Their teeth fell out. Was it a COVID-19 consequence?

Earlier in November, Far ah K he mi li popped a wintergreen breath mint in hermouth and noticed a strange sensation: a bottomtooth wiggling against her tongue.

Khemili, 43, of Voorheesville, New York, had never lost an adult tooth. She touched the tooth to confifirm it was loose, initially thinking theproblemmight be the mint. The next day, the tooth flflew out of her mouth and into her hand. There was neither blood nor pain.

Khemili survived a bout with COVID-19 this spring, andhas joinedanonline support group as she has endured a slew of symptoms experienced by many other“long haulers ”: brain fog, muscle aches and nerve pain.

There’s no rigorous evidence yet that the infection can lead to tooth loss or related problems. But among members of her support group, she found otherswho also described teeth falling out, as well as sensitive gums and teeth turning gray or chipping.

She and other survivors unnerved by COVID’s well-documented effects on the circulatory system, as well as symptoms such as swollen toes and hair loss, suspect a connection to tooth loss as well. But some dentists, citing a lack of data, are skeptical that COVID-19 alone could cause dental symptoms.

“It’s extremely rare that teeth will literally fall out of their sockets,” said Dr. David Okano, a periodontist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

But existing dental problems may worsen as a result ofCOVID-19, he added, especially as patients recover from acute infections and contend with their long-t er me ff ff ff ff ff ffec ts.

And some experts say that doctors and dentists need to be open to such possibilities, especially because more than 47% of adults 30 years or older have some formof

periodontal disease, including infections and inflammation of the gums and bone that surround teeth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are now beginning to examine some of the bewildering and sometimes disabling symptoms that patients aresu ff ff ff ff ff ff e ring months after they’ ve recovered from C OVID ,” including these accounts of dental issues and teeth loss, said Dr. WilliamW. Li, president and medi - cal director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofifit that studies the healthanddisease of blood vessels. While Khemili had become more diligent about her dental care, she had a history of dental issues before contracting the coronavirus. Whenshewent to the dentist the day after her tooth came out, he found that her gums were not infected but she had signifificant bone loss fromwhen she used to smoke. He referred Khemili to a specialist to handle a reconstruction. The dental procedure is likely to cost her just shy of $50,000. The same dayKhemili’s tooth fell out, her partner went on Survivr Corp, a Facebook page for people who have lived through COVID-19. There, he found that Diana Berrent, the page’s founder, was reporting that her 12-year-old son had lost one of his adult teeth, months after he had a mild case of COVID-19. (UnlikeKhemili, Berrent’s son had normal and healthy teethwith no underlying disease, according to his orthodontist.) Others in the Facebook grouphaveposted about teeth falling out without bleeding. One woman lost a toothwhile eating ice cream. Eileen Luciano of Edison, NewJersey, had a topmolar pop out in early Novemberwhen she was flflossing. “That was the last thing that I thought would happen, that my teeth would fall out,” Luciano said. Teeth falling out without any blood is unusual, Li said, and provides a clue that there might be something going on with the blood vessels in the gums. It’s also possible that thewidespread immune response, known as a cytokine storm, may be manifesting in the mouth. “If a COVID long hauler’s reaction is in the mouth, it’s a defense mechanism against the virus,” said Dr. Michael Scherer, a prosthodontist in Sonora, California.