's willing to test) to help come up with a solution to tackle the inflammation.

 

[David]

Hi Laura. Ugh, that's rough. I'm sorry to hear about your gum inflammation. Is your Crohn's being adequately controlled in the rest of your body with your current treatment regimen?

 

[cmack]

I feel the same way as everyone else. I would question if my disease was actually under control as best as possible. I hope you find relief soon. Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[Mountaineer01]

+1 on the salt water rinse.

I've had bleeding gums and abscesses with past flare-ups. The strange thing was, they usually happened a week or two before the flare would hit with a vengeance.

 

[cmack]

Gargling and/or just swishing around with warm to hot salt water in my mouth helps heal most oral sores for me. one or two tablespoons of table salt to a 250-300ml glass. I hope it helps you.

 

[Merv S]

I, not, funnily enough, have had similar problems., In an earlier post, I thought that it might have been due to Stelara, which acts to effectively to turn off what is left of one's autoimmune system. Yes, I know an oversimplification, but that is basically what happens with biologics. The other factor was the use of various inhalers used to treat COPD. OK. I am a reformed, smoker!

This is, but a personal theory, however, I am of the opinion that CD leaves you open to infections of a vast variety. By no means rocket science, but simply a process of elimination. Curiously, a double course of Flagyl, for some obscure reason, has stopped gum infections ( Google this factor in) and to some extent reduced bloating and B/A.s. Why? I really don't know. Maybe at close to 75, the 'curse' has given up on me after 26 years, or a ghostwriter has penned this!