Brushing your teeth,
buttoning your shirt, or opening a child proof bottle are all routine daily
activities that most people take for granted. But if you have #arthritis and it affects your
hands, performing these and other basic tasks can be challenging, if not
impossible. Theoretically, "exercising" your hands should reduce the
pain, improve your range of motion, and, ultimately, enable you to perform more
easily the various tasks of daily living. However, early in the morning use of your
hands may aggravate your situation.
Arthritis of the hands
manifests differently depending on what kind of arthritis you have. Osteoarthritis, which is the most common cause
of hand arthritis, involves the protective cartilage that covers the ends of
your bones and its gradual deteriorates is due to wear and tear or, in some
cases, to injury. If your hand pain is caused by osteoarthritis there’s a high
probability that flossing and
brushing your teeth may be affected.
By contrast, rheumatoid
arthritis, sometimes referred to as RA, is an immune system disorder that
damages the cells in the tissue that lines and lubricates the joints in your
hand. If rheumatoid arthritis is the
cause of your hand pain, the distinction between osteoarthritis - and
rheumatoid arthritis -induced hand pain is important for several reasons*:
First, if your pain is
caused by rheumatoid, you should not attempt to alleviate it with exercise
alone. So the exercise associated with brushing your teeth could exacerbate
your joint problems. Second,
strengthening exercises can be harmful if performed aggressively and should be
done in moderation by people with rheumatoid arthritis. Third, you should perform any type of
exercise with caution while you're having a flare up of the joints.
So that your oral health does not
suffer due to the deterioration and pain associated with either arthritis I
would suggest the purchase an electric toothbrush. My preference is the Oral-B, but it really doesn’t
matter which one you use, you just need to use one. Regardless of your condition, my experience
with patients who use the Oral-B regularly has shown results in the positive
care of their oral health. With respect
to flossing,
which is just as important in maintaining your oral hygiene, you may need to
increase the number of visits to the dentist to clean your teeth where you
can’t otherwise preform the task. If you
discuss this with your dentist,
you should be able to make arrangements just to have your teeth cleaned on
alternating appointments and forego unnecessary exam fees.
Interestingly enough, there is a possibility that the prescription by your
physician may afford you insurance coverage for the extra visits. As a side note, if you utilize a health
savings account, you certainly should be about to cover the costs of all your
visits with pre-tax health dollars. If
there is anything we can do to assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
*This information is not
intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Some of this information
was provided by Johns Hopkins website on arthritis. (http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com).
Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC
290 Carpenter Drive, 200A
Atlanta (Sandy Springs), GA 30328
404-256-3620
Related articles
- On the Other Hand, Maybe
I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis (everydayhealth.com)
- Using Natural Way
Therapy For Arthritis
(beauteclairereallywork.typepad.com)
- Dentist Sandy
Springs - 4 Steps to Promoting Good Oral Health
(therightsmile.wordpress.com)
- Managing Symptoms
of Arthritis in Your Hands (everydayhealth.com)
- What are the early
warning signs of arthritis? (zocdoc.com)
- Is It Rheumatoid
Arthritis?
(everydayhealth.com)
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