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← Return to Dental Cavities on Prednisone
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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jan 3 4:21pm | Replies (25)
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He has been going to the same dentist for two decades. He usually has to have one or two fillings after his six month’s checkups, but since he’s been on prednisone, he’s had five or six cavities at each visit. Thank you for your reply.
Replies to "He has been going to the same dentist for two decades. He usually has to have..."
@crs1950 Any comment by the dentist or staff on the level or quality of oral hygiene? If prednisone is directly affecting tooth decay this is a major problem since many older adults are taking prednisone for PMR or arthritis or other auto immune diseases. Until I know more my guess is a reduced level of oral hygiene due to pain or increase time needed to accomplished the activities of daily living, leaving less time or motivation to practice good oral hygiene.
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@crs1950
I didn't have that many cavities... maybe 1 or 2 every six months. More frequent dentist visits didn't seem to reduce that rate. I was on Prednisone daily for 12 years so the cavities added up.
I'm off Prednisone now and I don't have so many dental problems anymore. Some of my dental problems were abscesses and cracked teeth. I needed a couple of root canals but those teeth are now dental implants.