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Archive for the ‘Sjögren’s Syndrome’ Category
Autoimmune Diseases and Oral Disease
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Autoimmune diseases are the result of the body responding in an inappropriate manner to normal tissues and/or substances present in the body, causing prolonged inflammation followed by tissue destruction. The body is fooled and can’t recognize the difference between healthy tissue and disease. The body, therefore, mounts an immune response (directs antibodies against its own tissues) against itself, as if allergic to itself. The cause of this dysfunctional behavior is unknown, it may be caused by a drug or toxin or bacterial or viral infection or environmental exposure to foreign substances. The result of the body’s inability to recognize the difference between normal tissue and disease results in destruction. As we age, this alone causes our immune system to decline in effectiveness. Autoimmune diseases affect over 24 million Americans and are one of our society’s leading causes of death and disability. Autoimmune diseases are ranked as the number one cause of heart disease, cancer, and all diseases.
A couple of the most common autoimmune diseases are diabetes (Type 1), rheumatoid arthritis, and allergies. Many autoimmune diseases also may have a genetic or traumatic component.
Here is a short additional list of autoimmune diseases and more are being discovered all the time. All of these diseases should have the autoimmune prefix:
| Achalasia | Pancreatitis |
| Addison’s disease | Parkinson’s disease |
| Behcet’s disease | Pemphigus/pemphigoid |
| Celiac disease | Pernicious anemia |
| Crohn’s disease | Polymyositis |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Reactive arthritis |
| Dermatomyositis | Rheumatic fever |
| Eosinophilic esophagitis | Sarcoidosis |
| Fibromyalgia | Scleroderma |
| Graves disease | Sjögren’s syndrome |
| Guillain–Barre syndrome | Systemic lupus erythematosis |
| Hashimoto’s thyroiditis | Ulcerative colitis |
| Hepatitis | Uveitis |
| IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) | Vitiligo |
| Menier’s disease | Wegener’s granulomatosis |
| Multiple Sclerosis | Wilson’s disease |
| Myasthenia gravis |
Autoimmune Disease Causes: The immune system is also thought to be suppressed by multiple factors, including abuse of:
- alcohol
- caffeine
- tobacco
- sugar (this cannot be over-emphasized)
- drugs
- food (poor diet or contaminated with herbicides, hormones, etc.)
- sleep (lack of)
As well as exposure to environmental pollution, including:
- automobile exhaust
- chemical fertilizers
- cigarette smoke
- heavy metal
- herbicides
- industrial waste
- pesticides
- stress
So, what has autoimmune diseases and oral disease (periodontal disease and tooth decay) have in common? Well, much more than one might think: Plaque and calculus left on teeth cause inflammation, initially gingivitis, followed often by periodontal disease (which we used to refer to as periodontitis). Any time you see –itis on the end of a word, it is screaming inflammation. Remember: it is always means it is inflammation. Chronic inflammation causes destruction of tissue. Periodontal disease causes destruction of all periodontal tissues, gum, bone, and periodontal ligament, causing loss of teeth. Tooth decay causes loss of tooth structure. Since periodontal tissues are all tissues supporting teeth in the mouth, without them – no teeth.How periodontal disease (inflammation of all periodontal tissues) leads to loss at of oral tissues, including teeth, is a simple model demonstration for what happens to a body with autoimmune diseases.Anything that a patient can do to minimize or eliminate inflammation will lessen the effects of the disease. A few of the things a patient can do to lessen the effects of many of these diseases are to avoid abuse of/or exposure to the above mentioned factors. Also, as always, eat lots of antioxidants found in fresh fruit and vegetables. Include vitamin C, vitamin E, green tea extract, beta-carotene, grape seed-skin extract, coenzyme Q-10 (coQ10) and selenium in your diet.Also, talk to your dental and medical professionals on current treatments. Find support groups, ask others with your particular autoimmune disease how they cope.Good luck…keep brushing and flossing,Dr. James G. Hood* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.comWebsites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
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Dry Mouth? Sjögren’s Disease?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Sjögren’s syndrome is a common autoimmune disorder affecting nearly four million people in the U.S. If you have Sjögren’s syndrome, you may have dry mouth symptoms. Dry mouth (xerostomia) can have multiple sources, for example:
- Lifestyle (smoking, chewing tobacco, mouth breathing)
- Dehydration
- Chemotherapy
- Nerve damage (to head and neck)
- Medications used as, or to treat:
| Acne | Muscle relaxers |
| Allergies | Nausea |
| Anxiety | Obesity |
| Asthma | Pain |
| Colds | Parkinson’s disease |
| Depression | Psychotic disorders |
| Diarrhea | Sedatives |
| Epilepsy | Urinary incontinence |
| Hypertension |
And certain diseases such as:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Diabetes
- HIV/AIDS
- Hypertension
- Mumps
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sjögren’s – a disease which I also am affected with
- Stroke
SJÖGREN’S DISEASE
Sjögren’s disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks the exocrine glands of the human body. The most common first symptom of the disease is DRY MOUTH and dry eyes. Because of the gradual onset of the disease, most patients are affected by the disease for five to seven years before a diagnosis of Sjögren’s disease is made.
Your dentist is often the medical professional to first recognize the symptoms of this chronic disease. Your dentist is also a most significant professional to have to support you if you are diagnosed with Sjögren’s or any of the above listed maladies, which result in DRY MOUTH.
People with dry mouth should carry water with them where ever they go, have it readily available at work, in the car, and next to their bed. The simplest solutions to a problem often offer the most immediate benefit.
Dry mouth leaves teeth without the protective enzymes found in saliva, making teeth much more prone to rampant decay. We, as dentists, can fluoridate teeth in various ways, to remineralize teeth and make them more resistant to tooth decay.
Anyone with Sjögren’s disease needs a dentist as part of their support group, to advise and treat the results of this disease. Anyone with dry mouth, for any reason, would benefit with a support dentist.
Always here for your support,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Sjögren’s Syndrome – What Next?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Sjögren’s disease not only affects exocrine glands, but can affect all organs of the human body. Some of the most common organs affected are: lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, gastrointestinal system, blood vessels, and the central nervous system.
One organ, the pancreas, which functions both as an endocrine and exocrine gland, was affected by my Sjögren’s disease. I was eating 3 meals a day, at least, taking multiple vitamins, fish oil, and vitamin supplements (especially vitamin D). One day, about 1½ years after my Sjögren’s diagnosis, I began developing a rash across my shoulders, on my back. I went to the dermatologist who said it might be psoriasis. I pressured him to biopsy the lesion, which was getting larger quite rapidly. To make a long story short, after the biopsy he said it definitely wasn’t psoriasis but it appeared that I had malnutrition.
I was then sent to an internal medicine physician, who ordered a fecal fat test, and I was found to not be digesting fat. The exocrine portion of my pancreas was not producing enough enzymes, and I was found to have Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) and, therefore, was unable to properly digest food. Food was fast-tracking right through me. The internal medicine physician prescribed Creon, which replaces the enzymes from the pancreas. I take 4 capsules with meals and 2 to 3 with snacks. This replacement seems to work well for me. Other Sjögren’s patients, if you begin to drop weight, have a huge diet or diarrhea or get an unusual rash, your pancreas (exocrine portion) may be shutting down. Talk to your physician. Online you might find that EPI is more common in German Shepherds than people, but Sjögren’s can affect any organ in the body.
Be vigilant, Sjögren’s can also affect joints, and other autoimmune disease can exist in the same person, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis, or schleroderma. As long as we are examining the negatives, lymphoma occurs more frequently in patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome.
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Sjögren’s and What Else
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Since Sjögren’s Syndrome is actually a chronic autoimmune disease, people with this malady (9 of 10 which are female) have a higher incidence of developing other autoimmune diseases.
The initial presentation of the disease is often associated with an infection or major stress on the person afflicted. This usually occurs after age 40. If it occurs alone, it is called “Primary Sjögren’s.” When it occurs in a patient with one or more other autoimmune diseases, it is called “Secondary Sjögren’s.” About half of patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome have Secondary Sjögren’s.
Sjögren’s Syndrome is an autoimmune disease affecting the exocrine glands (a person’s white blood cells attack moisture-producing glands). Dry eyes and dry mouth are the most obvious symptoms; therefore, dentists and eye doctors often are the first to recognize this syndrome.
Each Sjögren’s patient will experience individual levels of discomfort, from mild to extremely debilitating. Often misdiagnosed, the average patient goes seven years before receiving a Sjögren’s diagnosis. The earlier a patient is diagnosed, the better. Often, serious complications can be avoided with the initiation of early treatment.
Sjögren’s disease is not prejudiced, affecting virtually every race and ethnic group. In the U.S.A. alone, as many as 4,000,000 suffer from Sjögren’s Syndrome.
If in doubt about what to do for your dry mouth, talk to your dentist or call James G. Hood, DDS, MA, at (509) 928-9100 to learn more. You can also visit his website at: www.drhood.com. Dr. Hood’s office is conveniently located at:
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Dry Mouth – Causes & Solutions
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Dry mouth is a most common malady. Initially, it may seem like a minor irritation, however, for many people it can and frequently does have devastating results. Saliva is truly a significant element necessary for good oral health.
The cause of dry mouth can stem from multiple sources. The use of many drugs can result in xerostomia or dry mouth. Many of the antidepressant drugs, pain relievers, muscle relaxants, diuretics, antihistamines, and blood pressure medications, for instance, may cause dry mouth. Often, if your physician is informed of this condition, another drug may be substituted or the amount of the present drug may be reduced, or taken in smaller but more frequent doses to reach the same daily dose to alleviate your dry mouth. Not always, however, will there be a suitable substitute drug for all diseases. Certain drug combinations also may result in dry mouth.
Many diseases, likewise, cause dry mouth. Sjogren’s Syndrome is a classic disease for dry mouth, but rheumatoid arthritis patients often also have dry mouth. Some diseases, like diabetes, if not properly controlled may result in dry mouth and aging alone may produce dry mouth.
There are also drugs which stimulate saliva release. The two most commonly used of these are Salagen (Pilocarpine HC1) and Evoxac (Cevimeline HC1). These are taken 3 or 4 times daily to maintain oral moisture. People who suffer from dry mouth may also use oral moisturizers. The best and most readily available of these is water. A nearby water bottle easily helps maintain moisture in the mouth. There are saliva substitutes, which some people like. These are, Salivart, Oralube, Xero-lube, and Plax.
Also available are chemical stimulants such as Mouth-kote or Optimoist or an adhesive patch called OraMoist. As a dentist with Sjögren’s Syndrome, I personally like a product called Numoisyn, which is a saliva-supporting lozenge (basically a sugar-free lemon drop) which causes the mouth to salivate.
A few dry mouth Do’s and Don’ts for Xerostomia or hyposalivation:
- DO sip water regularly
- DO chew sugar-free gum (with xylitol)
- DO breathe through your nose, not your mouth
- DO add moisture to air at night (i.e. room humidifier)
- DO limit your caffeine intake
- DO limit your alcohol intake
- DO use fluoride toothpaste or ask your dentist for fluoride treatments at home to prevent rampant decay resulting from dry mouth (serious negative effect)
- DON’T use mouthwashes with alcohol
- DON’T use OTC antihistamines and decongestants
If in doubt about what to do for your dry mouth, talk to your dentist or call Dr. James G. Hood, DDS, MA at (509) 928-9100 to learn more. You can also visit his website at: www.drhood.com. Dr. Hood’s office is conveniently located at:
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
507 North Sullivan Road Suite A-1, Spokane Valley, WA 99037
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509 928-0414
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