In a previous blog from Parkcrest Dental Group, we outlined three ways alcohol can hurt your teeth, including staining your teeth, dehydration, and high sugar content.
Discover three more ways alcohol can have adverse effects on your teeth and your oral hygiene and ways to solve these issues.
Enamel Erosion
Over time, alcohol consumption can erode your enamel. This occurs through a combination of dry mouth, which causes less saliva to strengthen your teeth’s outer layer, added sugar found in alcohol and not following good oral hygiene practices. If you already eat a lot of sugary foods, alcohol might make your tooth decay difficulties even worse.
Gum Disease
In 2015, a study in the Journal of Periodontology noted heavy drinking can decrease the health of your mouth by encouraging the wrong kind of bacteria to grow. Another study of more than 1,000 people in the journal Microbiome stated that heavy alcohol drinking could lead to gum disease because of the harmful bacteria that feasts on the thin layer of alcohol that coats someone’s teeth.
Teeth Grinding
Drinking alcohol can negatively affect your sleep cycles, interrupting the normal pattern of rest your body needs. If you already have an issue with grinding your teeth at night, alcohol can make this condition worse when your body activates muscles in the jaw that might lead to grinding in your sleep. This can wear down your enamel even more than just alcohol itself.
Solving Alcohol & Oral Hygiene
You have a few ways to combat alcohol’s effects on oral hygiene.
Drink as little alcohol as possible to avoid complications over time. All types of alcohol contain some type of sugar, and some kinds of alcohol (like wine) can stain your teeth, too.
Continue to make good daily oral hygiene decisions. Brush and floss at least twice a day. Avoid sugary foods and eat a balanced diet rich in vegetables and foods rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium and phosphorus, to help your teeth build strong layers of enamel.
Where can I find a dentist in Springfield, Missouri?
Contact Parkcrest Dental or call (417) 887-1220 for more information or to make an appointment with us. Our staff can help you if you or someone in your family needs help with oral hygiene or a dental treatment. We specialize in family dentistry and can help anyone from ages 2 to 102.
