Diseases can impact various organ systems in the body. One such organ that can adversely impact teeth is the thyroid gland. The condition in which the thyroid gland produces thyroid hormones in more than normal amounts is known as hyperthyroidism. Another condition in which it produces hormones less than normal is called hypothyroidism.

Other than these abnormal states of thyroid, teeth are also adversely affected when treating thyroid cancer.

According to the dental experts, in children, hyperthyroidism causes the teeth to erupt much earlier than expected . It has been reported that the molar teeth appear a lot earlier.

Hypothyroidism more commonly occur in adults and causes enlargement of tongue. This condition predisposes the individual to suffer from poor dental hygiene, which damages the teeth and gums. Complaints of abnormal taste is also reported in individuals suffering from hypothyroidism.

If hypothyroidism occurs in children, then this leads to an array of dental problems. This includes improper teeth alignment, increased risk of developing gum diseases such as swollen gums and tooth decay, tongue protrusion, etc.

Hyper-functioning thyroid is commonly treated with radioactive iodine. Dental experts at Reading shared that the radioactive iodine results in dental symptoms of gum pain as well as tooth decay, which occurs due to increased salivation.

Statistics have shown that fluoride helps maintain healthy teeth. But when it is ingested in larger quantities, it inhibits the normal functioning of the thyroid. It is therefore suggested to not ingest fluoride as it affects thyroid and in turn causes tooth decay.

It is of great importance that your dentist must know all the details of your health status. This will help him to prescribe the medications with great caution, so that none of the medications are interacting with each other, causing any severe or life threatening side effects.