How Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect Your Oral Health?

Rheumatoid arthritis or RA can cause inflammation of joints and tissues and some organs of the body. When the immune system attacks the body tissues mistakenly, autoimmune diseases happen. The immune system has different organizations of antibodies and cells to fight harmful toxins in the body.

However, people who suffer from autoimmune illnesses have antibodies in the blood that attack body tissues, which can cause inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis is also known as a rheumatoid disease because it affects several body organs.

Patients may not experience symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis for a long time but the illness is progressive that can result in functional disability and destruction of joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis or RA has different symptoms from mild to serious. Obvious symptoms can be seen in the joints of the wrists, hands, feet, and knees. Effects on oral health are less known. The disease may affect different organs such as kidneys, lungs, and tissues around the heart.

Though RA has no cure, people with RA can take different kinds of anti-inflammatory medications to relieve inflammation and pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Aspirin is known to be effective as an anti-inflammatory.

Other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs include naproxophen and ibuprofen. To control inflammation, prednisone is recommended but it can cause several side effects including increased pressure of the fluid around the brain. Other side effects are diabetes and infection. Physicians can inject cortisone and steroids for quick relief of the joints.

Anti-rheumatic medications that can modify diseases are also available such as methotrexate, gold and hydroxychloroquine can, which can delay the progress of the illness. However, be aware that using these medications can have serious side effects.

Rheumatoid arthritis can also have effects on your oral health. Patients that suffer from the disease can have gum disease and serious tooth decay because the inflamed and swollen wrist joints and hands perform oral hygiene, which can be painful and tedious.

Patients can use electric toothbrushes that have more comfortable and larger handles for a better grasp. With electric toothbrushes, cleaning the teeth is easier and more effective.

In addition, RA patients cannot floss and they are recommended to use interdental cleaning. Interdental cleaners can be purchased at different department stores and pharmacies.

Salivary glands are affected by RA, which causes dryness and inflammation. People with rheumatoid arthritis can experience dry mouth or xerostomia and dry eye or keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

Natural treatments can treat this problem such as consuming plenty of water and chewing gums that are free from sugar or sucking hard candies that are sugar-free to stimulate salivary glands.

Tooth decay will occur if there are no cleansing and antibacterial saliva effects. It is necessary to use products that contain high fluoride. In addition, practice good oral hygiene and lessen the consumption of sugar.

If you are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, it is necessary to take good care of oral health. Make sure to brush your teeth at least two times every day and floss after every meal.

Make sure to check your mouth for the obvious signs of dry mouth, teeth stains, decay, and plaque. In addition, you need to watch for gum disease, bad breath, and bleeding. Visiting your dentist at least three times, every year is essential. It is recommended to discuss your RA as well as your oral health issues with your dentist or medical doctor.

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Vital Information on Gout and Your Weight

For many gout sufferers keeping their weight in check can be challenging — but it is worth the effort. Studies providing information on gout have shown that being overweight or obese increases the risk of suffering from gout and by losing weight that risk can be reduced.

Carrying extra pounds affects gout in a number of ways including:

• According to various studies carried out, the levels of uric acid in the blood were significantly higher in overweight people compared with those of normal weight
• Extra weight puts further pressure on the joints which increases the pain during a gout attack and increases the risk of more permanent joint damage. 
• Damaged joints are more likely to accumulate increased levels of uric acid crystals, and so make a gout attack worse.

So losing excess pounds and staying fit and healthy are important gout prevention steps.

However, it isn’t always easy to stay fit, and that challenge becomes, even more, trying when you are suffering from gout. After all, when you’re suffering from a painful gout attack in one of your joints, the last thing you want to do is get up and be active.

It’s tempting to give in to fad diets and weight loss pills, but deep down we all know that those aren’t long-term solutions. The best information on gout that you can receive is one that recommends healthy eating, exercise, and proper rest to let you achieve and maintain your ideal weight.

To know where your weight stands in terms of your health, you will want to determine your body mass index (BMI). This system for determining your ideal weight is not without flaws, but it will give you a good overall indication of which direction your weight should be heading: up, down, or staying as it is. In general, a healthy BMI is considered to be within the range of 18.5 and 25.

To calculate your BMI, you only need a couple of measurements.

1. Your height in metres (1 inch = 2.54 cm)
2. Your weight in kg’s (1 kg = 2.2 kg)

Once you have these measurements, you can work out your BMI with the help of a calculator and the following calculations:

1. Your weight in kg divided by your height in meters= X
2. X divided by Your height in meters = your BMI

e.g If you weigh 85kg, and you are 1.80 meters tall, your BMI would be 26.2 (85/1.8 = 47.2, 50/1.8 = 26.2)

Although there are a number of exceptions, which I will mention in a moment, the recognized scale for BMI is:

• With a BMI of less than 18.4 then you are underweight for your height
• BMI between 18.5–24.9 then you’re an ideal weight for your height
• BMI between 25–29.9, you’re overweight for your height
• BMI between 30–39.9, you’re obese
• BMI is greater than 40, and you’re very obese.

There are some people for who the BMI should not be considered an accurate measure, these include those that have a large ratio of muscle to body mass, like bodybuilders and some athletes.

Also, people over the age of 60 should be aware that the BMI measure becomes less effective as bones weigh less as you get older if resistance exercise is not carried out. Finally, the BMI measurement is not accurate for children.

When a gout attack strikes, it is natural that you won’t want to exercise very much as the inflamed joint is likely to be painful, and moving it will only cause it to hurt more. In fact, if you exercise a joint that is already inflamed with a gout attack, you may risk prolonging the attack and causing damage to the joint.

However, it’s important to know how to exercise when the joint isn’t inflamed as this will help to maintain a healthy weight and to prevent further attacks.

Even when you have an inflamed joint due to gout, you can work on other areas of the body and gently move the joint through its natural range of motion to help prevent further stiffness. You will also likely want to use ice or cold applications on the joint to help limit the inflammation to allow for greater mobility and decreased discomfort.

Though exercise doesn’t help to break up any uric acid crystals in the joints that have already built up, it will help to strengthen the joint and allow for greater muscular movements around it.

As well as exercising, eating a healthy diet of gout-friendly foods in portions that will allow you to achieve your healthy body weight is important. It’s interesting to note that gout sufferers typically have a metabolism that is slower than people without gout (which helps to explain why the uric acid is not flushed from your blood as easily as it is in other people, allowing it to build up in crystals against your joints), so you will need to make sure that you are eating accordingly.

Information on gout shows that weight loss for gout sufferers doesn’t just involve a crash diet and a period of exercise. Instead, it means developing a lifestyle to adjust your eating and activity habits.

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• Eat less meat?
• Drink less alcohol?
• Drink more water?

Follow the usual advice?

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