Remember your toothpaste

We all brush our teeth every day. As we eat, sleep, and drink water every day likewise, we need to brush. Brushing helps to keep your teeth free from germs and unwanted deposits. If such unwanted substances enter the body from teeth that can result in various complications. Let me come back to the issue proper.

Several brands of toothpastes are available in the market. As we change the brush frequently some of us like to change toothpaste. In a rare situation change of toothpaste could cause some complications in your oral cavity. It is not an issue that occurs to all, but to few of us. Few days back I encountered such an issue in my dental practice.

A teenage girl walked into my clinic with a complaint of burning mouth. Her general health was absolutely normal. I tried to collect all information about her case. On examination the oral cavity was reddish in color like cherry fruit. She had severe pain on touching the oral cavity. But after several queries she remembered to inform me regarding change of toothpaste one day before her burning mouth. Her reply solved my questions. Finally, I concluded it as an allergic reaction to toothpaste. I advised her to discontinue that toothpaste and advised her to apply gel to relieve the burning sensation along with anti allergy drug. I recalled her after 5 days, and she was back to normal.

There are several causes for such oral allergy. Any recent drug intake, recent teeth set, change of toothpaste, recent teeth filling can cause such reaction. There could be a range of findings in the oral cavity.

·         Early stage: burning sensation+ red coloration of oral cavity

·         Moderate stage: early stage+ ulcers+ watering mouth

·         Severe stage: moderate stage± skin involvement± swelling of face

Treatment varies with the stage of the patient. It is better for the patient to approach the dentist at an early stage. It is not a mandatory finding for everyone. Few patients are allergy to something, and few are allergy to nothing. We may be placed in any category. So I would like to conclude that remember any recent change of drug, toothpaste, food, teeth set or any new substance consumed or placed to be remembered and inform the dentist for easy assessment and treatment.