Sticky Teeth sensation after exertion

[ChrisD]

This is a bit of a strange one but I have noticed only recently that after my maximum level of exertion, I get this strange sensation in my teeth, as if they have been subject to a lot of sugar or acid and they feel furry and sticky. The rest of the sensation is really hard to describe but it's almost how teeth feel after eating something satisfyingly sugary and sweet.

I have been on a Ketogenic diet for the last 8 months and have also recently introduced CBD Oil which has enabled me to increase my activity level with less crashing, but it is when I reach my limit that this strange tooth feeling occurs.

I can't work out whether it is something being released into my mouth, like an acidic compound, or if the body is demanding more energy via glucose and stimulating such a reaction that would emulate the desire for sugar.

My Jaw and TMJ have always become tight after exertion, and on top of this sticky feeling, my teeth also feel tight and make small movements, clicking noises as if they are being pulled around. It's not an anxiety or jaw-grinding that causes this.

In general, my dental health has improved loads since going Keto, and 99% of the time my teeth are shiny and smooth, so it's a bit of a weird one. It's not really a terrible symptom but slightly irritating but I am more interested in what mechanism it points to.

 

[Wishful]

I sometimes get that feeling, but haven't correlated it with exertion or anything else. One possibility you didn't mention is that it isn't a change in tooth surface, but in how your brain processes the sensors on your tongue. Next time you get the feeling, try cleaning your teeth and see if that changes it. Hmmm, also try swishing some toothpaste around your mouth without brushing, to make sure it's not just the chemicals changing the sensor function.

One of my "it's not important, but I'm curious about why" symptoms is that sometimes I sigh unusually frequently. Maybe the brain processing for 'need more oxygen' is affected. I mentioned it to one doctor (well, it could be a recognizable symptom to someone with a medical degree), but the look she gave me made me never mention it to another doctor.

 

[NotThisGuy]

i have this too... somewhat sour feeling in my mout. also with a light acidic burning? hard to describe but for me its not sticky.. but like there is something on my teeth. wish someone had an explanation what this could be. and yeah brushing teeth usually helps to make it somewhat better and after some hours it appears again.

 

[Monne Cat]

I have this too. it started happening after dentistry work where the trigeminal nerve was injected with anaesthetic. Burning mouth syndrome started not long after with TMJ activation/guarding - I could barely chew properly. The TMJ has settled down now. The dentist took a look at it last week...gums are slightly inflamed but he said my gums are quite dry, which, when I think about it, is the first symptom I have after exertion.

 

[Monne Cat]

ALA helps.

 

[taniaaust1]

a sticky feel may be related to a dry mouth. It could be you are needing to be taking more fluid esp with exertion.

 

[BadBadBear]

Have you ever tried sodium bicarb to see if it reduces the effect?

 

[ChrisD]

I sometimes get that feeling, but haven't correlated it with exertion or anything else. One possibility you didn't mention is that it isn't a change in tooth surface, but in how your brain processes the sensors on your tongue. Next time you get the feeling, try cleaning your teeth and see if that changes it. Hmmm, also try swishing some toothpaste around your mouth without brushing, to make sure it's not just the chemicals changing the sensor function.

It does improve with brushing which makes me think it's a chemical being released in the mouth but equally I think there is a perception of sensitivity which could be more nervous system based.

@Monne Cat Sorry to hear you are experiencing that, I had all my wisdom teeth removed about 4 years ago before ME/cfs but maybe it would be a stretch for me to think it was connected to that~?

@taniaaust1 I do get quite dehydrated but I am constantly drinking water all the time, to the point of bursting. Maybe its still not enough.

@BadBadBear I've been using Bicarb on and off since this study about it helping autoimmunity. What would be the mechanism for it to work ffor this teeth issue?

 

[BadBadBear]

@ChrisD if the cause is some type of acidosis, bicarb might help. When I had really bad gap acidosis one of the things that happened was I felt a dry burning type of sensation in my mouth, eyes, etc. Everything got really dry and uncomfortable, I even got tested for Sjogrens because my eyes dried out so much. Those symptoms got better as the acidosis eventually resolved (from taking a lot of bicarb, which I still do).

What you wrote made me wonder if you are getting acidic after exertion (lactic acid, or some other cause of acidosis).

Its a WAG, but is easy enough to test for.

 

[Wishful]

I think saliva is a pretty complicated fluid, with the body constantly adjusting levels of additives, such as digestive enzymes, protective chemicals, etc. Your ME/CFS, keto diet, and exercise will be altering those saliva constituents, and the sensors that control them, so it's really a wildly complicated system. I think the best you can do is to try to be aware of factors that affect the feeling. Maybe you can figure out if the critical factor is ph level, or aerobic intensity or some such thing.