Teeth and Gum Problems with Hepatitis C Treatment 
When you are sick, one area that often gets overlooked is your mouth. Before treatment begins, take a look at how you will take care of your teeth and gums. Many Baby Boomers are at the age where teeth begin to need attention anyway. I had a lot of teeth and gum problems with Hepatitis C Treatment and have written more about dry mouth and sores.
What shape is your mouth in? If you’ve been sick for a while, your teeth may already be messy. Hep C can create problems for your mouth and you may already have a lot of dental work. When you call the dentist and plan ahead, it is one less thing you will have to worry about while on treatment.
If your mouth is a mess, some work is probably needed. If you don’t have good dental coverage, you may be waiting to be able to pay for it. Face it: When you don’t feel good AND have a tooth ache AND bleeding gums, oral care can go down the drain. Just make a few calls and find a dentist who will work with you – with or without insurance.
Some doctors require fillings and cleaning before Hepatitis C treatment
Call and get a general cleaning. You’ll have a healthy mouth to start treatment with!
All you have to do is follow some good oral hygiene practices and hope that the treatment will not have an effect your good dental work!
Teeth and Gum Problems with Hepatitis C Treatment
Malnutrition can be a threat to your teeth. Try to eat a well balanced diet to maintain healthy teeth and gums. We need healthy protein to help bones and teeth stay strong, without hurting our liver. Try this recipe for soup.
If you have nausea before or during treatment, it’s not easy to eat. Your appetite may drop. Ask your doctor about taking vitamins and supplements that are safe for you liver. Please remember to drink some protein shakes and get as much nourishment as possible. It helped me prevent teeth and gum problems with Hepatitis C treatment.
Throwing up is no fun, but it happens. Many of us get sick enough to vomit while on treatment. I would lie very still and nibble slowly on crackers while sipping ginger ale. The last thing you want to do is stick something in your mouth – like a toothbrush! If you do get sick and throw up, at least stop at the sink long enough to swish some water around and spit it back out. The stomach acids can erode your enamel and also irritate your gums. 
Bleeding gums can cause you to avoid brushing or flossing. It can also leave an awful taste in your mouth. Gently. Oh so gently. Use a child’s soft toothbrush and it will be so much nicer for your gums and still do the job!
For a list of mouthwash, toothpaste, and other products click here. Getting your mouth ready for treatment is one step toward success. Painful, swollen, or bleeding teeth and gums are no fun. It is easy to become ashamed of your smile. And we know that a smile is something that you are going to need while on treatment or any old time. XO Karen:)
Our Best Friend Chrissy has one of the brightest smiles I know of. She always makes ME smile!
Pics via sunrayvet.com, popularpics.com, funnyjokepictures.com
8 thoughts on “Teeth and Gum Problems with Hepatitis C Treatment”
OH YES SHE DOES!!!
We love our Miss Chrissy don’t we? I smile just saying her name.
Very timely. Unfortunately I will be saying goodbye to the rest of what’s left of my teeth. A dental “tune-up” isn’t going to cut it.
I am going to see my PC Doc tomorrow and at the same clinic they have a complete dental staff. I finally have the documentation they need from Medi-cal so I am going to schedule an appointment to get the estimate to remove them all and get dentures. The way it is going to work is the state will cover some cost, then the clinic is giving me a 40% discount and then I have to pay for the balance. I have been saving for about 10 months so I hope I will have enough. I am blessed to have a Sister who said she can help me with some of the cost also.
I know I will feel better once these teeth are gone but I am scared to death of the dentist. I mean SCARED. I am a 45 year old chicken @#$%. I know I have to do this and be done by April or treatment will be delayed. We can’t have that – now can we?
Thank you Karen.
Joe
Joe,
Well, this is a part of our health issues that sometimes take a back seat. I know that we fight malnutrition with HCV and cirrhosis also. That takes a huge toll on our teeth Joe. I’m happy that you are going to get it done with help from Medi-cal and your sis.
I think a lot of us are scared of the dentist. I was offered the laughing gas. They said it doesn’t stay in our system long. Has your dentist mentioned it to you? It might be an option. I do NOT think you are a chicken. Lying still with drills and needles in your mouth is not easy. Think of it this way: You will never have to get your teeth worked on again. You will be able to flash your big smile with no pain or fear dear friend. Good luck and keep me posted. I want a picture of your NEW smile!
Good to hear from you,
xoxo Karen:)
I am experiencing so much challenge with the driest mouth ever especially when I wake up all throughout the night. I have ice chips in a thermos to help relieve the dry mouth for a short while. I was using Biotene moisturizing mouth spray and that helped me a lot. What is sad is Biotene Moisturizing Mouth Spray is not available anymore. So I got on Amazon to see if they h ad other moisturizing mouth sprays. My one bottle came in today named: Mouth Kote Dry Mouth Spray it contains natural Yerba Santa and Xylitol. I will let you all know whether this works for me or not.
Thanks Susan!
I hate it that the Biotene is gone. I’m curious to know if the Mouth Kote works. Another thing I got on Amazon was Thera Breath mints. They seemed to help too. Are you on treatment?
Medications can make your mouth dry any time. Even if it’s not HCV treatment, you know? The ice chips is a great idea. Sipping water helps, but sometimes it just tastes weird when you have dry mouth. A little lemon can help that.
Thank you so much for your comment! xo Karen:)
Hi Karen, this is a very good article. I know that the dry mouth is very bad. Lemon drops can help with the bad taste.
I chewed a lot of gum to try to avoid the dry mouth.
Ice chips are a great idea. I also kept water on my night stand all through tx.
I still had dental problems after the Incivek, Peg and Riba but much less than I could have had.
I also used the Biotene, the spray (sorry they no longer make it) they have an “Oral Balance” gel as well as their mouthwash, which is pretty good, it all helped quite a bit. There is also something they give me in the hospital after surgery to put in my mouth before I went to sleep. It is called Tootheire Mouth Moisturizer by a company called Sage.
Love your blog! 🙂
Dee,
Thank you so much for sharing your tips! We sure went through it didn’t we girl? I know that by taking good care of our teeth, gums, and mouth treatment was a lot easier. It is never easy to have painful mouth sores. Bleeding gums and oral thrush are also a mess. When we are not that hungry anyway and eating hurts – well we all know it’s a mess!
So glad we finished SVR. It is a true joy to see you moving into your future honey. I love you with all my heart sister. We’re together forever friends.
I love to see your comments and am so happy that you stay in touch!
xoxo Karen:)
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