Brushing my teeth is now a special hell - why?

September 8, 2015 12:49 PM

For the two weeks or so I've gagging and coughing (and sometimes vomiting a bit) a lot when I brush my teeth. I don't usually have a sensitive gag reflex at all and I am trying to figure out what's going on. I have a few ideas, but seek your suggestions and anecdata.

The gagging only seems to be an issue in the morning -- evening brushing is better -- so I thought this might be due to post-nasal drip while I sleep -- so I tried some sinus medication and that did help quite a bit for days…then it seemed to start up again. I have been feeling more congested than usual in the mornings. I do have mild allergies, but allergy medication did not help when I tried that.
I also have GERD, which has been acting up. I started to take proton-pump inhibitors again after a few years of feeling quite well. I am not sure if GERD could be a factor. I think GERD can cause congestion and phlegm (yuck, I know) but this is new for me.
I do have a family doctor and am scheduled for a regular visit next month, but wondering if there is anything I should do in the meantime -- or if this is something to address right away.

I did read this -- but my question is a bit different because of the GERD and congestion etc. issues, I think.

posted by Lescha to Health & Fitness (28 answers total)

This may be way off as I've never experienced what you're describing, but I do know that toothpaste sensitivities exist as my lip skin cracks and peels if I use Sensodyne (ironic, I know). So maybe try a different toothpaste?
posted by vegartanipla at 1:00 PM on September 8, 2015

Man I do not want to be that person who reads pregnancy into everything but with my second child, this exact situation was the very, very first sign that I was pregnant. Specifically gagging when brushing my teeth in the morning.
posted by KathrynT at 1:02 PM on September 8, 2015 [15 favorites]

Like KathrynT, that was my first sign of being pregnant.

During both of my pregnancies, I would gag (and sometimes throw up) while brushing teeth.
posted by heathrowga at 1:11 PM on September 8, 2015 [6 favorites]

Bodies are odd. I normally have no gag reflex (so much so that I can touch my epiglottis). If I have a chesty cough it really sets me off and I will gag in response to coughing or cleaning my teeth for about a month afterwards. I work in a hospital and a lot of my respiratory patients are the same. No idea why.
posted by kadia_a at 1:14 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

As another gagging pregnant woman, I would suggest switching to a mild toothpaste for awhile, kid's bubblegum flavor is great.

I think my problems weren't only that I was pregnant, but that I was gagging trying to take my monster vitamin pills, so that gag reflex was in overdrive.
posted by saffry at 1:21 PM on September 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

My gag reflex goes into overdrive when I am stressed. That includes vomiting with tooth-brushing. It is less of an issue if I brush when I first get up, before water or coffee.
posted by headnsouth at 1:22 PM on September 8, 2015 [3 favorites]

I gag and throw up weekly while brushing my teeth in the morning and have never been pregnant, so enjoy more anecdata!

For me, it's tied into anxiety. I threw up this morning when the brushing activity in my mouth triggered my gag reflex, and I had a hard time sleeping in the wee hours of the morning due to work stress. Typically when I gag or throw up while brushing my teeth, it's because I'm extremely anxious about something.
posted by palomar at 1:23 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

Maybe the OP should let us know if pregnancy is even a valid concern before this becomes an echo chamber of "yup, you're totally preggo"?
posted by palomar at 1:34 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

This has been happening to me for years, and I've never been pregnant.

My doctor thinks it's a combination of anxiety and dehydration.

My dentist suggested that I do a really quick brush and rinse in the morning, then a "real" brush a few hours later when I feel better.
posted by third word on a random page at 1:39 PM on September 8, 2015

Response by poster: Nope, not a valid concern -- pregnancy is not possible. I am a gay woman in a long-term relationship.
posted by Lescha at 1:39 PM on September 8, 2015 [10 favorites]

I go through toothbrushing-induced gaggy cycles now and then. I'm in one now sadly! Mine gets worse when there is a lot of foam in my mouth. Spitting it out so the brushing is more dry (okay, even writing about it is making me gag) makes it somewhat better. So to cut this short, spit more and less water makes less foam. Blech.
posted by cecic at 1:57 PM on September 8, 2015

This happened to me and I found I was allergic to mint. A very sad year followed this news. Cinnamon toothpaste was designed to weed the weak.
posted by parmanparman at 1:59 PM on September 8, 2015

If the age in your profile is accurate, is it possible you could be perimenopausal? Those hormonal changes can cause symptoms similar to those in pregnancy. Some googling shows other women have had the same nausea when brushing teeth.
posted by olinerd at 2:08 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you're in a temperate northern hemishphere climate, could be ragweed allergies, since you mention postnasal drip. Was the sinus medication an antihistamine?
posted by tchemgrrl at 2:10 PM on September 8, 2015

Mine gets worse when there is a lot of foam in my mouth.

This is usually my issue, combined with tired/anxious/hungover/sleep-deprived. I keep a tube of low-/no-foam toothpaste around for gaggy mornings. This is the one I've settled on after years of trial and error, but many people (my partner included) can't handle its salty-herbal flavor. But it doesn't foam at all, so it's heaven sent some days.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 2:33 PM on September 8, 2015

I gag a lot in the mornings when my acid reflux is acting up. Sinus drip makes it all so much worse. And, oh, yeah, stress! Just take your time with it. If it's GERD and allergies, you should settle down around lunch time.
posted by myselfasme at 2:34 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

when this happens to me it's always with allergy/sinus/congestion issues. i've been doped to the gills for weeks and my allergies are still raging below all the meds and i'm gagging on my toothbrush. i hope it lets up soon.
posted by nadawi at 2:52 PM on September 8, 2015

I have also been through this, and it's almost always accompanied by puffy face and sinus issues. I tend to have about 5-6 good sneezes in the morning, a little later on, as things drain out and I get upright and drink some coffee. Try drinking coffee and then brushing a little while later, as things even out.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 4:10 PM on September 8, 2015

Response by poster: I took an antihistamine and Sinutab with Acetaminophen and Pseudophedrine Hydrocholoride (on different days). Yes, age is correct.
posted by Lescha at 4:50 PM on September 8, 2015

So, I've never experienced this, but FWIW, my experience has been that it's much more important to keep up on the flossing than the brushing. I brush and floss once per day in the evening, along with taking a fluoride rinse, and my teeth are doing very well.

In the morning, especially if you haven't eaten anything, brushing is mostly about making your breath fresher, which can be accomplished just as easily with mouthwash, mints or sugarless gum. Save the brushing for after meals.

As with anything, YMMV.
posted by Aleyn at 6:06 PM on September 8, 2015

Regarding the antihistamine, there's a pile of different ones out there and what works for one person may not work for another.

Also some antihistamines work best when you take them regularly. I'm not a doctor (nor yours) so I can't tell you statistically which these are, but in my experience fexofenadine is the best immediate-acting non-drowsy antihistamine. If you don't care about being drowsy, and if you're especially worried about drip while you're asleep you might not, then Benadryl will work if it's allergy related.
Both loratidine and ceterizine take longer (as in, I find they work better after I've been taking them 1/day for a whole week-- well, ceterizine does, loratidine doesn't seem to work for me at all.)
And if you're in Canada you can get a few others (levoceterizine is otc there, I think). This is by way of saying if you do think it's allergies, just trying one antihistamine isn't enough to say "antihistamines don't work". Well, unless the one you tried is benadryl..
posted by nat at 6:31 PM on September 8, 2015

At a push you could focus on the mechanical aspect of brushing and just use water for the morning brushing and perhaps some mouth rinse that does not make you feel worse for freshness. Then you use tooth paste later in the day when you're feeling better.
posted by koahiatamadl at 6:55 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

every single night i take symbicort, flonase, and claritin - and some days the allergies still break through and i take sudafed. and on those days, i still gag when brushing my teeth. sometimes you can't out dope the allergies.
posted by nadawi at 8:16 PM on September 8, 2015

For me, this is very much a psychological issue - I will sorta gag once for [reason] and then the next few brushes I catch myself remembering the previous gag and then I gag again. It is solved by me remembering that I'm psyching myself up and I really don't need to condition myself to gag - basically mind over matter. I'll also brush a little less vigorously and skip the tongue scrub until the association is broken.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 8:30 PM on September 8, 2015

I've had this during periods where I was experiencing anxiety and/or my acid reflux was acting up -- so you may not be wrong about the GERD.
posted by mirepoix at 11:02 PM on September 8, 2015

I have this issue sometimes when toothpaste is overly minty. Try a less flavorful toothpaste.
posted by aaanastasia at 2:13 AM on September 9, 2015

I raced in here to link you to my previous question... and you'd already linked to it. And your GERD may make my experience totally irrelevant, but I thought I'd let you know how it's worked out for me, just in case it may help you.

My issues have resolved in the four or so years since I posted my question. I concentrate on my breathing and I concentrate on brushing each tooth individually. If I feel a bit queasy as I brush towards the back of my mouth, I skip the back teeth, work on the front teeth, and then (gingerly) try the back teeth again.

If I feel a trigger coming on, I stop. I brush the teeth I can successfully brush, I go about my day, and I try again a bit later which usually works out okay for me. YMMV.

I hate having furry teeth, so I sympathise and I wish you the best of luck to get beyond this.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 3:40 AM on September 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

I, too, have this problem, and GERD and allergies, and stressful episodes, but, I've had no gagging problems since I bought my lovely and lovable Sonicare toothbrush. Love it!!
posted by feste at 1:18 PM on September 9, 2015