Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia can be devastating to oral health and dental appearance.
Anorexia causes a person to radically deprive their body of nutrients vital to oral health, resulting in weakened bones and tooth enamel. The immune system is also depressed impeding the patient’s ability to fight off infections.
Bulimia (compulsive overeating and regurgitating) results in rapid damage to teeth and gums as a result of stomach acids passing through the mouth. Deterioration of tooth enamel, chipping, and discolouration quickly cause problems for the patients.
Both anorexia and bulimia are symptoms of serious psychological issues resulting in destructive behavioural problems that, if allowed to persist, in a short time will result in serious oral health issues. Treatment of the root causes before or in conjunction with dental treatment is necessary for successful outcomes. Your dental professional can refer patients to the appropriate professionals to treat the root causes of eating disorders.
Your dentist can help you with the physical damage done to the teeth and gums, through treatment for specific damage to teeth, and with improved home care training. Cosmetic dentistry can help treat any aesthetic problems such as discolouration and chipping.
If you know someone that suffers from an eating disorder, be sure to recommend them to us for help with finding treatment for the underlying causes, and for treatment of the oral health problems that they might be experiencing.
At Alex Bratic Dental Care,we guarantee to look after your oral health. Our goal is to make quality dental care affordable. We encourage you to take advantage of our latest offers. To find out more, visit our special offers page or call us on (07) 3287 2627 or make an appointment online.
