Eating disorders have negative impacts on various parts of the body. It affects your physical and mental health along with your oral health. It is associated worldwide with only physical and mental impact, but unfortunately, we tend to ignore its impact on our oral health.
Eating disorders are of various types, like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, severely affecting your dental health. It can negatively affect your teeth with enamel erosion, gum disease, and other impacts. In some severe cases, it can also lead to tooth loss. Therefore, it is very important to heed your attention to these issues. If you face such issues, you can consult expert doctors like Eric R Koch, DDS, for expert suggestions and guidelines.
Relationship Between Eating Disorders and Dental Health
Eating Disorder is associated with food that is not desirable, sometimes, it is excessive, and sometimes, there is less nutrition intake. So, this disorder affects the physical body along with dental health. It all depends on the disorder’s duration and type of disorder.
When there is less intake of nutritional food, there is development of a weak immune system and oral infection. When vomiting or purging, or excessive use of laxatives, can lead to dehydration, dry mouth, tooth decay, less saliva production and gum diseases. So, eating disorders have a direct impact on your oral health. Therefore, knowing and understanding how to prevent such disorders is important.
What are Dental Complications Caused by Eating Disorders?
- Anorexia and its impact: Anorexia is an eating disorder that provides excessive restrictions on food intake. It is due to fear of gaining weight. So, in this case, there is less nutritional food intake, and dietary food is consumed. Thus, nutritional deficiency can lead to less saliva production, tooth sensitivity, enamel erosion, gum disease and mouth sores.
- Bulimia and its impact: Bulimia is a recurrent binge eating, and it is backed by purging or laxative use. When there is excessive food than required, there is vomiting, and you tend to feel weak and dehydrated. This dries your mouth, causes enamel erosion and also weakens your tooth.
- Binge eating and its impact: Binge eating is overeating for a long time. There is the intake of large amounts of food till the point of discomfort. If there is an intake of acidic food and drinks, it can affect the gums and enamel. There is also a risk of cavities due to binge eating.
Therefore, individuals with eating disorders should be careful about their oral health to protect themselves from diseases. They can take preventive measures of cleaning their mouth regularly, regular check-ups, and always consult medical facilities in case of excessive pain.
