Dental Health

Brynmor

Psoriatic arthritis affects up to one in five of the 1.2 million people in the UK who have the skin condition psoriasis, leading to pain, inflammation and deformity. Any joint can be affected, but symptoms in fingers and toes are often most severe.

People with psoriatic arthritis, like those with rheumatoid arthritis, are prone to tooth and gum problems. You’re more than twice as likely as other people to have inflammation of the gums and poor dental health has been linked to higher rates of heart disease.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2020/february/all-about-dental-health/

phoenixoxo

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3, / first post here by phestive Phee...

Hi Brynmor,

I like your avatar 😊

Ah, dental health. Well, when I was very young, a dentist came to my school to show us how our teeth would end up if we didn't take care of them. To this day, I remember the pictures: a young girl with a mouth full of brown gnashers and bleeding gums. Some of the boys were laughing, but I was terrified. I vowed to take care, always.

Although I've had psoriatic arthritis since 1990, just a few years after that dentist's visit, I've been fortunate teeth-wise. I'm lucky to have been born a member of the so-called fluoride generation, and I like chewing gum too.

I haven't been particularly good about going to the dentist over the years, simply because it's just more time out of office. But visits, having stalled in 2001 or so, resumed in 2014. My town has a practice that's accessible for wheelchair users, although the ramp up into the building is alarmingly steep. My mother accompanied me to the first check; I could tell she was hoping I'd have at least a couple of holes to fill, but everything was fine. I came out of the consultation room with a very wide smile.

I suppose another part of the reason I've been lucky has to do with my feeling that taking care of my teeth is something I could do, in contrast to struggling to cope with the PsA over the years. I've also been flossing for a long time (as part of my daily routine, I mean).

Thanks for posting the link!

Phee