One may not often consider talking about eating disorders and tooth decay in a single sentence, but these two are correlated. Eating disorders can have a negative impact on the oral health. While not everyone with bad teeth will have these disorders, but many with eating disorders will have bad teeth. In addition to damaging the body at large, bulimia and anorexia can damage the teeth massively. Let us learn more about how they impact our dental hygiene. You can also ask our oral surgeon at the orange county, OCMAXsurgery center who can help you out with these disorders.
Bulimia
The initial step to deal with such eating disorders is to recognize and understand them. So talking about Bulimia, it is in simple terms binging a large portion of food and then purging or vomiting up of the ingested food using a laxative. It can lead to severe dehydration and gum diseases, predominantly due to excessive vomiting.
Bulimia leads to tooth decay, as the toxic acid can corrode the enamel that protects the teeth. It is for this reason why you need to seek medical attention from your dentists.
Anorexia
Secondly, Anorexia is a severe condition, where the person starves forcefully in fear of putting on any weight and in extreme cases, self-induced vomiting. (This is different from bulimia caused due to overeating).
The more the person engages with anorexia, the more he or she might be prone to osteoporosis. It is a condition that is characterized by weakened bone structures, of which the jaw bone is one. When the structure of the jawline which supports the teeth starts weakening, the teeth follow suit sooner.
Expert Advice
Both bulimia and anorexia have similar results. The first symptom includes weight loss and loss of body mass. The sufferers become depleted of vital nutrients, vitamins, and proteins that the body requires for growth and strength. Bone mass reduces, and muscles start deteriorating. In fact, oral health is another victim of the adverse conditions.
Eating disorders can make the mouth and throat sensitive. It is why people with eating disorders often try to hide them, but the damage can be noticed by an oral health care professional. A handful of clues such as bad breath, dry mouth, mouth sores, sensitive teeth, tender saliva glands, cracked lips can help the dentist figure it out. These are, by far, the most common eating disorders, and it doesn’t take them long to damage the teeth.
While there are some cosmetic dental procedures to deal with the look of the teeth for a person having eating disorders, there is nothing a dentist can do about treating the condition by itself. They are physiological issues that need support and love, and it is ultimately the victim who must let go of their behavior.
Living with an eating disorder could be dangerous and can pose several risks. Hence, you have to seek proper help. Start with the first necessary step to treat the condition, and the rest follows. Don’t let an eating disorder affect your smile and life. Seek medical attention immediately.
Conclusion
Now that we have learnt about how these two conditions can severely damage your teeth, we should be more careful and well-read of what the experts have to say. Ocmax surgery center over the years have been treating patients needing immediate attention not only in terms of medical help but also educating them about the repercussion.
Dr Farzin Farshidi is an expert Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at Ocmax Surgery Center, trained to deal with oral health issues. He deals with advanced speciality cases in the full scope of oral surgery. Contact Ocmax Surgery Center and schedule an appointment, as you are never late to ask for help!
