Surprise Root Canal

Since my previous post I've been to the dentist and was surprised with a root canal.  How fun.  I've been doing a lot of research, still, on the link between Lyme Disease and teeth decay.  I've had a hard time finding information that isn't posted on forums, but actual articles.  But I think I finally hit the jackpot today!  I found an interview with a dentist that describes exactly what I am currently going through.  

As I mentioned before, my cavities have been coming from the inside out, which is unusual, but according to this dentist who has worked with a bunch of Lyme patients before, the spirochetes of Lyme like to reside inside the tubules of the teeth, which is also a location where the antibiotics will not reach.  Even to what the dentist has said about which teeth Lyme typically affect first are my exact teeth.  

"It is my experience that Lyme gravitates especially to the upper and lower centrals, and to the upper and lower first molars. That's eight teeth."

I asked my dentist if he thought maybe the decay in my teeth had anything to do with the antibiotics, he didn't think so.  I do find it quite a coincidence that I haven't been to the dentist since 2006, and suddenly after being on IV antibiotics and having some of the worse Lyme symptoms I've ever had, three of my teeth have broken in less than two months.  Plus, the flagyl and cleocin IVs that I'm on turn my tongue brown and orange, so there's something going on in my mouth.

Who really knows for sure though.  I'm pretty confident that all this has to do with Lyme, yet another super fun side effect of just super fun disease.  I got back to the dentist on Monday to get the last of the area's repaired, then hopefully I'll have no more dental problems.  I'm hoping that chapter of my Lyme will be finished soon.

Lyme Disease and Teeth

I've been having a lot of issues lately with my teeth and I'm not exactly sure why.  My teeth have been breaking for the last month or so, and I will admit that because of the neuro-lyme I do forget to brush them from time to time... but with that being said, I KNOW there is no way that I've forgotten to brush them so often for these problems to develop.

About a month ago a tooth broke while eating a bagel.  I went to the dentist, he did an x-ray, and my teeth, both upper and lower, and same tooth on left and right have some serious cavities.  Between that first visit and yesterday, (I've had three appointments to get these teeth fixed), one tooth decayed completely to the point of it almost being completely gone on the inside, and it wasn't even a problem area on the x-ray.  Saturday another tooth broke, and this morning while flossing a third broke and came out on the floss.

I know that Lyme can cause a lot of problems all over the body, and I know it can cause pain in the mouth and on the teeth, which I've experienced before.  But I've never heard of, or know of anyone whose lost their teeth due to lyme.

I've been doing a bunch of research and what I've been coming up with is that, possibly, this could be due to low manganese in my body.  A recent study came out saying that Lyme is the only living organism on this planet that uses manganese to live rather than iron.  Because of this, I can imagine that the typical lyme patient probably has a lower level of manganese than others.  Low manganese in the body can cause side effects that usually lymies suffer anyways... seizures, infertility, but it can also cause issues with bone development.  I do believe that possibly that is ONE part of why my teeth are breaking like they are.

Here's the second part.  Long term use of antibiotics cause issues, as we know, with yeast infections, and problems with our digestive tracts.  The reason it does this is because the antibiotics, simply, do not know the difference between "good" bacteria and "bad" bacteria and kills off all bacteria in our body.  The bacteria that our bodies use to help regular the yeast, or our digestion is usually killed off, which is why anyone on antibiotics have to be extra careful and usually have to take probiotics.  This is also true with the teeth.  The enzyme that fights the bad bacteria in our mouths that cause cavities are being killed away too, making it much easier for cavities to form.

The only thing I'm having an issue understanding about this issue is why are these cavities forming on the inside of the tooth?  That doesn't seem possible to me.  And the locations of where the decay having, being symmetrical on right/left/top/and bottom can't be a coincidence.  Nor can it be a coincidence that since changing to a new medication regiment of flagyl and cleocin have my teeth started to break.  I think location might have something to do with circulation and the location of arteries in the jaw.

Let's just say I'm very unhappy with this "new" development.  Since I was very little I've had constant nightmares of losing my teeth.  When my first tooth broke a month ago I honestly thought it was a dream.  I'm very unhappy.

Anyone who might have more information about lyme and it's reaction with teeth, or have had similar experiences, I'd love to know.