Crohn’s & NASH w painful gums
I just knew I would find something on Crohn’s and gum/teeth symptoms here!! No dentist or physician has ever suggested a relationship or asked me questions. I have had issues with my gums receding, being inflamed & painful, swelling of the area that's visible just looking at me, difficulty biting/chewing, headaches, tooth decay/breakage leading to crowns (now that outnumber my natural teeth), and crown replacement due to wear. I'm having a “flare” of gum inflammation, pain, inability to chew, and headache now. It is usually in the same area but can affect other teeth. It starts as sensing I've been grinding in my sleep then progresses to full rage of pain and swelling. The dentist has x-rayed the area a few times looking for infection. The teeth in the region are of course crowned. He can't find a cause. It eventually lessens and goes away with Tylenol, ice packs, sensitive toothpaste, lightly brushing often, mouthwash for mouth soreness, and oral gel for painful gums. My CD had been in remission for years until December ‘24. I was diagnosed in my 30s and had an sm bowel resection, took Asacol, occasional Prednisone, Flagyl, Cipro, a short course of Remicade, and years of 6MP. Once my CD calmed down, the medication was stopped and I was treated with Bentyl with flare-ups of IBS or really my IBD. My new GI doc says she would never have stopped my meds. Now that I'm back to clinical symptoms of my CD, a return to therapy is likely. I also have NASH now which was diagnosed a few years ago and take the new Rezdiffra. The current flare of my gum inflammation and pain got me researching has this been connected all along and no one noticed? Maybe I've never really been completely in remission. Has anyone experienced gums receding, needing crowns & needing to replace them, painful gums, and inflammation associated with and without gut symptoms? Has being on CD treatment helped all the various symptoms? Are the most used meds now the biologicals and do you feel safe taking them? Having NASH stage 3 fibrosis and CD and possibly taking a biological med has me nervous. Does anyone else face a similar dilemma? 
Hello,
, I'm so glad you've reached out. And, while I'm sorry to hear that you've been dealing with such gum and tooth complications, I can assure you that you aren't alone. Unfortunately, inflammatory bowel disease can impact oral health! Hopefully some of our community members with personal experience can chime in on your post here and share, but in the meantime I want to share a couple of articles with you.
This article is written by one of our advocates about the way IBD can impact teeth and gums, https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/ibd-affect-gums-teeth. One of our community members wrote some of her tips for oral health and IBD, https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/crohns-disease-mouth-sores. And finally, another member shared her experience here, https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/impacted-teeth. One of our Facebook posts we even had a member say that it was her dentist who suggested she get tested for inflammatory bowel disease because of her issues! Unfortunately, I think her experience is more of an outlier as there are plenty of dentists/hygienists/etc who do not realize or understand the connection between inflammatory bowel disease and it's impact on oral health.
I do hope that the treatment helps manage both your Crohn's gastro symptoms as well as any oral/gum inflammation you're experiencing! And hopefully community members here can share any thoughts they have about the impact of biologics on their lesser known (ie tooth issues) symptoms and impacts.
Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)Thank you for all the information and such kind helpful thoughts. I plan to ask my GI about oral symptoms at my next appointment and share the article with my dental team. I look forward to others’ input.
Hi
. I'm so glad you mentioned your dental team. I was just about to ask if you if you know if your dentist has experience working with people with autoimmune conditions. These conditions bring certain dental issues and IBD, in particular. It is good to make sure they are educated on these needs. Best, Richard (Team Member)
