Several experts have started to identify a rare consequence of the novel coronavirus — your teeth falling out and aggravated dental problems, according to The New York Times.
What’s going on?
COVID-19 survivors have reported seeing tooth loss as a result of the virus, similar to how some reported swollen “COVID toes” or hair loss, according to The New York Times.
- The virus’ effects on the circulatory system may be to blame.
Long-haulers may suffer additional issues in the mouth.
- “If a COVID long hauler’s reaction is in the mouth, it’s a defense mechanism against the virus,” said Dr. Michael Scherer, a prosthodontist in Sonora, California, told The New York Times.
Scherer said inflammatory health conditions — like diabetes — lead to gum disease in patients, which might be why dentists are seeing more of these gum disease cases.
- “Gum disease is very sensitive to hyper-inflammatory reactions, and COVID long haulers certainly fall into that category,” Scherer told The New York Times.
Is this true?
Dentists are skeptical about the claim, suggesting it’d be hard for COVID-19 to cause dental problems specifically.
- “It’s extremely rare that teeth will literally fall out of their sockets,” Dr. David Okano, a periodontist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, told The New York Times.
Still Okano mentioned that existing dental problems may worsen because of COVID-19, especially for those who are recovering from infections.
Other dental issues with COVID-19
Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 survivors mentioned they had cracked teeth and sore jaws from the novel coronavirus. Per WebMD, this is slightly due to the stress caused by the virus. People are chattering or grinding their teeth more due to anxiety. Others are simply suffering from the chills, which would lead to an increased amount of chattering teeth.