Could dental be source of unidentified inflammation source?

Hi @awilst. I can’t find any information on a direct link between dental inflammation causing PMR. However, there is strong evidence that infections in the mouth from teeth or gums can impact the entire body because they are sources of bacteria and inflammation.
Here are two links that you might want to read which explain how bacteria from the mouth can influence other health issues:

There is also some evidence of amalgam fillings potentially causing an inflammatory response from the mercury used. Some people can be more sensitive to the exposure. I didn’t post them here but there are several articles found in searches online. But here is a link to a discussion in the forum with @freedomwarrior @siosal @athenalee and others regarding amalgam fillings and potential links to their autoimmune diseases.

As for periodontal scaling/root planing, these are highly beneficial dental cleaning techniques to keep your teeth and gums healthy along with your daily oral hygiene. Generally when you’re having your teeth cleaned by the hygienist, they will use instruments (scalers) to scrap plaque/tartar and stains from around the teeth near and just below the gum tissue. If buildup is heavy and eventually goes well below the gum line into pockets created by the debris, then a root planing is necessary to prevent further bone loss and infection. The same instruments are used in the procedure, but the technique takes longer to accomplish so more time is required than at a routine cleaning appointment. Occasionally this may also require some local numbing.

If you’re having dental checkups and prophylaxis cleaning on a regular basis with no major gum issues then there is no need for a root planing. When is the last time you had a dental check up?

interesting , thanks.
upon reading the articles , I notice that periodontal problems might be source of inflammation. Also notice that excess nickel in blood possible candidate.
so , could a person with a hip replacement (metal is partial nickel) & undiagnosed gum problems be the causes? am beating the bushes trying to find my inflammation source.
would it be prudent to have a complete periodontal deep clean on the chance that might catch the source?
I have had hip replaced & wonder what tests might tell me if I have high nickel in blood.
find it hard to just accept fact that source of inflammation unknown.

Yes, periodontal problems can be a source for inflammation in the body. Whether it’s the culprit for your PMR or not would be hard to pinpoint unless the symptoms disappeared after you had a root planing.
But again, unless you have serious periodontal disease, there is no reason for a root planing procedure. If your oral bone and tissue are healthy there would be nothing to deep scale.

You know that fuzzy feeling on your teeth when you haven’t brushed? That is called plaque. If not removed daily it can turn into a cement-like buildup, calculus, on the teeth often between the teeth and around the gum tissue. If left to accumulate, it can, over time, go below the gum tissue. As it continues to build, it pushes away healthy tissue and can destroy the bone support around the tooth.

I’m posting some pictures below of healthy gum/bone and then a tooth that has periodontal issues and requires root planing. You can see the difference between scaling a tooth at a routine dental cleaning to remove tartar, and how far down the tooth root the instruments have to go to thoroughly clean the surface to remove the calculus.

If you’re having routine cleanings then your dentist or hygienist would have told you that you have periodontal disease and advised maybe quarterly or 6 month prophys for a while to see if your gum/bone health improved. You’d most likely know it as well. Gums that are puffy, bleed easily, cause bad breath or have loose teeth…those are signs of periodontal disease. Do you have any of those symptoms? Have you had a routine cleaning lately?

Shifting gears, here are some links to information about the possibilities of reaction to your hip replacement. This isn’t an area where I have any experience so I have nothing to share. I do have a strong dental background however so I’m on more comfortable ground discussion that topic.

There is a current discussion in the forum with members who have experienced inflammation with replacement joints. This from @jenniferhunter
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/837006/
The entire discussion is in this link:
~~Need TKR and had positive allergy testing / Bone Cement and Metals

I know it’s really frustrating when you’re trying to find the source of something so nebulous. Inflammation can come from so many sources. Medications, environment, foods, allergens, etc.. Do you recall when your PMR started? Was it following your hip replacement?

thanks for info.
would you have any pain or symptoms, other than dentist heads, up indicating periodontal disease?
have had metal hips for 17+ years. no prior problems. but metal does degrade into bloodstream
over time. nickel is component. so reading that there might be source/ correlation makes me wonder.

Hi @awilst, Some initial signs of periodontal disease are swollen/puffy, red, sore-looking gums, bleeding when brushing, chronic bad breath, loose teeth…there are myriad symptoms. I’ve posted a link below from the Mayo Clinic website which goes through quite a list.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/periodontitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354473
~~
Here are a few more:
https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/gum-disease
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https://www.verywellhealth.com/signs-of-gum-disease-4129574
~~
https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-topics/periodontitis

If you’re concerned about this chronic inflammation in your body potentially stemming from your oral health, make an appointment for an exam, cleaning and X-rays. The X-rays will give an overall picture of the bone health, possible tooth decay and check for potential abscesses at the apex of the root of the teeth. Infection is another potential cause of inflammation.
If you don’t want the cleaning then just request an exam. But let the receptionist know that you’d like a periodontal exam along with the dental exam. That’s generally done routinely with a annual dental checkup for an adult. The hygienist will use a periodontal probe to measure the pockets around the tooth on the inside, outside and inbetween the teeth. That’s a small instrument which checks for gum health and bone depth around each tooth. If everything checks out you can be fairly certain that the inflammatory issues for PMR aren’t coming from your mouth.

There are laboratory tests to measure toxic levels of metals in your blood and other inflammatory markers. Have you discussed any of your concerns with your doctor to see if specific tests can be run? Is your doctor suspicious of any particular trigger?

Having read this- now I have questions about the nickle and inflamation. Are there any references I could look at? Early in my PMR history I did a heavy metals testing and was high with nickle. (11 times the normal high) Could only tie it to 2nd hand cigaret smoke.