Acid reflux can cause painful and frustrating symptoms such as a feeling of burning in the
stomach, chest, or throat—also called heartburn—and indigestion, or pain in the upper
abdomen.

Unfortunately, acid reflux can have detrimental effects on your smile. How can you stop this
condition from affecting your teeth and gums during the holiday?

Understanding the Effects of Acid Reflux on Your Smile

Since acid reflux causes stomach acids to end up in the esophagus, traces of these acids are also
likely to end up in the oral cavity. These acids are extremely corrosive to tooth enamel. Even if
you have an otherwise healthy smile, the acids involved in GERD can quickly eat away at tooth
enamel, leaving your teeth sensitive and more prone to decay.

While brushing your teeth sounds like it would be the best solution to combating the effects of
acid reflux, this isn’t true. Brushing your teeth while acids have had a chance to attack tooth
enamel actually make it more likely that your tooth enamel will get brushed away. Enamel is
porous and will become softer and more likely to be removed when acid is present.

When You Should Be Concerned

Acid reflux is a concern for people who either do not realize they have the disorder or do not
manage it properly. Treating your acid reflux is going to be key to keeping those harsh acids out
of your mouth and in your stomach where they belong.

Without treatment, acid reflux has the potential to continue to cause your smile irreparable
harm. Once tooth enamel has been removed, it can’t be replaced, although your dentist can
help you manage your tooth sensitivity and missing enamel to help prevent decay.

What You Can Do About It

Your first step is going to be treating your acid reflux, for which you can visit your primary care
physician. Your acid reflux may have an underlying cause that needs to be addressed to correct
the problem, or the condition may be chronic and need to be managed.

Regardless, don’t give up hope. Your doctor can help you come up with a plan to address your
GERD and curb your symptoms while your dentist can help you care for your smile and get your
teeth and gums back on track. You don’t have to let acid reflux ruin your smile this holiday!

When it comes to acid reflux, time is of the essence. Waiting to get your symptoms evaluated
isn’t doing your smile any favors. If you believe you’re suffering from GERD, get your symptoms
evaluated by a doctor and get your smile checked out by a dentist. You can recover from this
and your smile can too!

The post Heartburn and Indigestion: Protect Your Smile This Holiday Season appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

However, up to 25% of patients with acid reflux will have no symptoms. Dentists are often the first professionals to come into contact with acid reflux, as enamel erosion on the back molars may be a sign of the presence of stomach acid in the oral cavity.

How does acid reflux affect the oral cavity? Here’s how GERD can contribute to tooth decay.

Enamel Loss Increases Risk of Cavities

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, but it’s no match for stomach acid, which is so strong it can actually dissolve razor blades!

When tooth enamel is lost due to erosion from harsh acids or bacteria, it can’t be replaced. Loss of tooth enamel increases your risk of tooth decay. The harsh stomach acids that leak into the esophagus in people with GERD can eventually make their way up the esophagus and into the mouth. These acids are extremely corrosive to tooth enamel.

This type of damage usually happens on the surface of the back molars on the lower jaw, which are the closest teeth to the back of your throat and therefore the most likely to experience the harmful effects of stomach acid.

Dry Mouth May Exacerbate Tooth Decay

Patients with acid reflux often experience dry mouth on account of the traces of acid that can be present in the oral cavity.

Dry mouth in itself can cause an upset in the balance of oral bacteria and contribute to tooth decay; dry mouth combined with GERD can quickly work to damage tooth enamel and wear away the surface of the back molars among other teeth.

Other symptoms of acid reflux include chronic bad breath or a persistent bad taste in your mouth. Both of these can be symptoms of gum disease as well, so discovering the cause of these symptoms with your dentist is essential.

How to Stop Tooth Decay from Acid Reflux

People with acid reflux may need to try harder to avoid foods that can aggravate tooth decay, such as sugar. Combining sugar with harmful stomach acids in the mouth can be detrimental to your smile.

In addition, people with acid reflux may also experience a flare of symptoms with foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruits; both of these are acidic and can worsen the effect of GERD on your smile.

Make your dentist aware of your acid reflux and ask him or her how often you should come in. You may need to come in more often in order to keep your teeth healthy and prevent damage from acid reflux.

Managing your acid reflux can help you protect both your smile and your body from this harmful condition!

Acid reflux absolutely has the potential to contribute to tooth decay. Visiting your dentist can help you catch acid reflux early in the event that you are asymptomatic and prevent harm to your teeth. Make an appointment with your dentist today if you suspect you’re suffering from GERD!

The post Does Acid Reflux Contribute to Tooth Decay? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Hydrochloric Acid Damages Tooth Enamel

Your stomach is protected from the harsh acids that help digest your food—but your teeth aren’t. Your teeth were never meant to be exposed to these acids, which are extremely corrosive to your teeth. Your teeth are protected with your tooth enamel, which is the toughest substance in the body. Unfortunately, tooth enamel doesn’t hold up against acids. These acids can come in the form of acidic foods such as sugar, or stomach acids for people with GERD.

When the acid backs up into your esophagus, traces of it can end up in your mouth. This lowers the pH of your oral cavity to be very acidic. Under these conditions, enamel can quickly get worn away. When enamel is gone, it’s much easier for cavities to form. This acidic environment worsens when you eat acidic foods in addition to having acid reflux.

What Happens When Enamel Is Gone

Once your enamel is gone, it doesn’t grow back. People who have damaged or missing enamel will often have to deal with the consequences for life. Enamel damage can lead to tooth sensitivity as well as cavities. When the protective layer of your teeth is no longer there, damage happens much faster. Missing enamel can also lead to discoloration of your teeth. If a cavity forms and is left untreated, root canal therapy may be needed. Missing enamel could also cause pain when you brush and floss in addition to eating hot or cold foods. Worst of all, if enamel damage becomes a problem yet your GERD continues to cause acids to end up in your mouth, damage can happen on a much larger scale.

How to Manage the Damage

Early diagnosis of GERD can minimize the damage that happens from stomach acids in your mouth. Unfortunately, many patients wait over a year to seek treatment for this problem! There are things you can do at home in addition to getting your condition treated by your doctor. These include not eating before bedtime—at least two hours before—and never laying down after eating. Laying down makes it much easier for acids to wash back into your mouth.

You can also eat smaller meals, which will help reduce stomach acid in the first place. Just eat more frequently in addition to smaller meals. Certain foods trigger certain people’s acid reflux—the most common ones include citrus foods, spicy and greasy foods, even chocolate and tomatoes. Know what triggers you and do your best to avoid it.

Quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, and losing weight can also help you to live a healthier life in addition to managing your acid reflux. If you think you suffer from GERD, schedule an appointment with your doctor to diagnose and treat the condition before it has a chance to hurt your smile. Get a checkup with your dentist and talk to him or her about your acid reflux and what you can do. Acid reflux can harm your smile, but you can help circumvent the damage!

The post Acid Reflux May Be Damaging Your Smile appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Snoring or Difficulty Breathing

Snoring is one of the most common signs of OSA. This symptom combined with difficulty breathing through your nose (which can often create the snoring that comes with mouth breathing during sleep) are signs that you need to be evaluated for sleep apnea. This includes if you have sinus trouble or trouble breathing through your nose as a result of allergies.

Headaches and Fatigue

If you have headaches upon waking, this could be a sign that your body isn’t getting the proper amount of oxygen while sleeping due to obstructed breathing. Fatigue during the day may indicate that you aren’t getting the proper rest you need because of constant waking during the night to resume normal breathing. See your doctor—you may have OSA!

Obesity and Large Neck Circumference

If you’re obese and have a large neck, the size and mass of your neck could be contributing to obstructive sleep apnea. This is because the muscles that help control your airway may collapse during sleep, leading to an inability to breathe. Obesity is a risk factor for OSA and combined with other symptoms such as snoring and fatigue, could indicate OSA.

Being Restless, Irritable, and Unfocused

Not being able to sleep properly can make you restless at night. If you have trouble sleeping, an obstructed airway could be preventing you from getting a proper night’s rest. This may lead you to be irritable and unfocused the next day, especially as the problem continues over time. You may not be able to concentrate or have trouble regulating your moods. Your doctor can refer you to a sleep specialist to see if OSA could be the culprit behind your symptoms.

Jaw Pain or Acid Reflux

Did you know that having temporomandibular joint disorder (often referred to as TMJ or TMD) can influence whether or not you have OSA? This is because your jaw determines the position of your tongue in the mouth. When your jaw is misaligned, your airway can easily become obstructed by improper tongue placement during sleep.

There may also be a link between acid reflux and sleep apnea, although the connection isn’t clear yet—some researchers speculate that acid reflux may cause the muscles that control the airway to spasm during sleep, therefore resulting in breathing problems.

Having a Family History of OSA

Always know your family’s medical history—a family history of OSA or another type of sleep apnea is a risk factor in whether or not you will develop sleep apnea!

Obstructive sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep disorder that can increase your risk for chronic diseases and even premature death. Get evaluated by a physician for sleep apnea if you have any of the above signs—a simple oral sleep appliance can help keep your airway open during sleep and result in a proper night’s rest and better health!

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