Can shingles affect your teeth and gums?
Zoster may occur in the mouth if the maxillary or mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve is affected. Clinically, it presents with vesicles or erosions occurring over the mucous membrane of the upper jaw (palate, gums of the upper teeth) or the lower jaw (tongue or gums of the lower teeth).
Can you have shingles in your gums?
Yes, you can get shingles in your mouth—it is also called oral shingles. Once infection occurs with the herpes zoster virus, it remains in your system.
Can shingles cause gum pain?
Dental implications: The trigeminal nerve is affected and can sometimes cause odontalgia (toothache). Sometimes patients may seek treatment for oral pain before any obvious signs of vesicles occur, thus making a diagnosis difficult.
Can shingles damage your teeth?
If you had chicken pox as a child, you’re at higher risk for a painful viral infection later in life called shingles. Besides a painful skin rash and other symptoms that can develop, shingles could also affect your dental care.
How is oral shingles treated?
Shingles is treated by antiviral drugs such as famciclovir, valaciclovir and acyclovir. For oral shingles, patients may find relief by rinsing with anti-microbial medicated mouthwash, which will help clean the oral lesions and keep them from allowing bacteria into the cheeks, lips and gums.
What does shingles in your mouth look like?
The shingles rash occasionally develops in the mouth. Many people feel a tingling or burning sensation days before the first red bumps appear. The rash starts out as blisters filled with fluid, or lesions. Some people have a few clusters of blisters scattered about, and others have so many that it looks like a burn.
What does oral shingles look like?
Can shingles affect inside your mouth?
“Patients affected with shingles in the mouth might lose their sense of taste, and they can have scarring on the tissue inside the mouth,” Dr. Wakefield says. “Shingles also can lead to severe pulp (nerve) pain and death in the teeth.”
Is Listerine good for shingles?
A: Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir or valaciclovir can speed healing if taken at the first sign of shingles. The pain can be excruciating. Some readers report temporary relief with topical Listerine, and others say that oral L-lysine aids recovery.
How can you tell if you have shingles in your mouth?
There is no way to determine whether or not a person will develop shingles. Dr. Wakefield suggests patients who have developed oral complications of shingles should practice good oral hygiene even though it may be painful.
Can a sore gums spread to the roof of the mouth?
Some people describe the spots as looking like cottage cheese. Occasionally, these spots can spread to your gums, tonsils, or the roof of your mouth. If they reach your gums, you might feel some soreness or irritation. Oral thrush is treated with antifungal medications.
When to see a dentist for sore gums?
Since sore, bleeding gums have many causes, it’s important to see your dentist to get to the bottom of the issue. If your gums are sore and bleeding, it’s important to seek treatment from a dentist. If gum disease is responsible for your symptoms, it could get worse if it’s left untreated.
When to go to the dentist for trigeminal neuralgia?
As the pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia is often felt in the jaw, teeth or gums, many people with the condition visit their dentist before going to their GP. Your dentist will ask you about your symptoms and give you a dental X-ray to help them investigate your facial pain.
There is no way to determine whether or not a person will develop shingles. Dr. Wakefield suggests patients who have developed oral complications of shingles should practice good oral hygiene even though it may be painful.
When to seek treatment for oral pain with shingles?
Sometimes patients may seek treatment for oral pain before any obvious signs of vesicles occur, thus making a diagnosis difficult. Since the sensory nerves go into the pulp that has trigeminal nerve endings, tooth pain may be one of the symptoms.
Can a Shingles infection cause a toothache?
Dental implications: The trigeminal nerve is affected and can sometimes cause odontalgia (toothache). Sometimes patients may seek treatment for oral pain before any obvious signs of vesicles occur, thus making a diagnosis difficult.
Who is the best dental hygienist for shingles?
Nancy Burkhart, RDH, EdD, is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Periodontics at Baylor College of Dentistry and Texas A & M Health Science Center in Dallas. Nancy is also a cohost of the International Oral Lichen Planus Support Group through Baylor (www.bcd.tamhsc.edu/lichen).