Working With The Right Dentist

What You Need To Know About Dental Treatments If You Have A Thyroid Disease

2 December 2015

Pamela Watkins

If you have a thyroid disease, or suspect that you do, there are a few important things to understand about how the disease and its comorbid conditions can affect dental treatments. Here's what you need to know before you get dental care. 

Comorbid Conditions & Dental Treatment 

Comorbid conditions are ones that are caused by a primary health condition. Since the thyroid regulates hormones that are used by organs throughout the body, people with thyroid disease can have various comorbid conditions due to the excess or lack of hormones. Here are a few examples. 

• Cardiovascular disease. An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can cause the middle layer of the heart to be sensitive to adrenaline. The use of local anesthetics for dental treatment can increase adrenaline which, in turn, can cause chest pain, heart palpitations, and irregular heartbeats in people who have cardiovascular disease. 
• Bone disease. Thyroid hormones help in bone healing due to the production of binding and growth proteins found in the hormones; therefore, someone who has an under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism) is at a higher risk of dental implant failure due to the inability for osseointegration to occur, which is the way the jaw bone naturally grows around a dental implant to secure it in place. Bone loss is a comorbid condition of hypothyroidism. 
• Central nervous system disorders. An under-active thyroid can lead to central nervous disorders, which can cause problems with the ability to regulate body temperature and cause epileptic seizures, low blood pressure, and/or slow heart beat. A combination of these problems can lead to myxedema coma. Dentists and oral surgeons sometimes use central nervous depressants for surgical procedures, which can negatively impact a patient with a central nervous system disorder. 

Therefore, it's important to tell your dentist if you have a thyroid disease. If you haven't been diagnosed with a thyroid disease, be sure to discuss your concerns with your dentist. He or she is trained to look for other warning signs of thyroid diseases and their comborbid conditions that could affect dental treatment. It's also a good idea to schedule an appointment with an endocrinologist. 

Control Your Thyroid Before Seeking Dental Treatment 

In order to get dental treatment, it's crucial that your thyroid is under control and your comorbid conditions are also controlled. Fortunately, there are medications available that can help. Before scheduling an appointment for dental care, check your hormone level by getting a blood test done through your endocrinologist. It's a good idea to ask your dentist and endocrinologist to work together to make sure you are healthy enough to undergo dental treatment. 

For more information, contact Dr. Mike Finn or a similar dental professional.

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