How Bulimia Affects Your Teeth?
Bulimia is a condition where a person takes a large amount of food within a short period and then try to compensate for the food eaten through activities such as vomiting, exercising excessively or using laxatives or diuretics to avoid gaining weight. Constant cycles of self-induced vomiting and bingeing can greatly affect your kidneys, heart, and other body organs. However, what most people do not know is that this habit can also affect your oral health. When you vomit, high amounts of stomach acids are brought up into your mouth. The acids help in breaking down of food in your stomach so that your body can absorb it. However, when the acids come into your mouth, they can corrode and wear down the enamel which covers and offers protection to your teeth. Read on, to learn how Bulimia can affect your oral health.
- Bite Problems
As the teeth continue to wear down, they change the way they fit together. Your back teeth are more prone to long-term erosion, and they may even fall out over time. Once this occurs, your bite may become painful and uncomfortable. This may happen about 3-4 years into constant vomiting.
- Yellow and Brittle Teeth
You may note a change in the colour and texture of your teeth as the erosion gets worse. Also, it is common for the teeth to become weaker and more brittle. They tend to crack easily and may look uneven at the bottom. In some cases, they can take on a glassy appearance or turn to a yellowish colour.
- Dental Cavities
Vomit is full of stomach acids which are highly corrosive and can affect your tooth enamel, thus resulting in a hole in or between your teeth.
- Mouth Sores
Similar to how stomach acids erode the tooth enamel, they can also wear away tissues on the sides and roof of your mouth. As a result, they leave painful sores in your mouth, and the throat as the acids pass through the oesophagus going into your mouth.
- Less Saliva
Less saliva production can lead to numerous oral health problems such as a dry mouth. Saliva and oral hydration are important to your mouth’s health. Stomach acids can irritate your salivary glands hence leading to trouble in swallowing. Additionally, saliva helps to protect your teeth from decay, and its absence can worsen the cavities that have already been caused by erosion.
- Pain
When your tooth enamel gets eroded, it exposes the sensitive inner part of your teeth, and this may cause your teeth to hurt. Also, some people experience teeth sensitivity and pain every time they eat hot or cold food.
Bottom Line
The first step when it comes to preventing your teeth from bulimia is to seek treatment. It is only when your condition gets treated that provisional dental care may be undertaken. While restorative dental work will undoubtedly be a step towards healing from bulimia, you can as well address the root cause of your eating disorder by obtaining complete care for your mind and body. If you wish to talk to a dentist about bulimia tooth damage, feel free to contact our dentists at Springvale Dental Clinic. Our dentists are always willing and ready to help.
