How Do Eating Disorders Affect Your Mouth?

Eating disorders affect a person’s health, emotions, and ability to function. However, most people are unaware of the effects of eating disorders on their mouths. Read on to learn about them and find out how a dentist near you can help.

What Are Eating Disorders?

They are mental health conditions related to persistent disturbance of eating behaviors. Eating disorders usually focus on food, the patient’s body shape, and weight. They impair the body’s ability to acquire proper nutrition. As a result, they harm the person’s digestive system, bones, heart, and mouth.

The disorders occur due to a combination of various factors. For instance, they may be due to psychological, genetic, or environmental factors. Fortunately, getting treatment can help the person reverse the complications of eating disorders.

What Is a Binge Eating Disorder?

It is a disorder that causes a person to feel no control over their eating and eats excess food for a brief period. They consume more food than intended even when not hungry and continue even after feeling excessively full. Afterwards, they become distressed due to their eating behavior. However, they do not try to compensate for it by purging or exercising.

People with the disorder binge-eat at least once a week and hide in embarrassment. The chronic behavior leads to serious health issues. They are diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension. It also affects oral health, making you prone to dental trauma and tooth decay.

What Is Bulimia Nervosa?

It is a severe eating disorder that causes a person to alternate dieting with binge eating. You may restrict your eating at some time and then overeat later or vice versa. This causes you to eat excess food quickly and then try to get rid of the extra calories unhealthily.

People with this condition experience guilt, embarrassment, and an intense fear of gaining weight. So, they force vomiting, use laxatives, and exercise compulsively. The disorder leads to dehydration, esophageal tears, cardiac arrhythmias, and gastric rupture.

What Is Anorexia?

It is an eating disorder caused by an intense fear of gaining weight and low body weight. People with this disorder have a distorted perception of shape or weight and fear gaining weight. So, they may eat little low-calorie foods and exercise excessively. Alternatively, they may binge eat and then purge through vomiting and laxative misuse.

Effects of Eating Disorders on Your Mouth

Eating disorders can lead to permanent damage to your teeth and mouth. They significantly increase the risk of oral health issues like tooth decay and gum infections. Below are ways eating disorders impact your mouth.

• When vomiting, harsh acids from the stomach contact your teeth. Repeated vomiting eventually erodes the enamel increasing the risk of decay and cavities.
• Vomiting frequently causes the saliva glands to swell, inhibiting saliva production. As a result, you develop a dry mouth which leads to halitosis and increased tooth decay.
• Binge-eating causes your stomach to produce excess acids to aid digestion. This leads to reflux, where the acid reaches the mouth and damages your teeth.
• Eating disorders cause a person to restrict their diet resulting in poor nutrition. Therefore, your mouth does not get the necessary nutrients and vitamins.
• The disorders contribute to a lack of calcium which builds strong, healthy teeth. As a result, your teeth will be brittle and susceptible to damage.
• They also lead to insufficient vitamin D and iron in the body. So, your immune system will be impaired and not adequately fight gum infections.

How Can the Dental Team Help Detect Eating Disorders?

Dental professionals are usually the first to identify signs of eating disorders. The dentist in Thornton, CO, can identify early signs of eating disorders during dental checkups. They check for enamel erosion, swollen salivary glands, sore throats, and dry mouths. The experts can also detect oral abrasions from induced vomiting.

Once our dental team at Fox Creek Dental by Espire Thornton detects the issues, they will provide appropriate dental care. They will suggest ways to protect your teeth and perform treatments to reverse oral damage. The experts may:

• Restore damaged teeth with fillings or crowns
• Replace missing teeth with bridges, dentures, or implants
• Professionally clean your teeth
• Provide fluoride treatments
• Treat dry mouth condition
• Customize a mouthguard to prevent enamel erosion
• Increase routine dental checkups
• Recommend fluoride toothpaste for use at home