Why Eating Disorders Are So Bad for Your Dental Health
Posted on 5/1/2024 by Weo Admin
Nearly nine percent of all Americans suffer from an eating disorder. Eating disorders can have enormous impacts on your overall health and your dental health. Here are some ways eating disorders can impact your dental health.
Anorexia and Dental Health
If you have been diagnosed with anorexia, or you suspect that you have anorexia, you need to understand how dangerous withholding nutrition is for your teeth and gums. Both your teeth and gums need a lot of vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. For example, your teeth need calcium and vitamin D to remineralize the enamel that surrounds your tooth and protect it. Without these essential nutrients, you could lose teeth. Your teeth may also break, crack, or chip more easily. Once these changes are in place in your mouth, they are very difficult to overcome, especially tooth loss. If you have had anorexia for a few years, you may not have enough bone tissue left to support a dental implant.
Your gums also need nutrition to stay healthy, have a good blood supply, and fight bacteria. Without enough nutrition, you cannot fight off infections in your gums. Gum disease leads to bleeding, swollen, and inflamed gums.
Bulimia and Dental Health
People with bulimia can have problems with the loss of vitamins and minerals that their teeth and gums need to stay healthy. Just like with anorexia, bulimia can lead to tooth loss and gum disease over time. Because of the nature of bulimia, vomiting food after eating it, the digestive juices contain acid to digest food and break it down for your body to absorb it. Acids can erode your tooth enamel quickly, which can lead to chipped, broken, or cracked teeth. The digestive acids can also cause inflammation and sores in your mouth, throat, and tongue.
Next Steps
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, there are treatments available for you to help you take better care of yourself. Also, you will want to discuss your eating disorder with our dentist so they can take a look at your mouth and make recommendations for your care. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
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