Dentistry

A Guide for People with Alpha-gal Syndrome

When you have AGS, dentistry can be more complicated. You need to tell your dentist that you have AGS and warn them that some products used in dentistry contain alpha-gal. Depending on how sensitive you are to alpha-gal, your dentist may need to modify your dental treatment.

Your dentist may need to contact the manufacturers of the products they use and check to see if they contain mammalian byproducts or other sources of alpha-gal, like carrageenan.

Products that may contain mammal-derived ingredients or carrageenan include, but are not limited to:

• Topical numbing gel
• Prophy paste
• Topical fluoride paste
• Cat-gut sutures
• Collagen membranes for bone grafting
• Gelatin-based hemostatic products, e.g. Gelfoam
• Recaldent

Please see Alpha-gal syndrome: potential for a hypersensitivity reaction after the use of dental products for more information.

Vegan-friendly dental products–from VeganMed

VeganMed has compiled information on vegan-friendly dental products here.

Possible Substitutions ?

Below is a list of some possible substitutions that were purportedly recommended by dentist Dr. David Irby 

We cannot recommend these substitutions or vouch for their safety, and we have not been able to reach Dr. Irby to confirm his recommendations. Your dentist needs to research these products and verify their safety themselves. This list is provided to help them begin the research process.  

• Substitute clove oil for topical numbing gel
• Substitute baking soda prophy jet for Prophy paste
• Substitute non-gelatin fluoride toothpaste for topical flouride paste
• Substitute silk or PGA sutures for cat-gut sutures
• Substitute PTFE for collagen membranes for bone grafts prior to implant placement

For the first time, we have a paper on alpha-gal syndrome and dentistry. A big thanks to the authors of this paper.

Please encourage your dentists to review it.

This page will be updated based on the contents of this paper as soon as possible. In the meantime, please refer to it for information on this topic.

Below is a list of dentists recommended by people with AGS. Note that you still need to vet these dentists yourself. We have no way of knowing how reactive to alpha-gal the patient who recommended them is, or how reactive they are compared to you.

If none of these dentists are near you, try and find a dentist who practices vegan dentistry. Be sure to explain that in addition to your allergy to mammalian products, you may also react to carrageenan.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THESE DENTISTS FOR ADVICE. I have had dentists ask to be removed from this list because people with alpha-gal syndrome contacted them looking for information. These names are provided as dentists you may want to make an appointment with, not people to call for free consultations.