The US Sun: ‘New side effect of long-Covid sees sufferers’ teeth fall out suddenly’
Tooth loss may be a side effect of previously having Covid-19, according to anecdotal evidence. People have reported unexpectedly loosing adult teeth after suffering from the disease before. It suggests dental problems are another problem to add to the list of ‘long Covid’ symptoms.
Fatigue, hair loss, brain fog and muscle pain are just some of the persistent symptoms reported after surviving Covid-19 illness.
Dentists said the virus may irritate the gums through inflammation or damaging blood vessels in the gums However, the evidence is too vague to know for sure if tooth loss is just coincidental.
Out of the blue
The New York Times detailed bizarre stories of tooth loss from so-called “long haulers”. A 43-year-old woman from New York lost a tooth this month after noticing it had been wobbly. Farah Khemili had suffered with Covid-19 in the spring, although it is not clear if she was formally diagnosed. It came out without any blood or pain, as did another unnamed woman’s who lost her tooth while eating an ice cream. But Farah had a history of dental issues, and her dentist told her recently she had bone loss in her mouth from smoking.
Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy lost an adult tooth completely out the blue this month. His mum, Diana Berrent, said her son had Covid-19 nine months ago while warning others to “take Covid seriously”. Diana said her son had healthy teeth and no underlying disease on a long Covid support page she founded, called Survior Corp.
Various other people have described losing teeth after having the coronavirus on the page, according to the NYT.
Teeth falling out without any blood loss is unusual, Dr William Li, president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofit that studies the health and disease of blood vessels, said.
He said his team were investigating some of the ‘bewildering’ problems Covid-19 patients are having months after illness. Dr Li said it’s possible that the virus damages blood vessels that keep the teeth alive, and that’s why there is no pain when it falls out.
