Will Prednisone also cause tooth problems/decay?

We all know Prednisone can cause bone loss, but can it also cause you teeth to deteriorate? Or for them to decay more quickly?  I just noticed about a week ago a tooth that seems to have pain out of nowhere, then yesterday another tooth has the same thing.  Whether it's a cavity or some other tooth problem I don't know yet (see the dentist next month), but I've read a few things online recently about patients having tooth problems after being on Prednisone.  I've been on it many many months the past 1.5 years.

Thanks princesa...the info on the other thread isn't what I wanted to hear...but what I was looking for.

yes, absolutley!

Since I started taking Pred (8th week) my teeth are VERY SENSITIVE to anything cold, especially my front teeth.
I'm down to 15mg and I'm getting off this stuff, flaring or not.

My dentist told me that Prednisone is bad for the connective tissues, tiny ligaments that anchor the teeth in place. He taught me to be fanatic about dental hygiene, especially flossing & using interdental brush as well as regular toothbrush. It definitely helped because I was developing major periodontal problems, likely from a course of Pred for severe UC flare + middle age. For those with tooth sensitivity, try using Sensodyne toothpaste for a while-- it will likely help. Usually the chain drugstores have trial sizes you can pick up to test out. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 Colazal daily; seem to be back in remission)

omg i thought i was the only one. Im walking and the wind hits my front teeth and ouchhhhhhh. I drink something and my teeth r so sensitive..Im also experiencing some blurry vision. Has any1 else had that?

Yes - the pred resulted in major tooth sensitivity for me. It took a long time - and using a sensitive teeth toothpaste - for my teeth to return to "normal". (I liked the Crest the best.)

Once again a reminder - if you're on pred, take your calcium!!!

Has anyone tried the new mouthwashes that are supposed to help deposit minerals back in your teeth? ACT is the one that comes to mind...

Yes, 2.5 years on varying doses of pred left me with very sensitive teeth. I tried all the OTC sensitive toothpastes and the best one for me was Colgate. More than anything I think time has improved the situation. I am 8 years out from my last pred dose and the tooth sensitivity is almost a thing of the past. I still get ocassional bouts but they are less in severity and don't last as long.

Sue

The weird sensation in my teeth (like they feel loose) and the blurry vision that I get from prednisone, these symptoms go away once I'm off it again.

Teeth are a little different from bone in their structure. Bone tissue is constantly being rebuilt over a lifetime, which is why bone loss is common with long-term prednisone use. Suddenly the amount of bone being built is less than bone being destroyed. Tooth enamel, once formed, doesn't rebuild itself over a lifetime. You can strengthen enamel with topical fluorides, but once formed (around birth and just after for most permanent teeth), it doesn't readily rebuild itself. This is why you get cavities in your teeth, but you don't get "cavities" in your bones. (your bones can heal; enamel, in most cases, can't.)

That being said, prednisone is absolutely, definitely, a contributor in tooth decay, especially if it's used over the long term. Why? Prednisone decreases salivary flow (it dries out your mouth), depriving your teeth of their natural toothpaste, and making the mouth environment more acidic. When your mouth is dry, your teeth tend to be more sensitive to hot, cold, and sweet. Also, prednisone can cause changes in your gum tissue. Many of my patients complain of bleeding gums, or gum swelling, or teeth loosening, while on this medication. When gums are infected, the bacterial load in your mouth is higher than normal, so the bacteria that cause cavities are more active (there are more of them around.)

The moral of the story: If you're on prednisone, especially for the long term, make sure you are getting good, regular care from a trustworthy dentist. Also, make sure your diet is not a contributing factor to possible decay--take only 3 meals per day, with no more than one snack. DON'T sip on sugary drinks between meals to wet your dry mouth. (Use water instead, or a mouth wetting rinse like biotene) Use a fluoride toothpaste (for sensitive teeth if you have the sensitivity issue) and consider using a fluoride supplement like a gel or rinse. Increase your daily brushing to after each meal.

Prednisone is no fun, that's for sure. I've only had to do 4 tapers of 6-8 weeks each since my diagnosis, and I'd much rather sit where I do now, with mucous and some urgency (but minimal D), than go back on the prednisone and have my body function like it did pre-diagnosis. I'll take my normal personality and no side-effects, thanks!

nly take Prednisone if you have a bowel blockage and there is no other option.  Otherwise-don't take it.  And when you do have to take it-take ...mg a week then decrease 5mg a week, if you don't it will affect your endocrine system.-We all need that system to help us live.  Study whatever drugs you are taking and why you are taking them.  Always!  You are your own doctor, research, learn from what has happened to you so you can tell others. 

     I believe it!  I cannot count how many dental problems I had when on prednisone...ugh....pieces of teeth breaking off....fillings falling out...just awful!

I was put on prednisone 4 1/2 years ago, started at 60mg a day for 8 months and am down to 2mgs a day now. very slow weaning off of it. My teeth have decayed, broken apart, fillings falling out and I have a space between my teeth and gums on a few teeth.   My dentist at first said that it was because I wasn't brushing my teeth enough. I had been brushing them twice a day and using a mouthrinse both times. I was at the Drs office waiting to be seen and a woman sat down next to me. I smiled at her and she saw a broken tooth and the space between my tooth and gums. She said she had had the same problem when she was on prednisone for a long period of time. When I saw my dentist again I told him about her. He said that he had some research on prednisone and teeth, and said that he was then saying that that was causing my teeth problems. I have to go to an oral surgeon in 2 month to have my upper teeth pulled and dentures put in. I HATE PREDNISONE!!!!!!!!!

I just had a tooth break and I have been on prednisone since Dec. I had no idea it could be related. I had to get a crown.