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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 6/13/2018 8:37 PM (GMT -5)
Hi everyone

First post here

Have been diagnosed with crohns for 35 years now
Over the last 6 months have experienced rapid depletion or loss of gums particularly around my front lower teeth. Am worried if it continues I will start to lose my teeth. Am on 200 mg / day of azathioprine

Wondering if any one else has experienced these problems. Not sure if it is medication or crohns related
Posted 6/14/2018 7:40 AM (GMT -5)
Hi and welcome,

I've had Crohn's for about 40 years and have not had the same experience. But my husband who does not have Crohn's has been gum loss on his bottom front teeth. So I'm not sure that it is related to the Crohn's.

Best of luck with the tooth situation.
Posted 6/14/2018 9:08 AM (GMT -5)
Hi Potts & welcome to the forum. I can't say whether the medication is causing this or not. I did not search the archives here to see of anyone reported having the same issue. I did go to Drugs.com & looked at theie detailed list of potential side effects. The only thing I found was a potential risk of bleeding gums & they advised contacting the dr immediately if this were to happen.

I suggest seeing your regular dentist & he can refer you on to a specialist for an evaluation. You may very well have something going on that is not medication related at all.

Take care.
Posted 6/14/2018 12:08 PM (GMT -5)
It seems that us IBDers (Crohn's and UC) have more issues with dental issues then the general population. I seen lots of posts over the years about us having cavities, periodontal disease, bridges, crowns, thrush, candia and various other complications. If you think about it, the mouth is just the other side of the same tube that we poop out of. And if one end of this tube gives us nothing but endless trouble, then it stands to reason that the other areas of that same tube could have issues as well (bacterium imbalance, immune attack, etc.).
Posted 6/14/2018 4:31 PM (GMT -5)
I had this problem a few years ago, with the front lower teeth being the worst affected. My then NHS dentist kept on fobbing me off every time I went. Eventually I was so worried, I decided to pay to see my parents' private dentist and hygienist. It turned out I had periodontal disease, a more severe form of gingivitis. The hygienist did a thorough clean over two sessions and showed me how to floss and use interdental brushes.

The stupid thing was I had already been brushing my teeth twice a day with an electric toothbrush. There was never any bleeding when I brushed either; just the gum recession. But the brushing alone wasn't enough. I had a cramped mouth with too many teeth, which created a lot of awkward gaps. I needed to get in deep under the gums with dental floss and interdental brushes.

The good news is it worked. I can't restore the bone loss that has already happened but I have been able to reduce the gum pockets to zero and stop the gum recession from getting any worse. As for what caused it in the first place, god only knows. I had very active Crohn's at the time, plus was on prednisone a lot. I doubt azathioprine would have an effect of bone loss though. Some meds might have an indirect effect on gum health by causing dry mouth - a dry mouth encourages the growth of harmful bacteria in the mouth. But I don't think aza is one of the meds which cause dry mouth.

Anyway my advice would be to see a dentist and hygienist, get a thorough clean, and then start a careful teeth-cleaning programme of your own. Getting in between the teeth and under the gums is a must.
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