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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When our tooth enamel is worn away, our teeth are no longer protected from what we eat or drink. The temperature of these foods can work its way into the nerves of the teeth and cause pain when tooth enamel is missing.

What are the top reasons your teeth have become more sensitive as a result of enamel
damage?

Brushing too Hard

Brushing your teeth is great; however, brushing aggressively can do more harm to your teeth than good. Since tooth enamel is porous, it can absorb some of the substances we eat and soften a bit. During this time, removing tooth enamel is unfortunately too easy.

This is why it’s advised to not brush your teeth until 30 minutes after a meal. Anytime before a meal is fine though! Even if you haven’t eaten recently, brushing your teeth too hard can wear away enamel over time. Buy a toothbrush with softer bristles and always brush gently to protect your tooth enamel and reduce your chances of sensitive teeth.

Eating Acidic Foods

Acidic foods can damage your tooth enamel: these foods include sweets as well as sugary drinks such as soda. Sugar can work with bacteria to attack and erode tooth enamel, therefore leading to increased tooth sensitivity. Choosing healthy foods such as those high in calcium and omega-3 fatty acids in addition to other nutrients can protect your enamel!

Not Getting Checkups

When you go in for a checkup and a professional teeth cleaning at your dentist office, your dentist is able to clean all the little spots you may have missed since your last visit. Without getting regular checkups and cleanings, plaque can build up.

Plaque sits on the surface of the tooth and can slowly eat away at your tooth enamel. Although this can lead to tooth decay, tooth sensitivity is usually the first warning sign. This means your enamel has been damaged and a cavity might not be far away.

Teeth Grinding

Grinding your teeth can damage your jaw, cause headaches, and even crack your teeth. Your jaw is able to exert immense pressure, and when you’re grinding your teeth, this pressure may be amplified by up to ten times! Teeth grinding is unfortunately one of the common enamel damagers and can lead to sensitive teeth.

Your dentist can help you seek treatment for your teeth grinding, therefore saving your tooth enamel and stopping sensitive teeth in their tracks. Once you notice sensitive teeth, see a dentist as soon as possible!

Sensitive teeth are your body’s way of telling you that something is amiss with your smile, and usually the problem is enamel damage. Discovering the cause of your damaged tooth enamel is important for stopping the process of erosion. Talk to your dentist about your tooth sensitivity today!

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Damage from Cracking

Biting your nails increases the risk of damage to your teeth from cracking or chipping. Our nails are made of a substance called keratin, which is a tough protein our body uses to also make our hair. When your nails grow, new cells push the old cells out, and these old cells can harden. This hard material isn’t meant to be chewed on, making the chances of damaging your teeth that much greater.

Wearing Down the Teeth

Our teeth are meant to chew food, not tough substances like fingernails! Since your teeth need to last you a lifetime, any excessive wearing of your teeth can cause problems. By biting your nails, you wear down your teeth faster, increasing the chances of enamel erosion, a misaligned bite, and other dental problems.

Increased Risk of Bruxism

With a habit like nail biting, the body gets used to using this outlet as a way to deal with stress and anxiety. Even if you stop biting your nails, you may grind your teeth instead. Teeth grinding is often an unconscious practice that happens during sleep or in times of stress. This puts enormous pressure on the teeth which can lead to headaches, jaw pain, enamel erosion, and eventually tooth loss.

Damaged Gum Tissue

When you chew on your nails, this often creates jagged, uneven edges. As you continue to put your fingers in your mouth and bite your nails, you risk gum damage. This is because your nails can come into contact with your gums and scrape or break the surface. This not only exposes your gums to bacteria from your nails, but it also makes your body work harder to heal the gum tissue.

Spreading Bacteria

Fingernails can carry significant amounts of bacteria, depending on how clean your hands are and how long your nails are. Whatever you touch or eat can remain on your fingers. If you’re not washing your hands often—this is particularly true for children— bacteria can accumulate. These bacteria often aren’t harmful, unless introduced in the right situation. This is exactly what can happen when you put your fingers in your mouth to chew on your nails. Bacteria are then introduced into the oral cavity that wouldn’t normally be, which could harm your smile by making your mouth more acidic or even your body by contracting infections like pinworm.

Nail biting isn’t worth the risk of damaging your teeth, and it’s a habit that you can kick. By looking into alternative stress coping mechanisms in addition to keeping your nails neatly trimmed, you can stop biting your nails and protect your smile for good!

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OSA is a serious sleep disorder that can affect your entire life. Other symptoms of OSA include daytime fatigue, headaches upon waking, or even high blood pressure and changes in mood. Since your sleep helps restore energy and balance hormones—among many other tasks—OSA could be the culprit behind these symptoms in addition to your snoring.

Getting a Diagnosis

Dentists are trained to recognize symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, such as dry mouth or enamel erosion. However, your dentist won’t be able to diagnose the disorder. If your dentist suspects you have OSA, he or she can arrange a sleep test for you through a neurologist to get a proper diagnosis. Once the sleep study has been conducted, your neurologist can advise if sleep apnea is present or not. If obstructive sleep apnea is the cause of your snoring and abnormal sleep patterns, your dentist will likely be the person to help treat your OSA with oral sleep appliances.

Oral Sleep Appliances Can Help

Oral sleep appliances are devices worn in the mouth that help keep your airway open during sleep. Not only does this help alleviate snoring, but it can also combat the symptoms of OSA. Your dentist is the person who can treat sleep apnea by fitting you with a custom oral sleep appliance. These appliances are just like a mouth guard but are comfortable and help you breathe properly throughout the night.

Your dentist should be experienced with oral sleep appliance therapy and be able to work with you to recommend the best oral sleep appliance for your OSA. These devices are small, easily portable, and simple to take care of. Best of all, they can help you get a proper night’s rest and help treat your OSA!

Is it time to talk to your dentist about your snoring? If you’re experiencing other symptoms along with your snoring habit, it’s time to schedule a dentist visit. Your dentist can talk with you about your symptoms and refer you to a sleep specialist. Don’t let snoring or daytime fatigue take over your life—there is effective treatment! Talk to your dentist about OSA and oral sleep appliances today.

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