Bulimia nervosa is a binge eating disorder that affects both physical and mental health. This condition can interfere with your everyday life as it is characterized by excessive eating and frequent episodes of vomiting. Due to that, the stomach acids that are generated during vomiting can be damaging to the tooth enamel leading to further dental problems like tooth sensitivity, tooth discoloration, and cavities. Early intervention can be crucial in the recovery process and it can minimize the possibility of long-term effects on your health. In this blog, we will talk about the causes, symptoms, and the importance of getting the proper help for this condition as soon as possible.
Bulimia nervosa is classified as an eating disorder. This condition is characterized by frequent episodes of excessive eating, following self-induced vomiting to prevent gaining weight. This happens because the individual suffers from low self-esteem and confidence issues. Not liking their body shape or weight will affect their self-worth and will lead to this kind of behavior.
This frequent binge-eating episodes are characterized by:
Going through extreme ways to prevent gaining weight, which can include:
On average, these episodes should occur two or more times a week for three months or more for the condition to be considered bulimia nervosa. After being diagnosed with this condition, the psychiatrist will determine the level of the disorder based on the number of compensatory behaviors each week. It can vary from mild to severe.
Bulimia nervosa can impact both the physical and mental health of people diagnosed with it. Some of these harmful effects include:
Despite these negative effects, bulimia nervosa also has a huge impact on oral hygiene. As we mentioned before, frequent vomiting can lead to several issues like; tooth erosion, tooth sensitivity and pain, xerostomia (dry mouth), and increased risk of cavities and gum disease.
Several studies show that people who are diagnosed with bulimia nervosa are more likely to suffer from tooth erosion compared to healthy individuals. The acids of the stomach cause this to happen as they can break down and wear away the tooth enamel, which is the outer layer of the teeth that serves as a protector for the tooth. Furthermore, if the enamel is harmed it can lead to several problems, like tooth sensitivity, gum recession, ulcers, etc. Vigorous brushing after vomiting can also harm the teeth even more.
As it is commonly known saliva helps with a lot of mouth processes like diluting, neutralizing the mouth acids, and serves as a protector for the teeth from acidic damage. With this being said, you should know that another side effect of frequent vomiting is the enlargement of salivary glands which leads to minimizing the amount of saliva that is produced. As we now know people diagnosed with bulimia nervosa will also suffer from dehydration, which will come from not consuming water, vomiting, or exercise. This will lead to both erosion of the teeth and xerostomia.
People diagnosed with bulimia nervosa have a tendency to choose restricted foods with a high amount of sugar, and as we said before, they consume a huge amount of food for a short period. Consuming carbohydrates and foods that contain a lot of sugar contributes to the development of cavities and dental erosion. Studies show that on average people consume these foods 21% more than other individuals.
The most common behavior for people diagnosed with bulimia nervosa is self-induced vomiting. This can cause major issues with dental health. Teeth will be affected within 6 months of this binging and purging behavior and that is why dentists can be the first to see the signs of bulimia in their patients.
Some of the most common signs of bulimia teeth can be:
If you are diagnosed with bulimia nervosa and start to see signs of oral health problems, don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to seek help. The dentist will provide you with the needed information and will try to minimize any potential damage that may happen to the tooth.
The recovery process needs a combination of professionals to treat bulimia nervosa. As it is considered a psychological eating disorder, a psychotherapist will be needed. A nutritionist counselor and medications also will help. Just like with any other process, early detection and intervention will increase the chances for improvement and recovery.
Dentists can treat any problem that goes on with your mouth from small issues to big ones. They will provide the necessary advice and medication that will help strengthen the tooth enamel and treat dry mouth. In other cases when the damage is done they will provide a treatment plan to deal with this issue.
Studies show that patients who are diagnosed with bulimia nervosa rarely discuss this issue with their dentist, but it is important to keep in mind that even if you don’t tell them, they will be the first to notice the signs of the vomiting. They will provide enough information on how to minimize further damage and keep your oral health intact.
Being diagnosed with bulimia nervosa is hard and so is the recovery process of it. However, there are several steps you should consider doing at home to improve this condition and help reduce the damage done to your oral health. Some of these can be:
Most dental professionals who have received the required training will recognize the first indications of patients who frequently vomit. Not all dentists, nevertheless, will be able to identify the problems that eating disorders produce since it may not be very easy.
The effects of bulimia on the teeth start to show after 6 months of regular self-induced vomiting. Tooth erosion may lead to reduced shine of the teeth, break, wear down, ragged look, and turning yellow.
Bulimia nervosa will increase the risk of cavities, make the teeth more sensitive to cold and hot foods, cause dry mouth, erasure the enamel, and swell the salivary glands. All of these symptoms will begin to develop and be noticed within 6 months.
All of the negative effects that frequent vomiting will cause to the teeth are not generally preventable, although drinking water before may be a little helpful to protect the teeth. Adding baking soda to a cup of water and rinsing can be helpful also. Immediately after vomiting the dentist will recommend you only use mouthwash and not brush the teeth. Further damage is only prevented if the purging and binging are stopped
Bulimia patients may experience tiny hemorrhages under the palate’s skin and a persistent sore throat. Your tooth enamel might be damaged by frequent vomiting, especially on the tongue side of your upper front teeth. This significantly raises the risk of decay and may make these teeth sensitive to high and low temperatures.
