Drinks that contain alcohol have been associated with certain oral health problems, and the more frequently you drink or the more alcohol you consume, your risk for these problems increases. Is alcohol bad for your dental health? We’ll let you decide after reading about its effects!

Alcohol Can Damage Tooth Enamel

Most types of alcohol are very acidic, and as such, are corrosive to tooth enamel [2]. What this means is that alcohol can wear away tooth enamel over time, especially if you neglect to brush your teeth before bed after a night of drinking.

Alcohol also dehydrates the body, which leads to less saliva in your oral cavity. Less saliva means less protection for your tooth enamel, which can lead to damage that can cause tooth sensitivity, an increased risk for tooth decay, and oral infections. Between its dehydrating effects and its acidity, alcohol can hurt your tooth enamel!

Drinking Aggravates Your Gum Tissue

People who drink alcohol frequently are at an increased risk to develop periodontal (gum) disease [3]. Because drinkers tend to have worse oral health habits than those who don’t drink, they’re more likely to develop gum disease at some point in their lives.

Drinkers also tend to have more plaque in their oral cavities, which can accumulate around the gums to cause the irritation and infection characteristic of gum disease. In people who have existing gum disease, drinking can make the condition worse!

Increased Risk for Oral Cancer

Frequent or heavy alcohol consumption has been linked to an increased risk of numerous types of cancer, including oral cancer. In fact, alcohol abuse is the second largest risk factor for developing oral cancer [4]. Oral cancer includes cancers of the soft tissues of the mouth and throat, including the lips, cheeks, tongue, and sinuses

If caught early, treatment for oral cancer has a relatively high success rate, but if not caught early, the disease can be life-threatening. Fortunately, your dentist can conduct an oral cancer screening whenever you visit for checkups as part of your exam!

So is alcohol bad for your dental health? Between its effect on tooth enamel, gum tissue, and the fact that it increases your risk for oral cancer, we would say so! If you do choose to drink, always drink in moderation and sip water with your drink to minimize alcohol’s effects on your teeth.

The best thing you can do besides live a healthy lifestyle is visit your dentist regularly to ensure that if there are any problems with your smile, they’re caught early to give you plenty of time and treatment options to fix them!

Sources:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307043/
2. https://humanhealthproject.org/alcohol-and-your-mouth/
3. https://www.perio.org/consumer/alcohol-negative-effect-on-gum-health
4. https://oralcancerfoundation.org/understanding/alcohol-connection/

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Effective tooth extraction aftercare can alleviate the pain, reduce the risk of complications, and ensure speedy recovery.
If you have been advised tooth extraction, the following four effective aftercare tips will help reduce the discomfort and the risk of the complications associated with it.

Always Keep Your Dentist in the Loop

Pain is fairly common after tooth extraction and lasts nearly a week to ten days. Keep your dentist informed about your post-extraction experience and unusual occurrences that are getting in the way of your normal life.
Though most symptoms following a tooth extraction subside within a week, it is important to watch out for unusual signs such as prolonged bleeding, fever, abnormal sense of touch, difficulty in chewing, allergies, bad taste in the mouth, or any sharp tooth fragments poking through the surgery site.

Take Care of the Blood Clot

Dry socket is one of the most painful complications of tooth extraction, which occurs when the blood clot at the extraction site fails to develop, dissolves, or dislodges. This blood clot serves as a protective layer for the underlying bone tissue and the adjoining nerves, thereby protecting the area from bacteria and food debris. Moreover, this clot is the foundation for the development of new tissue and bone at the site of extraction. Use the following tips to take good care of the blood clot, prevent dry socket, and accelerate the healing process.

Avoid Drinking Straws

The sucking movement caused by the cheek muscles when using a straw to have a drink may dislodge the clot, thereby leading to a dry socket. Hence, avoid using straws for nearly one week after the tooth extraction.

Maintain Pressure on the Gauze Pad

After the tooth extraction procedure is completed, the dentist will place a damp gauze pad at the site to protect the wound and encourage clotting. Lightly bite on this gauze pad at regular intervals until the bleeding reduces. This simple action can encourage clot formation.

Do Not Rinse Your Mouth for 48 hours

Though rinsing helps clean the mouth, this is not a good time to engage in forceful rinsing as it may dislodge the blood clot. Avoid rinsing or spitting vigorously for 24 hours after the tooth extraction procedure. After 24 hours, gentle rinsing with a saline solution or an anti-bacterial mouthwash prescribed by your dentist is advisable.

Stay Away from Cigarettes and Alcohol

Avoid smoking as it is a form of sucking, thereby increasing the risk of a dry socket and delayed recovery. Moreover, research has proven that the carcinogenic chemicals in the fumes hinder the healing process and increase the risk of infections. If quitting cigarettes is a challenge for you, talk to your dentist about when you can resume smoking or switch to nicotine patches.

Avoid mixing alcohol with medicines as it can dislodge or dissolve the blood clot and cause complex problems beyond your oral cavity, thereby retarding the healing process.

Take It Easy

Strenuous activities like bending, lifting, and exercising can result in increased bleeding, impeding the process of clot formation. Avoid rigorous activities for four to five days following the surgery.

Manage Pain Effectively

Once the anesthetic effect wears off, it is normal to feel some pain and uneasiness around the extraction site. The trick is to avoid waiting for the pain to worsen. In order to get the best pain relief possible, take the pain medications as prescribed by your dentist and don’t wait until the discomfort starts. If your prescription says that the pain medication is to be taken every four hours for the first 48 hours, adhere to it even if the pain hasn’t started or is bearable. Placing ice packs or cold towels on the outside of your face can help alleviate the pain and swelling immediately after the extraction.

Avoid taking pain medications on an empty stomach as it increases the risk of acidity, indigestion, and nausea. Though you may not feel like eating after a post a tooth extraction, make sure you consume some semi-solid food, such as applesauce, smoothies, mashed potatoes, and fruit yogurt to avoid drug-induced nausea.

Reduce the Risk of Infections

Any surgical procedure is accompanied by an increased risk of infection. Infection in the extraction site can lead to pain, bad taste in the mouth, and foul breath. Use the following tips to ensure quick and infection-free healing.

Complete the Antibiotics Dose

Your dentist will recommend an antibiotic regimen before or after the surgery in order to combat infections, if any. Make sure to follow the recommended dosage and complete the antibiotics course to prevent infection relapse.

Depending on the severity of the wound and your susceptibility to infections, the dentist may prescribe a seven-to-ten-day antibiotic course. Make sure you stock the antibiotics as per the prescriptions and adhere to the prescription at all times.

Also, the medications prescribed by your dentist may or may not be available in another state. Therefore, it is wise to carry your medications with you when traveling to work or out of town.

Pay Attention to Oral Hygiene

Proper hygiene is critical to prevent oral infections post tooth extraction. Check with your dentist on how you can maintain oral hygiene without causing damage to the surgery site.

Tooth extraction is, by no means, a pleasant experience; yet, by working with your dentist and following the aftercare instructions, you can alleviate the pain, reduce the risk of the associated complications, and promote rapid healing. Use the tips shared in this article to make your post-extraction healing process as comfortable as possible.

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1. Visit Your Dentist

If you haven’t been to the dentist in a while, there’s no better time than now to commit to
going. With appointments every 6-12 months, this is a time commitment that everyone can
make. Visits to the dentist can prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and can even help catch oral
cancer early. Schedule an appointment with your dentist to get a dental exam and a
professional cleaning. Your smile will thank you!

2. Don’t Smoke

Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your smile as well as your body. Smoking is
one of the biggest risk factors for certain types of cancer, including oral cancer, as well as gum
disease. Smoking also discolors teeth and often causes a yellow or brown tinge to your tooth
enamel. That doesn’t sound like the smile you want in the New Year!

There are more resources now than ever for quitting smoking. Talk to your dentist or your
doctor about quitting. There is hope that one day you’ll be cigarette-free, and remember—e-
cigarettes and chewing tobacco aren’t any better for your oral health!

3. Floss

There’s been some debate about whether flossing actually makes much of an impact on your
smile, but dentists remain firm—flossing should continue to be part of your oral care routine.
Flossing helps remove plaque and food debris from the sides of your teeth, which can’t be
reached with a toothbrush. Flossing needs to be done just once per day and only takes a few
minutes. This is an oral health improvement you can surely commit to doing!

4. Improve Your Diet

More research is showing just how crucial your diet is to your oral health. Diets high in sugar
and processed foods can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, while diets rich in whole foods
help supply your smile with the nutrients it needs to remain healthy and strong. In 2018, make
a commitment to eat more fruits and vegetables in addition to lean protein sources and healthy
fats such as walnuts, fish, and avocado. These diet improvements may help your pearly whites!

5. Limit Your Alcohol

Alcohol, like smoking, is a big risk factor for many cancers, including oral cancer. Alcohol is also
very damaging to your tooth enamel and can increase your risk of tooth decay. Like soda, it’s
very acidic and corrosive. For one of your New Year’s resolutions, try to limit your alcohol
intake. How much is too much? Many experts agree that 1 drink a day for women and 2 per
men is the maximum you should have!

Are you ready to ring in 2018 with a super smile? By incorporating these five resolutions into
your oral care routine, you can have a beautiful smile not just for the New Year, but for life.
Schedule an appointment with your dentist to set up a long-term care plan for one of the best
and most important things about you—your smile!

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An oral cancer screening is a simple exam that your dentist performs in order to ensure you don’t have any signs or symptoms of oral cancer. Every year, nearly 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer and of those, nearly 10,000 will die from this disease. Early detection can save your life—so schedule an oral cancer screening or ask about one at your next dentist appointment! What should you expect during an oral cancer screening?

Visual Exam

Your dentist will conduct a visual exam to examine your mouth for any white or red areas that could be sores indicative of oral cancer. Your dentist should also look at either side of your face for unusual lumps or changes in your facial structure. Your tongue will also be examined: this includes the top, bottom, and sides. Your dentist will also perform a physical exam in conjunction with the visual exam to check for oral cancer.

Physical Exam

A physical exam of your mouth, neck, and jaw is an important part of the oral cancer screening—any lumps or abnormalities may not be visible but be able to be detected through touch. Your dentist will also feel the inside of your mouth, including your cheeks, in order to ensure there are no abnormalities present.

Your lymph nodes can also be at risk to develop cancerous tumors. Your dentist will examine the lymph nodes that are present in your neck. Your lips will also be physically examined in addition to the place where your jaw hinges near your ears.

Questions

Your dentist will also ask you some questions during your oral cancer screening. He or she will ask if you’re experiencing any symptoms that you haven’t mentioned, whether or not you smoke, and how frequently you drink. Smoking and drinking are big risk factors that should be addressed.

People who consume alcohol in excess or smoke are more likely to get oral cancer than those who don’t. Be open and honest with your dentist so that he or she can advise you and help assess your risk for oral cancer as you age. Age is also risk factor for oral cancer!

The Symptoms of Oral Cancer

It’s important that you talk to your dentist about any symptoms you’re experiencing when it comes to oral cancer. Although some people experience no symptoms, especially in the early stages of cancer, other symptoms may include a sore in the mouth that doesn’t go away, a lump or swollen lymph nodes that don’t go decrease in size, or even facial numbness.

Since some of these symptoms are vague and difficult to notice, it’s best to get a check up with a professional. Your dentist can examine your mouth during your regular checkups to ensure no signs of cancer are present.

Have you ever had an oral cancer screening? Talk with your dentist during your next checkup about your risk for oral cancer. Prevention is the best medicine, and early detection of oral cancer can mean the difference between successful and unsuccessful treatment. Get screened for oral cancer with your dentist during your next visit!

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Alcohol and Your Gums

Your gums play an important role in keeping your teeth healthy, but drinking alcohol can aggravate your gums. Alcohol is harsh on the gums, irritating the tissues and leading to an instable structure for your tooth. The irritation of the gums over time can cause swelling, bleeding, and eventually, gingivitis, the beginning stages of gum disease. Alcohol also dehydrates you, ensuring that the saliva in your mouth doesn’t adequately protect your teeth. Saliva encourages good bacteria and keeps our teeth healthy—without it, problems arise.

Alcohol and Your Teeth

When your gums aren’t healthy, they can’t properly support your teeth, therefore leading to loose teeth, bleeding gums, and eventually, tooth loss.Alcohol is extremely acidic, much like soda and sugar. In fact, most alcohol is sugar! The situation for your mouth gets worse when you begin to mix the two—soda and alcohol tend to be popular combinations for many people. The lack of saliva in your mouth due to drinking alcohol makes your mouth an even more acidic environment.

And let’s not forget about plaque, which begins to build up on the teeth after alcohol consumption. This happens even more often when you don’t brush your teeth after drinking, or if you vomit after drinking—leading to even more acids in the mouth. The acidic environment combined with the lack of saliva, corrosive substance, and plaque buildup will eventually wreak havoc on your smile.

How to Prevent Damage

Alcohol is largely enjoyed throughout the world. You don’t have to stop drinking to protect your smile. Of course binge drinking isn’t healthy, and even having a drink or two a day is enough to impact your smile. Occasional drinking or drinking a few times a week likely won’t harm your smile, provided you do the following things to protect it:

Drink water. Drinking water between drinks or while you’re drinking does more than just rinse your mouth of corrosive alcohol and sugar—it can help restore hydration and saliva production.

Brush and floss. While you shouldn’t brush immediately after drinking to prevent further damage to your enamel, remember to gently brush your teeth and floss after an evening of drinking.

Limit mixed drinks. Remember, that soda and alcohol combination isn’t doing your teeth any favors.

You don’t have to give up alcohol to protect your smile, but like anything else, too much alcohol can be very damaging to your smile. Over time, excessive alcohol consumption can effectively ruin your smile, leading to gum disease and tooth decay. Be mindful about your drinking habits and talk with your dentist about what you can do to help minimize damage to your teeth and gums!

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Tobacco use is one of the primary things that increases the risk of oral cancer. In fact, the risk increases the longer a person has used tobacco produces and directly correlates to how heavily tobacco is used.Both smoking and chewing put a person at risk.

Heavy alcohol drinking also increases risk. In fact, the combination of heavy tobacco and alcohol use can double a person’s odds of getting oral cancer.

The Effects of Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that is primarily associated with cervical cancer in women. However, researchers have linked HPV with an increased risk of oral cancers as well. HPV is the most common STD, and individuals infected with it often get it again. Cancer risk increases with the number of times that a person is infected with the disease.

The Role of Age and Gender

Men are twice as likely to experience oral cancer as women are. This is primarily attributed to lifestyle since men are more likely to be heavy habitual smokers or drinkers.

Age is also a factor when it comes to oral cancer. The average age at which this health condition is diagnosed is 62. About 2/3 of people with oral cancer are over the age of 55

Decreasing Oral Cancer Risk

While there are a few risk factors that cannot be controlled, such as several rare genetic factors, the majority of behaviors that contribute to oral cancer are lifestyle choices. Tobacco use is the main factor, but quitting now can stop your odds from continuing to increase.

The same holds true of heavy drinking and risky sexual practices. In each case, the risk of cancer is increased by frequency. If a person were to quit smoking and drinking (or at least only drink in moderation) and practice safe sex, he or she would be able to stop their odds of being diagnosed with oral cancer from continuing to increase.

The longer these practices are continued, the greater the risk, so taking positive action today is the best way to save your mouth in the future. Don’t forget to keep your regular dental appointments as early detection is the key to successful treatment of oral cancer.

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Alcohol Irritates Mouth Tissues

The soft tissues in your mouth can become inflamed when exposed to alcohol repeatedly. Irritating your gum tissues can lead to inflammation, which over time can damage the roots of your teeth. The
components of alcohol (mainly acidic components and sugar) can also be very eroding to the enamel of your teeth, meaning you’re even more at risk for sensitive or painful teeth over time. In addition, alcohol dehydrates you, and these dehydrating effects take a big toll on your mouth. Our saliva protects our teeth and helps keep our oral bacteria balanced, but when drinking alcohol, the mouth becomes dry and is therefore a breeding ground for bad bacteria and plaque. If you are going to drink alcohol in moderate amounts, be sure to stay hydrated while doing so. Alcoholic drinks do not count towards your hydration fluids.

Poor Oral Health

People who drink alcohol excessively tend to neglect their oral health by not brushing and flossing
regularly in addition to not getting dental check-ups. This combination of practices can lead to buildup of plaque and bacteria over time from the dry mouth that alcohol creates as well as symptoms of tooth decay and gum disease. Frequent drinkers tend to not notice or ignore any symptoms they’re experiencing when it comes to their oral health, such as gums that are red and inflamed, bleeding, sensitive, or pulling back from their teeth. It’s important to get regular check-ups at your dentist so that your dentist can help you treat any symptoms you have before they get worse. Alcohol can be very harsh on the gums and can eventually lead to tooth loss because of gum disease, tooth decay, or cavities.

A Maintenance Routine Is Important

If your drinking habits are causing you to forget to brush once in while, this is not a big deal. If, however, this is happening regularly or several times a week, you’re giving bacteria and plaque time to build up on your teeth. Many people enjoy mixed drinks, which can be very high in sugar and damaging to the teeth. The combination of the sugar and alcohol can irritate your gums, damage your tooth enamel, and if left with enough time in an ideal environment such as a dry mouth, can wreak havoc on your teeth.

Nearly everyone has different ideas about what they consider abuse of alcohol to be. When it comes to your oral health, drinking alcohol can be considered abusive when it interferes with your oral health through gum disease or other problems with your mouth. Keep to a routine and remember to brush, floss, and visit your dentist regularly—your teeth depend on it.

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The first problem is that alcohol is drying. The saliva in your mouth helps to wash away bacteria and food particles after you eat. Because alcohol has a drying effect, it inhibits the production of saliva. The acid in alcohol softens tooth enamel, the hard surface of your teeth. After you drink alcohol, don’t brush your teeth right away. If you do, the toothbrush on the softened teeth can do damage. After about 20 minutes, the enamel has had time to build up again; then it is a good idea to brush your teeth to clean them and get water and moisture back into your mouth.

Alcohol consumption before bed is not a good idea because it can increase the chance of nighttime teeth grinding. Called bruxism, teeth grinding is a habit that many people are not even aware that they have. Teeth grinding can happen while you’re sleeping, and it can wear down your teeth and cause headaches, jaw pain and TMJ disorder. Alcohol before bed affects the part of the brain that is involved in sleep and makes it more likely that you will grind your teeth during the night.

People who drink alcohol heavily can develop a B complex vitamin deficiency. This can cause problems in the mouth including canker sores, burning sensations in the mouth, difficulty swallowing and swollen tongue. Alcoholism is also a risk factor for oral cancer.

Alcohol can also lead to oral health problems indirectly by contributing to poor oral hygiene. Someone who is experiencing mouth sores or burning sensations will have a hard time brushing their teeth, so they may not brush as often as they should. Frequent alcohol consumption can also cause a person to develop a tolerance for local anesthetics used by dentists. Someone who finds that they are not thoroughly numbed before dental work is likely to start skipping dental appointments.

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