My latest battle is with unrelenting dental pain

A deep yawn escaped my lips before I even realized it, and I immediately regretted it. I reached for the left side of my face, cradling it like a baby animal. Pain shot through my gums, molars, jawbone, facial tissue, and even into my sinuses. It was just one of the three painful dental issues I had going on this week.

In September 2020, I nearly died due to a series of ultrarare diseases. I spent almost two months in the intensive care unit with multiorgan failure, and my life was forever changed. Much of the organ damage — to my kidneys, liver, uterus, and heart — was permanent, mostly a result of having atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Additionally, I was in end-stage renal failure.

After five rough months of treatment, my kidneys recovered some of their function, from less than 5% to 15%. I was able to stop dialysis, but was left with stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD), which has its own comorbidities, including periodontal disease and other dental issues.

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A painful struggle

As the Cleveland Clinic notes, periodontal disease is “inflammation and infection of your gums and the bone that supports your teeth.” Unfortunately, periodontal disease and CKD are systemically linked in that one condition can worsen the other, which happens to me.

My teeth have been bad for years, and I don’t have dental insurance. They took a major hit when I had breast cancer years ago, and then again during both of my pregnancies in 2014 and 2015. When I became permanently ill with CKD, my teeth were already at a disadvantage.

For me, tooth pain always comes and goes. It can be caused by a number of things, such as a broken tooth, wisdom teeth, cavities, severe plaque, and more. The pain usually stops after a few days, so I focus on keeping the damaged area clean and free of debris.

But the past few days have been especially hard for me. A crooked wisdom tooth on the left side of my mouth broke an adjoining molar into several pieces. So I chew food on the right side of my mouth, but now I have a few cavities there, too. Anything cold, sweet, or salty sends a shocking pain through my gums, jawbone, and sinuses. The pain throbs, sometimes for a few minutes and other times for hours.

I’m also dealing with severe pain and gum damage on the front, bottom row of teeth. Plaque and broken teeth have damaged my gums directly behind those teeth. The gums have come loose and are scraping my damaged teeth, which feels similar to a blister.

I’m no stranger to chronic pain, and I have a high tolerance. But I’m slowly going crazy this time around. I can’t take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, so I’ve just been trying to sleep as much as I can.

I find the link between periodontal disease and CKD interesting. For the past two weeks, I’ve been weaker and more tired than usual, and my postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome symptoms have worsened. Recent labs showed that my kidney function has dropped from 19% to 15%, the lowest it’s been in months. And my creatinine level has spiked from 3.1 mg/dL to 3.9 mg/dL. When my kidney function drops below 15%, my medical team will usually push for dialysis.

The takeaway here is that dental care is extremely important. I’m frustrated that I didn’t grow up with good oral hygiene when I was a child. Today, I do my best to take care of what’s left of my teeth, but it’s too late to undo the major damage that’s happened. I can’t stress enough that people should strive to take care of their teeth, because you never know what lies ahead.

Note: aHUS News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of aHUS News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to aHUS.