My gums started hurting;nutrional deficiency?

[gberardi]

Last week, the gums in the upper left part of my mouth started to hurt. I thought that it was probably because I didn't brush my teeth and floss one day, but as the soreness continued into the third day, I thought, "Wait a minute. I brush and floss. One missed day isn't going to cause this."

Then it felt better...except now the front lower gums started being painful.

Today it is the bottom right teeth. I've been brushing and flossing the same way every day, so WTF?

I've been trying to find out what it could be, and since I am on a vegan diet, I was trying to find out if perhaps I haven't been getting enough of a certain type of vitamin. Apparently a vitamin K deficiency can cause problems with the gums, but I've been eating of broccoli and occasionally kale in a green juice drink. Perhaps I need to consume more? Maybe I need to eat something else to make sure the vitamin K actually gets used?

Is it possible that my gum pain is due to a nutritional deficiency, or could it be something I haven't thought of?

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by gberardi

Is it possible that my gum pain is due to a nutritional deficiency, or could it be something I haven't thought of?

Here is a great article for you...

List of 8 causes of Sore gums

This section shows a full list of all the diseases and conditions listed as a possible cause of Sore gums in our database from various sources.

* Gingivitis - tender gums
* Gum cancer - Gum pain
* Gum disease - sore gums
* Gum disorders - Gum pain
* Impacted tooth - gum pain
* Mouth ulcers - gum pain
* Periodontitis - sore gums
* Wisdom teeth emerging

[escapee]

I think refined carbohydrate is one of the best friends of gum disease. 6 months ago, I cut off all the refined carb (refined sugar, sweet, sweetened drinks) and limit my "whole grain", starchy vege (patotoes) and fruit (only 1 apple per day) intake. The problem(gum) that plagued my gum for almost 6 months vanished in thin air. MY DOCTOR SIMPLY HAD TO CLUE that excessive consumption of sugar/carbohydrate was the root cause of my gum disease. So i was given more and more antibiotics to treat the recurrence of the problem until i came across some good information related to sugar. You know what i want to recommend next .......

[yougetajob]

Here's some really good stuff on oral health:

OraMedia Dental Self Sufficiency

[zenofeller]

Did you have your wisdom teeth taken out, did they erupt yet ?

You may be getting them, especially if the soreness is in the back.

[Iamsuperman]

An electric toothbrush is much better for the gums then a hand powered. I used to get sore gums and i noticed a big difference after the switch.

[gberardi]

Originally Posted by **********

Did you have your wisdom teeth taken out, did they erupt yet ?

You may be getting them, especially if the soreness is in the back.

Actually, I haven't had them removed yet, and I was planning on removing them this summer. My lower front gums are bothering me, but my top right back and bottom left back gums feel fine, at least for now.

I am reading from those sites that gum pain can also be a symptom of iron deficiency and also B12 deficiency. Since my front lower gums are bothering me, I don't know if it is a physical difference in terms of my wisdom teeth starting to cause problems. I'm more inclined to believe that the problem I'm having with my teeth is from a problem with my diet. I've been taking B12 supplements daily, but perhaps I haven't been eating greens and beans as much as I should these days.

Come this Tuesday, I'll definitely see a dentist in case it is gum disease of some kind, but I have been doing a pretty good job of brushing and flossing so I would be surprised if the disease arrived without some other cause.

Also, if bread and fruit would have been the cause, I would think that these symptoms would have shown up years ago. I eat less refined/processed food today than I ever have in my life.

[Bloggeries]

Your gums hurt right? Before you go reading up on GUM CANCER and all these other ATROCIOUS diseases try rinsing your mouth with salt and water before bed and eating more fruit and of course flossing.

Your mind is powerful dont' jump to conclusions. FWIW if you had anythign serious you'd of known something was wrong for a while. Now is the time to change.

Originally Posted by gberardi

Actually, I haven't had them removed yet, and I was planning on removing them this summer. My lower front gums are bothering me, but my top right back and bottom left back gums feel fine, at least for now.

I am reading from those sites that gum pain can also be a symptom of iron deficiency and also B12 deficiency. Since my front lower gums are bothering me, I don't know if it is a physical difference in terms of my wisdom teeth starting to cause problems. I'm more inclined to believe that the problem I'm having with my teeth is from a problem with my diet. I've been taking B12 supplements daily, but perhaps I haven't been eating greens and beans as much as I should these days.

Come this Tuesday, I'll definitely see a dentist in case it is gum disease of some kind, but I have been doing a pretty good job of brushing and flossing so I would be surprised if the disease arrived without some other cause.

Also, if bread and fruit would have been the cause, I would think that these symptoms would have shown up years ago. I eat less refined/processed food today than I ever have in my life.

[artic123]

I have gum pain some days where I swear my teeth are going to fall out. What I found out from my doctor is that my sinuses are inflamed and that effects the gums especially, the uppers. Try taking an antihistiamine and see if the pain subsides. If there is bleeding--get thee to a dentist!

Good luck

s

[escapee]

I am reading from those sites that gum pain can also be a symptom of iron deficiency and also B12 deficiency

Yes it could an issue of low mineral status .

Also, if bread and fruit would have been the cause, I would think that these symptoms would have shown up years ago. I eat less refined/processed food today than I ever have in my life.

If you're eating close to a fruitarian diet ...... the following may be of your interest.
FRUIT - FRIEND OR FOE - Dr. Stanley Bass: My experiences with fruit

He told me about his experiences while following Arnold Ehret, which led to deficiencies in his diet. He once went on a grape cure, recommended by Johanna Brandt. He lived on nothing but grapes, cases of them for about 35 days. He ate pounds of them at each meal. By the 32nd day, his gum was bleeding, and his teeth loosened in their sockets. He said that one of his teeth fell out of his mouth. He exclaimed, "My God, I am detoxicating my teeth."

[gberardi]

Originally Posted by artic123

I have gum pain some days where I swear my teeth are going to fall out. What I found out from my doctor is that my sinuses are inflamed and that effects the gums especially, the uppers. Try taking an antihistiamine and see if the pain subsides. If there is bleeding--get thee to a dentist!

Good luck

s

Originally Posted by Bloggeries

Your gums hurt right? Before you go reading up on GUM CANCER and all these other ATROCIOUS diseases try rinsing your mouth with salt and water before bed and eating more fruit and of course flossing.

Your mind is powerful dont' jump to conclusions. FWIW if you had anythign serious you'd of known something was wrong for a while. Now is the time to change.

Actually, I don't know why I forgot to mention it, but I did notice that if I poke under my jaw line, I get a slight pain, the same way if my tonsils are swollen due to an infection. A friend suggested gargling salt water the other day.

Oh, and I like grapes. But I like other food, too. B-)

[gberardi]

I have an appointment for Saturday morning to verify if it is my wisdom teeth or not. In the meantime, I read Anaemia due to iron deficiency
Perhaps I have a lack of iron in my diet.

# burning sensation in the tongue

# dryness in the mouth and throat

# sores at the corners of the mouth

I did have a problem with my tongue feeling kind of raw a few days ago, and recently I have had something at the corners of my mouth. I thought they were pimples, but maybe they aren't.

[escapee]

For your information/reference (backed by 90 scientific studies )
Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Iron

There are two forms of dietary iron: heme and nonheme. Heme iron is derived from hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells. Heme iron is found in animal foods that originally contained hemoglobin, such as red meats, fish, and poultry. Iron in plant foods such as lentils and beans is arranged in a chemical structure called nonheme iron [9]. This is the form of iron added to iron-enriched and iron-fortified foods. Heme iron is absorbed better than nonheme iron, but most dietary iron is nonheme iron [8]. A variety of heme and nonheme sources of iron are listed in Tables 1 and 2.

Iron absorption is also influenced by the type of dietary iron consumed. Absorption of heme iron from meat proteins is efficient. Absorption of heme iron ranges from 15% to 35%, and is not significantly affected by diet [15]. In contrast, 2% to 20% of nonheme iron in plant foods such as rice, maize, black beans, soybeans and wheat is absorbed [16]. Nonheme iron absorption is significantly influenced by various food components [1,3,11-15].

Meat proteins and vitamin C will improve the absorption of nonheme iron [1,17-18]. Tannins (found in tea), calcium, polyphenols, and phytates (found in legumes and whole grains) can decrease absorption of nonheme iron [1,19-24]. Some proteins found in soybeans also inhibit nonheme iron absorption [1,25]. It is most important to include foods that enhance nonheme iron absorption when daily iron intake is less than recommended, when iron losses are high (which may occur with heavy menstrual losses), when iron requirements are high (as in pregnancy), and when only vegetarian nonheme sources of iron are consumed.

Vitamin A helps mobilize iron from its storage sites, so a deficiency of vitamin A limits the body's ability to use stored iron. This results in an "apparent" iron deficiency because hemoglobin levels are low even though the body can maintain normal amounts of stored iron [39-40]. While uncommon in the U.S., this problem is seen in developing countries where vitamin A deficiency often occurs.

The World Health Organization considers iron deficiency the number one nutritional disorder in the world [33]. As many as 80% of the world's population may be iron deficient, while 30% may have iron deficiency anemia [34].

[gberardi]

So I saw my dentist on Saturday, and after poking a little bit at my gums and looking at my teeth, he concluded that it wasn't my wisdom teeth and I don't have a sudden surge in plaque. He even acknowledged that I have been very good about brushing and flossing. He said he was at a loss to explain why my gums would be so weak.

I mentioned the nutritional deficiency theory and that I have been on a vegan diet for at least six months. He was polite as he went on the offensive against the idea of such a drastic change in diet. B-)

My gums have since become a lot less problematic, and they are perhaps as strong as I remember them. I have been eating a lot more salad and made myself two glasses worth of green juice (one for lunch and one for dinner) for the first time in weeks (a month?). I also had some potatoes for the first time in a long time (vitamin C shouldn't have been a problem, but still) as well as Cheerios (45% RDA iron each bowl) with rice milk.

So the good news is that I have a good idea that my gums have been bothering me because of my diet. The bad news, as I understand it, is that replenishing my iron might take me another six months. B-(

As I understand it, non-heme iron doesn't get absorbed into the body as well as heme iron, and it will take a lot more plant-based foods to get the iron I need compared to portions of animal-based foods. Perhaps I just need to get into the habit of having green juice much more often. I know some people drink it every day, but I don't think I can handle the hassle of cleaning out my juicer each day nor could I afford all of the produce each week!

I've been eating larger bowls of salads (romaine lettuce, mostly, with lime juice and pepper) this past week. My gums haven't been complaining, but I did notice that I seem to be feeling fatigued, too.

*sigh* I miss the days when I would have two big bowls of cereal for breakfast and two ham-and-cheese sandwiches as part of my lunch in high school. I was in the best shape then. B-\

[escapee]

Iron is just one of the many essential nutrients that our body needs to function normally. The following may be a good reference for anyone interested in essential nutrients.

2 essential fats
9 Amino acids
14 Vitamins
18 Minerals

Essential nutrient - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An essential nutrient is a nutrient required for normal body functioning that cannot be synthesized by the body.

[Beloved]

My first thought when reading your message was Sinus - then I saw that Artic123 mentioned it too. It may be just because I read a magazine story about a man who was suffering major pain with his teeth. The dentist could find nothing wrong and at the man's insistance removed a tooth. The pain then started in another part of his mouth, he insisted on having that tooth removed too. He started having sinus problems and went to the doctor about that, while there the doctor told him that in some people the first sign of sinus problems is actually pain in the gums or teeth. He lost 2 perfectly good teeth because of sinus. Try the antihistamine to see or talk to your doctor

[gberardi]

Well, the tenderness under my jaw has gone away, and my gums stopped bothering me. I don't believe I've ever had sinus problems before. Looking up some information, perhaps it was because I didn't sleep very well one night a few weeks ago.

In any case, things seem better now, and I have even improved my diet a bit.

[escapee]

I think it's mostly due to the combo effect of diet and sleep ( probably exercise too) . When i was on bad diet(refined sugar, deep fried food, burned food, fake food and etc), a single late night sleep triggered the inflammation (gum). Right now, it's not so much of a problem when i happen to sleep late. I have been freed of gum inflammation for nearly 6 months and i have to thank internet and google for that .