iron tablets and teeth!

[dmc]

Hello everyone

I was wondering if anybody out there has come across the problem of iron tablets turning teeth black and if anything can be done to reverse it.
my mum who is taking the tablets along with a good few others, weve noticed, that her teeth are very discoloured, she's always had lovely white teeth before this, they are all her own,
when we mentioned it to the nurse tonight she said it could be the iron tablets doing it!
she's also taking epilim which is quite thick but red in colour i thought it might have been this staining her teeth.
ive never heard of this before, anybody got any ideas?

best wishes

 

[Kathleen]

Hello Donna

The only thing I can suggest is phoning your dentist about it, they have a huge amount of knowledge about medication and should be able to answer your question.

Kathleen

 

[dmc]

Hi kathleen

ive been wondering as she's in hospital at the moment, if she could see a dentist there, im going in this evening so i'll enquire then
thanks for responding

best wishes

 

[bernie]

does she suck them rather than swallow them?

just a thought.

 

[dmc]

HI bernie

i presume your talking about the tablets not her teeth
she is having trouble taking her tablets and i know she has sometimes chewed them, but as she's in hospital at the moment, im not sure how she's taking them
im hoping to speak to someone soon, they were very busy tonight, so i didnt get a chance.
thanks for the thought anyway!

 

[Finnian]

teeth

Iron tablets are known to turn the mouth / teeth black. It happens if the tablets are chewed or held in the mouth once the sugar coating is broken. It may help to give the tablets with a spoonful of jam or yoghurt.

If mum is having trouble swallowing tablets in general ask about a syrup instead. There are several iron syrups on the market, most of them taste funny as the natural taste is difficult to disguise. However they don't stain anywhere near as much.

To get the current staining shifted try a smokers toothpaste. Its probably the quickest, gentle method but will take several weeks.

Hope this helps

Finnian

 

[dmc]

Thanks finnian
i know she has some syryp medication, i'll have to find out what, i'll give the smokers toothpaste a try though it does look really bad at the moment, as if she hasnt got enough on her plate!!

i'll let you know how i get on
cheers x

 

[Margarita]

did you see dentist ?

if she could see a dentist there, im going in this evening so i'll enquire then

 

[dmc]

hi margarita

havent managed to see about dentist yet but mums home on monday from hospital so im going to make appt with local dentist as he's just up the road from us, so not too far to take her
thanks