Dental Health and Cirrhosis

Does your dentist take regular x-rays of your teeth? In terms of similar experience, when I was in my 50s I decided to have the amalgam fillings and crowns replaced with white composite resin to avoid the mercury and for better aesthetics. My dentist was against this idea but he found cracks and other issues with many when doing the replacement. So in my case, it seems fillings and crowns don't last forever.

Yes, I had my crowns replaced over the last couple of years hoping to make my teeth last since I am 73 already. Now I have this issue and possibly a lower tooth gone bad too. I am not covered by insurance for another 10 months but will pursue answers ( maybe via a new dentist for a second opinion) and then consider my options. I was sincerely hoping that I had secured a better outcome. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. I will sort it out. I am wondering though if any other cirrhosis patients are having similar issues. Some nih articles say there is a correlation but others say it’s due to lack of nutrients and dental care.

@tillymack thank you for your reply

I support the idea of a second opinion.

I must say I am surprised there seems to be no Cirrhosis patients out there with dental issues. What other issues are you experiencing? I am curious to see if there are other similar issues among Cirrhotic patients. Thanks for sharing 😌

I looked into this when I had an issue with a molar. The dentist insisted that I just needed to apply more and more fluoride to a sore tooth. After months of pain he finally dug into it and found one of the roots was dead. He then did a root canal.
How this relates to cirrhosis is that my liver enzymes were high (3-4x normal) during the time my tooth was the most painful. After the root canal, the enzymes went back to normal. My research found that a dental infection can have whole body effects. I can’t say that fixing the dental problem was the only reason my enzymes returned to normal (I also eliminated sugar) but research and logic says that the dental problem contributes to liver stress.
As to whether liver disease causes dental problems, I feel less sure about that.

From my experience with elevated liver enzymes AST and ALT, I was told by my hepatologist that infections in the body such as the flu, etc. can cause liver enzymes to rise. That can be the reason the enzymes return to normal - because the infection has cleared. I found there are so many things that can cause these elevations. Of course diet, prescription meds, and supplements can also be the culprits.

Yes! I keep getting cavity after cavity. I’ve spent $12,000 in the past year dealing with everything. I’m now brushing with a charcoal toothpaste with fluoride and I’m also making a paste with bentonite clay, calcium carbonate and clove oil which I put on my teeth for about 10 min before I go to bed then rinse.

My theory is the gut and liver are connected so I’m trying to work on a good micro biome in my gut in hopes I won’t have any future issues with my teeth. At this point, it’s all an experiment.

@cleoreads thank you for your reply. I agree, it’s all an experiment. I have dealt with cavities, braces, crowns, root canals, and a molar extraction. But I am 73 so I figure that’s a good long time for teeth to last even with care. This recent breakdown may just be caused by my DNA. But, like you, I do think that my liver being damaged is making it harder for my body to cope with any issue that arises including dental ones. There are articles about this online of course. Here is one.
https://advancestudy.org/can-cirrhosis-affect-your-teeth/

@tillymack I don’t seem to have a problem with elevated enzymes. I do try to eat well, whole grains, vegetables and fruit etc. However, I think the problem is that the liver when healthy filters out the toxins we are exposed to every day and when that is impaired it affects our bodies ability to combat any kind of inflammation or infection. Here’s hoping we can find our way to good days, good friends, and all the things that make life grand. Thank you for your reply. It is good know we have people we can talk to here. I appreciate all of you.