<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Sorry for the delay, first I tried to attach something and then I took it
off, but it still wouldn't send. Here we go for the 6th time, really!

Hi all,

I was reading an article on www.celiac.com by Italian researchers. I was
sent another one my a listmember, but am not sure if I can post it or
not.

I hope that I didn't miss any responses. Thanks for all of your
comments. I guess the soft spots and sealing work I had done as a kid
makes sense as well as all my gum issues even as young as 19.

Most people responded that kids teeth come in with lack of enamel that
causes discoloring, ridges, soft spots, etc.  Dentists tend to blame the
parents who don't brush their kids teeth or send them to bed with juice,
etc. but people reported that the teeth come in with problems that cause
them to be very sensitive to cavities.

Below are responses:
Celiac Disease as Classified by Enamel Defects are:
Grade 0: No defect.
Grade I: Defect in colour of enamel only; single or multiple cream,
yellow or brown opacities with clearly defined or diffused margins; all
or part of the enamel surface is without a natural glaze.
Grade II: Minor structural defects; rough enamel surface, horizontal
grooves or shallow pits, light opacities and/or discoloration may be
found; or part of the enamel surface is without a natural glaze.
Grade III: Evident structural defects; all or part of the enamel surface
is rough with deep horizontal grooves of varying width; may have large
vertical pits; large opacities of strong and varying discoloration.
Grade 1V: Severe structural defects; the shape of the tooth may be
abnormal with cusp tips sharply pointed and/or the incisal edges
unevenly thinned and roughened; margins of the lesions are well defined
and strongly discoloured.

Since the undiagnosed celiac is not absorbing calcium, the dental enamel
is weakened by not having calcium.  If the celiac is a child who is just
forming their permanent teeth (as my son was), his or her enamel can be
thinner than normal teeth, or in some cases, almost non-existent.  This
is a big tragedy and expensive to fix (in some cases, not fixable.)
There can be spots on the teeth, dark spots and white spots.  It can be
ugly cosmetically and also cause lots of cavities, etc.

If you have ever seen someone with bright shiny white areas of their
teeth, that person is an example of someone with dental enamel defects.
The difference in density of the teeth seem to be evident.  When this is
related to intermittent malabsorption, or malnutrition, they often have
a striated horizontal appearance.  Probably due to varying levels of
autoimmune activity, this is common in celiacs too.  Did I read one in
five cases of DAD are celiac patients?

Decalcification of the tooth enamel is evident in two of my four
children.  They had healthy baby teeth but their adult teeth have come
in with defects.  The enamel is patchy (white and/or light yellow
color), soft, and prone to tooth decay.  I am sure that this happened
while the teeth were developing because it was evident that something
was wrong immediately upon eruption.

it is white patches on the teeth.

I had enamel missing in spots on 6-8 teeth when i was a kid,  4 got
crowned and the other I just had something put over.

Someone said that the enamel thins, as well as the gums, but I misplaced
the exact words

* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *