Gerd - Mylanta - Stained Teeth

Since starting Protonix, and now going to omeprazole, also sometimes using other antacid products, I've noticed that my bottom front teeth are staining badly. I look like I never brush, and yet I brush and floss at least once a day with a Crest spin-brush pro. Before starting the Gerd meds, I had unstained teeth. Has anyone else noticed this? Without going to white-strips, etc. does anyone have suggestions for clearing this up naturally?

I think I would check with the Dental Sawbones first to see if you need something done to your teeth to keep the acid from eating them down to the nubs. The acid must be having a field day on your gums and such. Worry about the white part later.

Have you tried raising your bed a little at the head board to help with the gerd. Raising your pillows is the wrong thing to do it just chokes off the natural way things are supposed to be. Raising the head board also helped my sex life. It makes the covers go down to the end of the bed and since my wife sleeps nude it is like the words from the Godfather, "I am making you an offer you can't refuse".

A lower carb diet helped me a lot. If there is nothing but meat in the stomach it doesn't fill up with liquid and set there waiting to rush back up when you lie down. For me it was no carbs for about 3 hrs before bed.

Brushy Hollow Bill wrote:I think I would check with the Dental Sawbones first to see if you need something done to your teeth to keep the acid from eating them down to the nubs. The acid must be having a field day on your gums and such. Worry about the white part later.

Have you tried raising your bed a little at the head board to help with the gerd. Raising your pillows is the wrong thing to do it just chokes off the natural way things are supposed to be. Raising the head board also helped my sex life. It makes the covers go down to the end of the bed and since my wife sleeps nude it is like the words from the Godfather, "I am making you an offer you can't refuse".

A lower carb diet helped me a lot. If there is nothing but meat in the stomach it doesn't fill up with liquid and set there waiting to rush back up when you lie down. For me it was no carbs for about 3 hrs before bed.

BHB,

Thanks for your reply. I eat relatively healthily - balanced with meat more as a condiment than a staple. The only thing that has changed is that now I'm taking GERD meds. Before I started taking them, my teeth did not stain. The last tooth cleaning was in January, and the hygenist thought things didn't look any different from the last few times I've had my teeth cleaned. I've been taking GERD meds since October, and the staining seems only to have started in the last two months, so maybe there are other considerations that are causing the pH to change. Instead of your suggestion that the pH is getting lower (more acidic), I'm suggesting the pH is probably getting higher - more base. For instance, coffee is mildly basic, and it stains teeth. (I don't drink coffee.) I'm wondering if a higher oral pH is actually causing the staining. It's well known that dropping half a lemon with water into a coffee carafe will remove all the stains inside the pot if left over night. I'm not willing to sleep with a slice of lemon against my teeth overnight because, as you say, it would probably cause more harm than good.

I'm still weirded out that my teeth could change color this quickly. There are only three other things that have changed in my diet:
A. I changed brands of spirulina for my morning smoothie.
B. I started taking sleepy-time extra with Valerian root at night instead of plain sleepy-time by Celestial Seasonings. (But valerian root is sometimes used in tooth paste, so that still doesn't make sense.)
C. Stopped taking Protonix for two weeks. Started taking omeprazole at a lower dose.

So I'm still stumped...

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Gerd meds caused me to have horrid migraines and nightmares. So I was never able to take any one of them for more than about a month or two. Most affected me sooner. I did try every one of them though so was on something for a long time. No staining of teeth.

When I was a smoker, I used lemon juice and salt every once in a while to clean my teeth with. I'm sure it's not recommended by dentists. I used it only once a month at the most. You could also try baking soda which is less harsh.

Be very careful with any herbal teas that contain any of the mints. You should think about avoiding those. Mint is a natural and powerful relaxant. In this case it relaxes the sphincter at the base of the esophagus. In particular, drinking it in the evening is not the best timing. You could try chamomile or just valerian, which does not have much flavor. Or some other blend with valerian root. If you have a local herbologist, check with them for some recommendations. Licorce is good for GERD.

I am pretty sure sleepy time has a mint base. It's common in many tea blends by Clestial Seasons and many others. Check labels for it aand try to avoid it. See if you notice a difference. Hope that helps a little.

silver123