Can An Eating Disorder Affect Your Dental Health?

Written By Jennifer Raskin / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Friends and family are often the last to know when someone they love has an eating disorder. The first person to spot anorexia or bulimia is the dentist. If you’re hiding an eating disorder, we encourage you to get help and you will find a wonderful ally in your dentist.

Your overall health is so important and your mouth will always be a key indicator throughout your entire life as to the state of your wellness. It’s always important to see your dentist twice a year. They will check your teeth and gums and get you the help you need so you can stop the damage.

It’s certainly difficult to stop an eating disorder, and you shouldn’t be ashamed. But the longer it goes on, the more difficult it will be for your teeth to recover. Please don’t be embarrassed as your dentist will help you find someone that can stop the vicious cycles of eating disorders while helping you keep your teeth safe and healthy.

What Eating Disorders Do To Teeth

While you might initially be scared to see your dentist while you have an eating disorder, they have seen it all and they have the knowledge and tools to help get your mouth healthy again. Telltale signs are sensitive teeth, tooth erosion, and bad breath.

Bulimia in particular causes quite a bit of damage because of the stomach acids that come up from frequent vomiting. These harsh acids wear away your tooth enamel.

The enamel is what keeps your teeth strong and protected. It will never regenerate so taking care of your oral health is incredibly important unless you want painful dental woes later on in life.

As for anorexia, when you’re not eating enough foods, you’re missing out on essential vitamins and minerals that keep you healthy from head to toe.

Bones weaken, especially in your jaw bone. When that bone weakens, teeth weaken and will fall out.

Most people with eating disorders are women, often concerned with their looks. It becomes a dependent cycle that you can get caught up in all too easily, but there is help and you shouldn’t feel ashamed, embarrassed, or afraid to get it.

Your Dentist Can Help With An Eating Disorder

If you don’t know who to turn to, turn to your dentist who will keep your confidentiality and refer you to a trusted therapist. All the while, your dentist will help you fall in love with how beautiful you are by keeping your teeth strong and healthy.

As you cope with your eating disorder, your dentist will show you how to prevent further damage to your teeth and gums. If you’re still working on controlling purging, your dentist will advise that you wait before brushing your teeth so you don’t push the acid deeper into your teeth and gums and make damages worse. Certain mouthwash products can also help protect your teeth.

The most important thing to know is that you’re not alone in this and your dentist can help guide you in the right direction to your recovery which will really give you something to smile about.

Looking for a 100% all-natural liquid tooth oil and mouth rinse? Check out OraMD Original Strength and OraMD Extra Strength. Subscribe to our Trusted Health Club newsletter for more information about natural living tips, natural health, oral health and skincare. If you are looking for more health resources make sure to check out the Trusted Health Resources list. 

Written By:

Jennifer Raskin is a freelance writer, wife and mom that loves cold weather despite her location in Florida, cooking, reading, watching ‘80s movies, weight-lifting, and wine tasting.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

Photo by Smitty on Unsplash