Does Lyme Disease Affect Your Teeth? Doctors Explain Lyme Disease Symptoms, Including Impacts on Oral Health
Plus, tips for managing dental conditions caused by Lyme
Lyme disease is not only unfortunately very common, it also has widespread impacts. The tick-borne illness affects multiple body systems, and symptoms can worsen over time, especially if left untreated. While there are more widely known signs of Lyme disease, you may not have realized that Lyme also poses risks to oral health, and teeth in particular.
What is Lyme disease?
Before we delve into the specifics regarding Lyme disease’s impacts on dental health, it’s important to understand what causes the illness and how it interacts with the body. Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by a bacterial species which is spread by infected ticks.
Our body’s response to the disease is more the cause of a lot of the cellular damage seen in Lyme disease, explains Jennie Stanford, MD, Obesity Medicine Physician and medical contributor for Drugwatch.
“This includes both the first line immune response and the adaptive immune response, which is a more tailored response to the bacterial surface proteins,” she explains. “To a lesser effect, damage from the breakdown of bacterial cells can be toxin-mediated, but it is the body’s immune response that mediates much of the damage and symptoms within Lyme disease.”
Common Lyme disease symptoms
From around three days to a month following the tick bite, Lyme disease often looks like fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches and swollen lymph nodes, according to the CDC. Most people with Lyme disease will also experience an Erythema migrans (EM) rash, which resembles the pattern of a bullseye and appears on or near the site of the tick bite.
Later signs and symptoms can include severe headaches and neck stiffness; additional EM rashes on the rest of the body; loss of muscle tone or droop on one or both sides of the face; arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly the knees and other large joints; intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints and bones; heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat (Lyme carditis); episodes of dizziness or shortness of breath; inflammation of the brain and spinal cord; nerve pain; shooting pains, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet.
How does Lyme disease affect teeth?
“Like many other illnesses, Lyme disease symptoms can start in your mouth,” says Alex Mehler, DMD, Endodontist and Vice President of Endodontic Support Services at Aspen Dental. “For many patients with undiagnosed Lyme disease, intense jaw, facial and dental pain can lead them straight to their dentist’s office.”
There are a few common manifestations within the head, neck and face regions seen in Lyme disease patients, says Dr. Mehler. This includes headaches, facial palsy (drooping), temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, altered taste, stiff neck, sore throat, neck pain and EM rash, he explains.
“One of the primary concerns with Lyme disease is its potential impact on saliva production,” adds Jennifer Silver, DDS, Dentist and Owner at Macleod Trail Dental Clinic. “The disease can affect the nervous system, which includes the nerves controlling the salivary glands. When these glands aren’t functioning properly, it can lead to a condition called dry mouth or xerostomia.”
Dry mouth significantly increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, Dr. Silver explains. This is because saliva is crucial as it helps neutralize acids produced by bacteria in the mouth, wash away food particles and provide essential minerals for tooth enamel repair. Without adequate saliva, you’re more vulnerable to cavities and gum infections, she notes.
Protecting your teeth with chronic Lyme disease
To help stimulate saliva production, Dr. Silver recommends staying hydrated and using saliva substitutes or chewing sugar-free gum.
Pain and sensitivity in teeth and surrounding areas are also a concern amongst Lyme disease patients through its impact on the TMJ, which connects your jawbone to your skull, says Dr. Silver.
Sensitivity can be caused by inflammation in the pulp (the soft inner tissue of your teeth) caused by the infection, explains Thomas Dobie, DDS, MDS, Co-Founder and Orthodontist at dobie revolution orthodontics.
What’s more, this discomfort can make eating and brushing more challenging, potentially causing you to avoid proper oral hygiene, Dr. Silver adds.
One of the most effective ways to relieve TMJ pain is to apply warm compresses to the affected area, Dr. Silver offers. This can help relax the muscles around the joint and ease some of the pain.
“The systemic inflammation associated with Lyme disease can exacerbate gum conditions like gingivitis and periodontitis,” Dr. Silver adds. “Gingivitis is characterized by inflamed, swollen gums that might bleed, while periodontitis involves more severe gum disease that can lead to bone loss around the teeth. If you have existing gum issues, Lyme disease can worsen these conditions, making it even more crucial to maintain diligent oral hygiene.”
Being proactive when it comes to preventing and slowing tooth decay is paramount. Fluoride, for example, is a mineral that can keep decay from progressing and even reverse or stop it in early stages. You can brush with a fluoride toothpaste, drink tap water that has fluoride and use fluoride mouth rinse.
Of course, you’ll also want to constantly brush your teeth twice a day, and regularly clean between teeth with floss or another cleaner for between the teeth. It’s also helpful to be mindful of your eating and drinking habits so you can prioritize foods and drinks that strengthen oral health and avoid those that pose risks to your dental hygiene.
Getting treated for Lyme disease
Ultimately, though, your best bet for curing these symptoms is being treated for the underlying condition causing them.
“The key to Lyme disease is getting an appropriate diagnosis as soon as possible so a person can be treated for the disease rather than the symptoms,” Dr. Dobie says. “When a dental professional sees any of the aforementioned symptoms a prompt referral to their primary care physician for testing is the most important thing to do.”
Keep reading for more dental health tips:
These Easy, Surprising Self-Care Tips Can Reverse Gum Disease, Say Dentists
MDs: Menopause Wreaks Havoc on Your Oral Health — 5 Ways to Keep Your Smile Healthy
Doctors & Dentists: What You Need to Know If You Wake Up With a Dry Mouth
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
