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Had major dental work/sores on inside of cheeks
Jun 22, 1999
Dr. Reznik:
Last year I had all of my teeth capped. Major job: root canals the works. I am HIV+ and basically under control. T cells @ 600/viral load undetectible. I have noticed however, that I get sores or sore areas inside of my mouth. I don't have any on my tongue or palette (sp?) and they appear on one side more than the other. Could the sores be due to the dental work? Perhaps the caps are too long or sharp and are irritating that area? They seem to get better and then worse. I'm concerned that if I kiss someone I may transmit HIV to them. Is this possible? The areas do not bleed and are not very painful, just annoying. Please let me know your opinion. I truly appreciate the help you and the other professionals on this site offer. People with HIV/AIDS need to know that there are caring professionals out there willing to offer advice without compensation.
Thank you.
AB in NY
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Response from Dr. Reznik
Dear AB:
It is very difficult to determine what the cause of your "sores" are without having the opportunity to see them for myself. I can answer your question about transmission via kissing though. The risk of transmission via casual contact, such as kissing, is virtually impossible. There was one case of transmission via deep kissing, but both parties had active bleeding within their mouths. In your case there are no open sores and an undetectable viral load in your peripheral blood, therefore there would not be any risk of passing HIV via kissing.
Again, a visual exam would most likely reveal the cause of your mouth discomfort. A few things do come to mind as possibilities: cheek biting which would appear as a white line on the sides of your buccal mucosa and aphthous ulceratons. I suggest that you visit the dentist that performed all of this work and have him/her determine the cause of your discomfort.
Hope this helps!
DR
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